Intex 8110 Chlorine Generator Fix

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BArnold37

Intex 8110

Postby BArnold37 » Thu 17 Apr, 2008 11:51

This forum has been a real eye opener! I am getting my 22' AG pool ready for the summer, and would like to convert over to a salt/chlorine generator. The 8110 seems very simple and is competitively priced. It appears, however, that the only reliable thing about it is the failure rate. This system seems to be more headache than function. I also have issues with spending money with a company that repeatedly and deliberately ignores its customers. I am looking for alternatives to the 8110, but prices are almost double for the next cheapest units. Does anyone have any suggestions on a reliable, yet cost effective system?


Strannik-au
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Postby Strannik-au » Fri 18 Apr, 2008 00:41

Reliability costs money ;)

How many liters is your pool? Or what's the dimension and shape of it?
megabytes

The dreaded "91" Intex code

Postby megabytes » Tue 20 May, 2008 15:47

I am on my 2nd Intex Chlorine Generator. The first one started giving me the 'Low Salt" code at the end of it's first season. I kept adding salt & adding salt until I figured something was wrong and took a water sample to my local pool store. My salt level was over 6000ppm. Had to drain off half the water and refill. Intex replaced that one under warranty. The second one only worked for about 3 month and the same thing happened. I got the old one back out and fiddled with the calibration screws inside, and got it to finish out the season. This year neither one of them worked. I found this site and read all the postings. I hooked up the new one, turned back the first set screw about 2 notches, & so far it is working. If that quits working I will hard wire it as someone else suggested. Some one should start a class action law suit against Intex for selling knowingly defective merchandise.
megaglow_z

Postby megaglow_z » Wed 21 May, 2008 23:06

From what i have read, if there is to much salt in the system, it will cause the power unit to fail.
It even states this in the manual.
I have a feeling this unit is having a lot of reported problems due to its price being low, and A LOT of people being able to own it.
I just ordered one, i will be watching for the timer issue, and will be sure the pump is running at least 30 Min's before and after the cycle.

I am an electrical engineer and general fix it guy...if it messes up on me, its a piece of junk, and they will get a piece of my mind :)
8110 user

It worked for one week; battery booster quick fix

Postby 8110 user » Tue 27 May, 2008 05:57

I have the 8110 and it stopped working after only one week. We would unplug the unit after the chlorinator process was done along with the filter pump. The next day plugging them both in and setting the 8110 up using the control panel it only ran for 1 hour and then the display would not come back up. Followed the troubleshooting guide and reset the power etc to no avail. Called Intex and they said to fax them a letter with copy of the receipt to process a warranty claim and I would get a replacement unit sent to me in 10-14 days.

So in the meantime I didn't want to ruin the water by having to add liquid or granular chlorine which is what Intex said to do....defeats the point of having a saltwater system! Took it apart and checked the fuses on the main board. I read this thread and that you can bypass the computer by joining the output screw terminals to the DC power terminals (I am reading about 24v not the 42v a previous poster listed). Powered unit back up and now not getting any DC voltage. The transformer must have gone as I'm getting no voltage from it now.

Quick fix: I connected a portable car battery booster to the electrolytic cell's posts and it works. So just 12 volts DC will get it to work. At least now I have a temporary fix until I get the replacement in the mail. Now to find a wired transformer that I can use with as timer....
Strannik-au
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Postby Strannik-au » Tue 27 May, 2008 16:40

Essentially any chlorinator is just a AC/DC converter which applies voltage to the cell. The rest of things are just additional comfort features.
apain
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Intex Chlorine Generator

Postby apain » Thu 29 May, 2008 15:50

I'm glad I found the feedback on the Intex Chlorine Generator, I think I'll wait on purchasing until I see something more positive. What issues are there with "hard" water and the unit? Has anyone tried the 2008 model 56601?
AGinCO

Re: Intex Chlorine Generator

Postby AGinCO » Tue 22 Jul, 2008 18:06

I've read this thread last year also have a few tips from experience.

* The type of salt does seem to affect things. Last year I got 25lb bags from SAMs Club and it worked fine, this year I think there was something else in the salt, maybe it was iodized or some coagulants but it made the water a bit cloudy (white). It caused 91 errors for the first two weeks.

* Cleaning the intake grate and the cells has already been mentioned here.

* I keep the filter running almost all of the time.

* I run the chlorine generator in the evenings, also mentioned earlier in this thread.

