CPSC Series Salt Water Chlorine Generator

What this is about

This write-up will cover the CPSC Series Salt water chlorine generator (CPSC24) manufactured by Compu Pool Products. This article was written by www.WCPandS.com 

(Download a brochure here)

This was only the 2nd or 3rd CPSC salt generator I have seen in our area. The most common type found in this area (Southern California) is Hayward, Pentair and Jandy. The job was to replace an older, non-working CPSC with a new CPSC generator and power supply.

Note: The CPSC model line is very similar to the Eco Matic salt water chlorine generators.

The previous cell:

This was a replacement of one CPSC24 for a new CPSC24, so the plumbing and mounting of the power supply was already done by someone else.

The old unit pictured below cracked when the cell blades came loose and pushed through the cell casing, allowing water to leak out. 

I don’t know if the old power supply still worked since it had already been disconnected by a previous pool man, but it will also be changed out with a new unit.

Unboxing the new unit:

This package contained everything needed except for the PVC pipe and fittings needed to connect a cell to a system that didn’t already have one.

Box contains:

-User manual

-Outer cell casing

-Main cell unit

-Power supply

-Power supply mounting bracket

-Screws to hold mounting bracket

-2  two inch pipe unions

What sets this type of salt generator apart from the more commonly found models (Hayward, Pantair, Jandy) is that the pipes connect to the cell perpendicular to the cell instead of parallel to it.

This seems to be helpful when dealing with a space that appears too small to have a cell plumbed into it. However, I would be curious to know if anyone has measured a greater drop of water flow due to pipe restrictions using this system as compared to the parallel connecting type. 

Note: To see an example of plumbing a parallel cell into a tight space, see our Hayward AquaRite Salt Generator install

The Power supply included a power cable that is wired directly to the power source (most likely a mechanical timer or relay switch, depending on your situation) This is a nice change from having to buy your own wire and conduit (To view an example of using your own wire see Hayward install here (link)) but having this premade cable is a disadvantage when the distance from the cell to the power supply is longer than the supplied power cable.

Installing the new unit:

All power was turned off at the breakers.

On the back of the cell where the power cable connects is a rubber plug that can be pulled back and off exposing the 3 connecting wires. (This one did not have the clear dome the updated version does)These colored wires can now be pulled out.

Because this is a new CPSC replacing an older CPSC the two unions were unscrewed and then the unit was placed on top and screwed on.

The new unit has a clear dome that covers the 3 connecting wires with a plastic nut that secures it to the cell.

On the top near the back of the old power supply were two screws securing it to the wall. Once these are removed the power supply could be pulled out and off then the new power unit will fit in its previous place secured by the same two screws.

To connect the power use the two hanging wires at the end of the free cable coming out of the new power supply and connect them directly to the pump power. A few examples of what this could be are a mechanical timer or an automatic controller relay. In this specific example it was an automatic controller relay. 

Note: The salt cell should go on and off with the main pool pump.

Clean up and put things away the installation is finished

Issues with new unit:

A week after the install was complete I noticed the connecting end where the 3 wires joined to the cell had started to burn and melt.

The pool system was immediately turned off and the power lines were disconnected between the salt system power supply and the pool equipment.

I don’t know  how long the wires had been overheating, but from a quick Internet search I was able to find other CPSC units with the same issue that were in worse shape than this one.

After contacting Compu Pool support a new replacement salt cell generator and power supply were sent out under warranty. The damage to the burnt cell did not cause leaks when the main pump was running, so while waiting for the replacement the pool system was left on to filter normally.

The day the replacement unit arrived it was immediately installed and the old unit sent back.

There have been no further issues with this new unit.

Final thoughts:

There are a few advantages to using the CPSC system, including needing a smaller area to install the cell into it, the unit included a premade power line and this leads to an overall ease of installation. The cell generates chlorine just as well as other similar sized salt cell generators.

