Generic T15 Salt Cell Options

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Sneaky D

Sneaky D

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2019
50
Gilbert, AZ
Pool Size
25000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Noticed this T15 salt cell from Leslie's anyone have experience with it? I've seen a few generics online but always been concerned about the quality. I'm wondering if this one would be a better option. 1 year warranty is on the short side but even if I got 2 years at this price I'm even money. $900 for a Hayward cell is just stupid. $377.94 is pretty reasonable

Item: 81388
Manufacturer SKU: HC40GT15-1

Here is the link, below is snapshots.


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Any time I see the Platinum Edition generic cell recommended, my spine shivers. All you have to do is google Salt Pool Store and add the words "reviews" or "scam" and you'll find out the warranty is worthless, the cell rarely makes it past one year, you have to return ship it to Australia, and you'll be lucky to get any money back in the form of a refund. For 10 years they having been ripping off customers yet folks are still drawn to their product by a super low price and a too good to be true warranty.
 
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I would be weary of a totally no name cell with zero documentation on output/day or expected cell life in hours.
I have the pureline t15 replacement from inyopools which has a 2 year warranty, a higher output than the t15 (2.1# vs 1.47#)
& is currently about $100 more than the Leslies no name you linked.
During its first season the advertised output seems to be on point. The jury is out on longevity as I only have the one season under my belt.
I opted for this one over the circupool replacement due to the higher output (a t15 (40k gal) system is really too small for my 25k gal pool).
& The lower price point compared to the hayward oem considering my system is already quite old at 13 years & was a hand me down freebie.
It replaced an optum simple cell of which I am unsure how long was actually in operation.
When this goes I intend to pull the trigger on a properly sized 55/65k gal rated circupool system.
 
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Mdragger88 said:
I have the pureline t15 replacement from inyopools which has a 2 year warranty, a higher output than the t15 (2.1# vs 1.47#)
Click to expand...

Have you done any benchmarking to confirm the Pureline actually produces 2.1# vs 1.45#? That is a 45% increase in production which also means a 45% increase in current within the power supply unit which would likely put the control unit into overcurrent shutdown. It just doesn't seem likely they could accomplish that much of an increase without it impacting the current as well as the cell footprint.
 
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I just noticed that their hours of production are less so:

2.1 / 24 * 7000 = 612.5 lbs
1.47 / 24 * 10000 = 612.5 lbs

Total lifetime production is the same. I am not sure why they have a higher production rate though as it doesn't seem physically possible.
 
mas985 said:
Have you done any benchmarking to confirm the Pureline actually produces 2.1# vs 1.45#? That is a 45% increase in production which also means a 45% increase in current within the power supply unit which would likely put the control unit into overcurrent shutdown. It just doesn't seem likely they could accomplish that much of an increase without it impacting the current as well as the cell footprint.
Click to expand...
Only via pool math calculations. (Comparing estimated output to actual overnight increase)
My controller is quite old so the potentiometer knob is a bit wonky as well which makes a super accurate assessment impossible. The % likes to jump around.
At the time of purchase the pureline unit was cheaper than the circupool as well.
If my controller outlives this cell I would be surprised 😂 so the 7k hr life at a discount was ok by me. (They did used to sell a 10k hr unit but have discontinued it)
Overall I am happy with my purchase for my particular situation at the time.
We’ll see how this season fares.
They are both good options depending upon what you’re looking for if you’re wanting to go generic.
Mainly mentioning the higher output option due to the op’s pool size.
 
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chlorinatorpro said:
Any time I see the Platinum Edition generic cell recommended, my spine shivers. All you have to do is google Salt Pool Store and add the words "reviews" or "scam" and you'll find out the warranty is worthless, the cell rarely makes it past one year, you have to return ship it to Australia, and you'll be lucky to get any money back in the form of a refund. For 10 years they having been ripping off customers yet folks are still drawn to their product by a super low price and a too good to be true warranty.
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Sneaky D said:
Yea I've read the reviews and BBB complaints, no way I would give them my money.
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I have had a recent experience with trying to make a warranty claim with this company. Worthless, and total run around. Never can actually talk to a person. Their last communication was for me to mail the cell to them. In the mean time I should buy a bypass and use normal chlorine tablets. The cell did last for 3+ years, so for the price I shouldn't complain. I just hate poor service and misleading advertising. I will not purchase from the again on plain principals. Honestly, I would of been happier if they just told me it wasn't covered.
 