* For the first week or two of the season, as it takes a good three days to a week to fill the pool from my solar hot water tank, I put a chlorine puck in the skimmer to help keep the water clean while waiting for the generator to become operational. (see point #1 above)

* At the start of the season (my 2nd season only so far), I only run it for an hour or two each time and gradually work up to 4 or 5 hrs each evening or two.

* I have my generator in the shade, at least for 75% of the day anyways.

Note that I haven't tried any of the mods suggested here, just plain out-of-the-box generator.
cbobbett

Intex 8110 91 Error code

Postby cbobbett » Thu 24 Jul, 2008 13:44

Itried turning resistor back a quarter turn. So far that has worked. This is my 3rd generator and I got same song & dance from Intex. Maybe we should sue . Anybody know how to start. Also don"t trust Intex test strips they are garbage. Get agood set from your local pool supply.
mb3mb3

Re: 8110 fix continued

Postby mb3mb3 » Tue 29 Jul, 2008 13:08

edjones72 wrote:To Kenwwod: imagine the screw contacts were numbered 1-4 starting at the bottom, You would move wire 4 to 3 and move wire 1 to 2. You will end up with two wires attached to contact 2 and 3. This bypasses the circuit board and allows the DC current to flow straight to the cell ALL THE TIME WHEN THE UNIT IS PLUGGED IN SO don't leave it on too long without waterflow. The unit will still come on and the LED will still lite up but there is no reason to turn the switch on. From my testing, the transformer is energized all the time when the unit is plugged in just out of the box so this is not a big change. ..... To understand the concept behind the 8110, you can make chlorine with a 9V battery, 2 old spoons, 2 pieces of wire, a drinking glass, and some salt water. It's pretty cool! Let me know if you have any more questions. Make sure it's unplugged before rewiring. It's DC but it can still hurt you.


My 13mo old 8110 unit worked normally for a only couple days this season then started shutting off just seconds after the green LED came on. Must unplug it to reset. All salt and flow level alarms still function normally but it just won't stay running. Salt level is ideal and the water is crystal clear.

I hooked a 12V battery charger up to the cell for a couple days but the unit was only putting out 1-1.5 ppm chlorine.

I then tried edjones72 quoted suggestion. PROBLEM: Bypassing the circuit board leaves the bridge rectifier (which briefly...makes AC into DC...and heat) passively cooled. NOT GOOD without real heatsink. Mine quickly got very hot even without the cover on.

As a test, I've hooked a 80mm 1700rpm 12V computer case fan directly into the DC terminals (these take over-volting pretty well) and set it under the loosened rectifier bracket. As of right now, it seems likely one could use the cooling fan that comes with the unit similarly. For Long term use I'd add a small resister to the fan so it won't burn out prematurely.

Today my units transformer is drawing 1.3A at 118V= 153 watts. Not too much as it's rated for 2.5A. I might add a 120V 2-2.5A inline fuse/breaker also, just in case.

I'll work on this more during the coming week and see how I can incorporate the flow sensor and such. Good luck!
mb3mb3

dc output voltage

Postby mb3mb3 » Tue 29 Jul, 2008 13:10

Forgot to mention that the transformer is putting out ~18.5V.
AGinCO

Intex 8110 Chlorine Generator Fix

Postby AGinCO » Mon 04 Aug, 2008 01:06

One more potential tip that doesn't involve taking things apart and rewiring etc...

I sometimes get a 91 (low salt) message after a minute or less of the green light going on. If I power it down and try setting it to run for fewer hours, sometimes as low as 1 hr, it works fine for the entire time. This I've mentioned before.

Now I just got a 91 error after even trying just a 1 hr cycle, so instead of lowering the hrs I increased the run time to 11 hrs just to see what would happen, and by-golly it's working just fine so far. It's a bit of a pain working through all these tips and tricks just to keep it going, but so far I haven't had to open mine up and fiddle with the internals. (knock on wood).

Good luck,

Brad
racermpn

Does it matter

Postby racermpn » Mon 04 Aug, 2008 14:14

I hooked up a 10 amp battery charger to mine just to bypass every thing and I was wondering if it matters what size the positive has to be attached to???
racermpn

Re: Does it matter

Postby racermpn » Mon 04 Aug, 2008 14:15

racermpn wrote:I hooked up a 10 amp battery charger to mine just to bypass every thing and I was wondering if it matters what size the positive has to be attached to???
I meant to say what side left or right.
Strannik-au
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Postby Strannik-au » Tue 05 Aug, 2008 03:46

If your unit is reverse polarity, then it doesn't, if it isn't - then it does. I believe Intex isn't reverse polarity (self cleaning) but i could be wrong.

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