I don’t know how common it is for these CPSC units to overheat and only found two other examples of this happening online. At least for now I would not hold this specific issue against them. However, given the choice during a new install I would not pick the CPSC line. Since these are not commonly found in this area all of the parts had to be special ordered. The Compu Pool customer support was helpful, but I got the feeling when I communicated with them that they were a small company and this could be an issue with future dealings with them. Also, I have some doubts about the perpendicular connections to the cell as it relates to water flow.

Converting A Chlorine Pool To A Salt Water Pool

Converting a chlorine pool to a salt water pool

This will cover our conversion of a regular chlorine swimming pool to a salt water pool with the installation of a Hayward Aqua Rite Turbo Cell salt system written by www.WCPandS.com. This is not meant as a “how to” on converting your pool over to a salt pool since there are lots of variables and each situation will vary but this can be used as a general reference.

A “Hayward Aqua Rite Power Center” (Manufacturer Part #: AQR) with a “Hayward Turbo Cell” (T-CELL-15) was used as the salt generating system. This was chosen since this exact model is commonly found in the area. If there are be any issues, finding support and parts for this unit will not be a problem.

Parts Used:

- “Hayward Aqua Rite Power Center” (Manufacturer Part #: AQR) (includes flow switch, unions, and manual)

- “Hayward Turbo Cell” (T-CELL-15)

Plumbing

- 5 feet of 2 inch PVC pipe and miscellaneous PVC 2inch fittings

- Redhot PVC pipe glue

- PVC saw

- Almond color spray paint

Electrical

- 1/2in electrical conduit

- (2) 1/2 inch conduit end fittings

- Electrical wire spools (at least two different colors needed)

- 5/16 inch nut driver, Phillips head screwdriver, Flat head screwdriver,

- Wire cutters/Strippers

- (4) Phillips head screws (used to secure the power center to the wall)

Pool Water

- (12) 40lb bags of swimming pool salt

Starting:

While not required, some swimming pool owners want to start fresh so this pool was drained and refilled before the appropriate startup chemicals were added (conditioner, balanced chlorine and acid) to the water. (Link: See an example of draining a pool here)

Attaching the Cell:

Inside the “Hayward Turbo Cell” salt cell box was only the cell,(no unions or flow switch).

Those are found in the controller box as seen below.

The salt cell and flow switch needs to be plumbed on to the return side of the system. Hayward suggests 12 inches of straight, unobstructed pipe before the flow switch, the cell itself with unions is 12 inches and can be place directly behind the flow switch if need be.

As seen in the picture below, there is not a suitable run to install the cell. The pipe needs to be reformed to make the necessary space available.

A loop was started going back and up around the inlet.

The flow switch was place at the end of a 12 inch straight pipe. Nowhere in the manual does it say that a salt cell needs to be installed horizontally but for cosmetic reasons the sell was installed in a horizontal direction.

Mounting the Controller

The salt system controller (and power system) needs to be mounted to either a wall or to standing posts.

Before doing this, remove one of the plugs at the bottom of the controller box.

Because of limited space, the box was mounted to a nearby wall with 4 Phillips head screws (not included with the system).

Note: Check that the cell power cable, flow switch cable, and main power conduit lines are all long enough to reach the box from where you want to mount it.

Connecting the power

The conduit, wires, and conduit ends used to connect the controller to the circuit breakers are not included and must be assembled by the installer.

This setup used a 220v setup.

The manual requires that the salt system be on the same power lines at the pool pump so that when the pump turns off or on, the salt system is also turned off and on.

The conduit in-between the two was buried to keep it out of the way; this was not a requirement and just done for cosmetic reasons.

The newly installed pipes were painted since most of the current equipment were already tan colored.

Getting the pool ready for the salt and turning the system on:

12 bags of 40lb salt were added to the pool then as per the manual the system was allowed to run for 24 hours without powering on the salt cell.

After the 24 hour period, the controller was checked to see what sized cell it was set up for.

Note: The chad over the “Generating” light was still covering the LED and had to be manually removed.

While the power was off, the flow switch and salt cell cable were connected to the controller.

The manual now suggests letting the system run for 24 hours for the salt level to be correctly calibrated on the system.

Now, the pool has been converted from a regular swimming pool to a salt water swimming pool.Total time from start to finish with the pool drain included was 3 days.