Will a Jandy truclear display “check cell” message if the water is cold?

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L

lkk29572

Member
Jan 7, 2024
9
Myrtle Beach, SC
Pool Size
8000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Jandy Truclear / Ei
Hey!
We are new to owning and pool and new to the Myrtle beach area.
We have a Jandy truclear system. We moved into our house in August and our pool was working. We have been on top of the chemicals and cleaning it. In October/early November my husband cleaned all the filters, the salt cell etc. he installed it exactly as he removed it and I have also checked it. It once again was working.
Then in December, we have been getting the “check cell” notice on our box. The water temperature has dropped and is about 57 degrees. Our salt is currently 3300 ppm. All our chemical levels are fine. And we have been adding chlorine tabs to our skimmer since we know the salt cell won’t chlorinate in cold temps.
My question is, would our system be flashing “check cell” just because the water is cold?? The owners manual doesn’t provide the information but just says the circuit could be shorted or overloaded. So we are wanting to know is it because of the cold water or is the cell needing replaced? Or should we wait til the water warms to replace it? And is the constant “check cell” hurting and destroying our system?
Also- should we be turning off our Jandy system entirely when it gets cold but still run our filter system?
Again- first time pool owner so any advice on how to fix this issue, or tips for how to manage it in winter when outdoors is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
 
Welcome to TFP.

Turn the Truclear off until the water warms up into the 60s.

Unlike many other SWG systems sold in the US the Jandy Truclear does not have a flow switch and a temperature sensor. The Truclear uses a gas trap to determine when it should shutdown for safety. Otherwise the cell plates have power.

You don’t see any cold water indicator on the display.

Section 6.4 of the Jandy TruClear Installation Manual says:

Operating the chlorinator below 55°F (13°C) is not recommended. Operating the chlorinator in cold water can dramatically shorten the life of the cell.

During prolonged periods when the water will be less than 55°F (13°C), the unit should be turned off and a chlorine floater or erosion feeder should be used by putting a small number of tablets in either of these devices until the water temperature increases. Doing this will lengthen the cell life and provide better performance when water conditions are more optimal.

Jandy TruClear SWG - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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The TFP wisdom is not to put tabs in the skimmer. This causes acidic water (trichlor and dichlor contain CYA(cid)) with elevated chlorine to be sucked directly through your equipment. I suppose it's possible that part of the error message issue is high acidity causing excessive cell current. At any rate, acid will shorten the life of the coating on the cell plates.

Use a floating dispenser instead.
 
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Check the cell for scale and clean if necessary, but only if necessary.

Wait for the water to warm up before deciding if the cell is good or bad.

You can increase the salinity some to try to make it work, but I would not go excessively high.

Maybe target a maximum of about 3,800 ppm if you want to add salt.
 
Check Cell is a more serious error.

It indicates an open or a short, which indicates that the cell or wiring are probably bad.

If the problem was just low current, then the error would say "Lo Temp/Low Salt".

How old is the system?

Can you show the cell and box labels?


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ajw22 said:
Welcome to TFP.

Turn the Truclear off until the water warms up into the 60s.

Unlike many other SWG systems sold in the US the Jandy Truclear does not have a flow switch and a temperature sensor. The Truclear uses a gas trap to determine when it should shutdown for safety. Otherwise the cell plates have power.

You don’t see any cold water indicator on the display.

Section 6.4 of the Jandy TruClear Installation Manual says:

Operating the chlorinator below 55°F (13°C) is not recommended. Operating the chlorinator in cold water can dramatically shorten the life of the cell.

During prolonged periods when the water will be less than 55°F (13°C), the unit should be turned off and a chlorine floater or erosion feeder should be used by putting a small number of tablets in either of these devices until the water temperature increases. Doing this will lengthen the cell life and provide better performance when water conditions are more optimal.

Jandy TruClear SWG - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...
Thank you! I will turn it off asap!
 
generessler said:
The TFP wisdom is not to put tabs in the skimmer. This causes acidic water (trichlor and dichlor contain CYA(cid)) with elevated chlorine to be sucked directly through your equipment. I suppose it's possible that part of the error message issue is high acidity causing excessive cell current. At any rate, acid will shorten the life of the coating on the cell plates.

Use a floating dispenser instead.
Click to expand...
Good to know! I didn’t even think of that!
 

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generessler said:
This causes acidic water (trichlor and dichlor contain CYA(cid)) with elevated chlorine to be sucked directly through your equipment. I suppose it's possible that part of the error message issue is high acidity causing excessive cell current. At any rate, acid will shorten the life of the coating on the cell plates.
Click to expand...
If you have slow dissolving trichlor tabs, and a flow of at least 20 GPM, then the chemistry downstream will not be dangerous.

If the pump is off for a while, then the chemistry can get very dangerous.

It is not recommended to use tabs in a skimmer, especially with a heater.

If you use tabs in a skimmer, keep the pump running continuously.
 
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