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Pool1960 said:
I have had a recent experience with trying to make a warranty claim with this company. Worthless, and total run around. Never can actually talk to a person. Their last communication was for me to mail the cell to them. In the mean time I should buy a bypass and use normal chlorine tablets. The cell did last for 3+ years, so for the price I shouldn't complain. I just hate poor service and misleading advertising. I will not purchase from the again on plain principals. Honestly, I would of been happier if they just told me it wasn't covered.
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I too have had the same experience with SPS as you have almost word for word.
The cell lasted 3 years and I sent it back to Dallas TX for warranty and that's the last I've heard from them.
I would never buy from them again because if the cell only lasted 3 months, even at the much reduced pricepoint, I would still be in the same situation I'm in now.
But having "only" paid $289 and getting 3 years, I'll count my losses with ZERO customer service, learn from my experience and buy my next one from another company.
 
Getting three years of chlorine production from a cell that is half the price of a Hayward T-15 is like getting 6 years from the Hayward. Regardless of them ignoring your warranty you made out well, though I would never risk my money on a knock-off cell myself.
 
TinFoilHat said:
Getting three years of chlorine production from a cell that is half the price of a Hayward T-15 is like getting 6 years from the Hayward. Regardless of them ignoring your warranty you made out well, though I would never risk my money on a knock-off cell myself.
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i agree but again, thats becuase i got 3 years of value out of it.
if it had been 3 months, id be thinking differently about it for sure.
 
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chlorinatorpro said:
Any time I see the Platinum Edition generic cell recommended, my spine shivers. All you have to do is google Salt Pool Store and add the words "reviews" or "scam" and you'll find out the warranty is worthless, the cell rarely makes it past one year, you have to return ship it to Australia, and you'll be lucky to get any money back in the form of a refund. For 10 years they having been ripping off customers yet folks are still drawn to their product by a super low price and a too good to be true warranty.
Click to expand...
I have one of the Platinum Edition T-15 cells from the salt pool store and it has been operating good for three year. Maybe I am one of the lucky ones that did not get a dud !
 
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These are the reviews: Saltpoolstore.com | Reviews | Better Business Bureau® Profile
Granted people rarely write the BBB with flowery praise, but 78 ratings are the bottom, 1 is a 2*, and 2 are 5* (1 is a meaningless review) out of 82 ratings. Just personally, I don't want to support such a place.

They do sound like kind of a scam because their warranty only gives you a discount on the "non-discounted" much-higher price, so a replacement in many cases would cost you more than a new one.

I'm sort of surprised there's not something in-between. The Hayward cell is US-made and probably has a manufactured cost roughly double these knock-offs (there's not that much human labor involved). I'm buying a 1-year-used Hayward controller. If they will honor the original warranty, I'll stick with a Hayward cell. If not, there's no point buying Hayward or these guys.
 
Lodestar said:
These are the reviews: Saltpoolstore.com | Reviews | Better Business Bureau® Profile
Granted people rarely write the BBB with flowery praise, but 78 ratings are the bottom, 1 is a 2*, and 2 are 5* (1 is a meaningless review) out of 82 ratings. Just personally, I don't want to support such a place.

They do sound like kind of a scam because their warranty only gives you a discount on the "non-discounted" much-higher price, so a replacement in many cases would cost you more than a new one.

I'm sort of surprised there's not something in-between. The Hayward cell is US-made and probably has a manufactured cost roughly double these knock-offs (there's not that much human labor involved). I'm buying a 1-year-used Hayward controller. If they will honor the original warranty, I'll stick with a Hayward cell. If not, there's no point buying Hayward or these guys.
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It's a shame that Hayward cells are so overpriced. I originally bought my Hayward Aquatrol with t-5 cell included for about $ 400 ten years ago. After the original T cell bit the dust, I bought the saltpoolstore cell. Initially I had a problem with it reporting very high salt reading and shutting down. I had a suspicion from looking at the grid through the clear plexiglass that it was a T-15 cell and not the T-5 cell that I ordered. (no identifying numbers on the cell). I soldered a jumper on the AquaTrol J-4 of the circuit board and it has been working very good since then.
 
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If you came up with the original technology, spent the $ to patent it, spent the $ to market it, had the overhead to deal with, and were constantly innovating, you too would price the cell at margins a public company needs to reward it's shareholders. With the exception of marketing. generics have none of that.
 
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chlorinatorpro said:
If you came up with the original technology, spent the $ to patent it, spent the $ to market it, had the overhead to deal with, and were constantly innovating, you too would price the cell at margins a public company needs to reward it's shareholders. With the exception of marketing. generics have none of that.
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To me Hayward is gouging their customers since there are a number of non Hayward generic salt cells at over half the price of the Hayward.
 
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