What salt cell to try next???

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T

Torque beast

Active member
Aug 6, 2016
41
Benton AR
Pool Size
30000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
My Pentair IC60 just went out on me which makes number 2 in 4 seasons. I’m done with Pentair Crud and will not give them another cent. Soooo with that being said what is a good QUALITY salt cell now days? 30k gallon
I did find an RJ 60 I believe that looked promising with a good warranty but trust this site for info instead of web reviews
 
Circupool units are fairly popular here. We do so some issues (more with the second-gen SJ than the RJ), but I would guess it's only a small percentage owners. I've had my RJ-45 installed since June and have no issues so far. A bit too soon to comment on dependability.

Prices have been out of control...probably close to double the cost since early this year. Discount Salt Sales has an ongoing $10 upgrade promotion, so the RJ-60 would cost $1,595. They did not charge me sales tax.
 
TB,

I find it interesting that most people here report that their Pentair cells last 5 to 7 years on average, but yours only last 2 years.. :scratch:

Please tell us about the type failures your cells were having....

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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They start off with temp sensor quitting, then no flow light, replace sensors will work for a while then will blow a fuse. Replace fuse then will work a while then no flow light again but this time when you bypass sensor to check the light will not turn green. Both have done this but maybe not the same exact order. Running approximately 1,200 hrs per season and this last one didn’t make two full seasons.
Not sure who is claiming 5-7 years but everyone I have talked to local who have run Pentair has had close to the same experience as me with the exception of they have to hire someone to come fix theirs.

I would love to get 5-7 out of mine so I am open to suggestions
 
tb,

None of the major brands are DIY friendly.. That is one reason that CircuPool is popular here..

Only Pentair and CircuPool have cells rated at 60K..

It does seem like you have had some weird failures.. Most reported SWCG failures are not really hardware related.. Things like installing way too small of a cell, having algae and expecting the SWCG to still generate enough chlorine, and not understanding how to run the cell so that it generates the amount of chlorine needed, and keeping your CYA too low. These are the most reported failures with all brands of cells..

Your failures are more electrical/mechanical.. Other than the Flow Switch Assy, the IntelliChlor is a pretty dependable cell.

If I had your luck, I would go with one of the larger CircuPool units.. This assumes that you don't have an Pentair automation system..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
tb,

None of the major brands are DIY friendly.. That is one reason that CircuPool is popular here..

Only Pentair and CircuPool have cells rated at 60K..

It does seem like you have had some weird failures.. Most reported SWCG failures are not really hardware related.. Things like installing way too small of a cell, having algae and expecting the SWCG to still generate enough chlorine, and not understanding how to run the cell so that it generates the amount of chlorine needed, and keeping your CYA too low. These are the most reported failures with all brands of cells..

Your failures are more electrical/mechanical.. Other than the Flow Switch Assy, the IntelliChlor is a pretty dependable cell.

If I had your luck, I would go with one of the larger CircuPool units.. This assumes that you don't have an Pentair automation system..

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...

Add Autopilot to that list. They show cells rated up to 80k gallons.
 
Jimrahbe said:
S,

You do not see them here much, but you are correct.. My understanding is they are more of the "luxury" class of cells...

I should have added them to the list..

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...

It’s curious we don’t see more here. The cost of replacement cells seem lower than Hayward cells from what I’ve seen. A good friend of mine has an Autopilot that’s worked very well.

Anyway, for someone looking for a SWCG, it’s worth checking out.
 
Hey TB !! I just want to point out the not always so obvious, as like Jim said above it seems you had electrical/electronic failures. If you have power fluctuations/ surges and or frequent lightning storms, it may not matter which brand you choose.
 

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We have had normal storms through here but no crazy lightening storms though. I know it doesn’t matter but that is a good point to look at. It is wired to a hot water heater timer but no surge protector.
I will check into autopilot as well, never heard of them.
 
Torque beast said:
We have had normal storms through here but no crazy lightening storms though. I know it doesn’t matter but that is a good point to look at. It is wired to a hot water heater timer but no surge protector.
I will check into autopilot as well, never heard of them.
Click to expand...

When we were pool shopping in 2003, one of the builders I interviewed offered Autopilot SWCGs to his customers. So it’s been around a long time. It was a better known brand on another pool forum I use to frequent, but not as much here for some unknown reason (to me).
 
My First SJ 45 cell lasted 7 years.. I am now testing the new SJ-A system and it is working fine.. They are still tweaking it...

The RJ is a rockstar system.. It just works... at over 3 pounds of chlorine a day its hard to beat...
 
Jimrahbe said:
Only Pentair and CircuPool have cells rated at 60K..
Click to expand...
This is an interesting example of why when you are comparing SWGs you really need to look at the SWGs daily output. In this case the IC60 is rated at 2.0 lbs/day of chlorine gas where as the RJ60 puts out 3.1 lbs/day. Autopilots 80k units puts out 2.52 lbs/day.
Torque beast said:
Ordered an SJ 60 should be here in a couple of days. Thx for everyone’s help
Click to expand...
Did you mean RJ60?
 
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