A warning light on a salt system usually means the water rather than the cell, and a replacement cell is decided by three things nobody prints on the listing: which controller you own, which part number is on the box, and where you bought it.
Every number here is pulled from a manufacturer document and stamped with the date we checked it.
Start here
Which box, and what is it doing?
Tracking 5 systems with published answers. Anything else goes on the list.
Last verified
Start where the reader starts
The box tells you more than it seems to. A warning light usually means the water rather than the cell, and the brands genuinely disagree about what the same condition does.
30
manuals, no answer in any of them
The most replaced salt cell in the country does not come with a stated lifespan. We read every Hayward manual, sell sheet and warranty document we could find, in both languages, and none of them says how many hours the cell is built to last. Pentair states 10,000 and puts a meter on the unit.
What we know about each cell, and what we do not5
statements, four documents
On most Hayward systems a generic cell costs you the warranty. On the AquaRite S3 it costs you function. Hayward states it on the product, its board documentation names the one supported cell family, and its service guide has a message for a cell that fails the check.
Which cells fit a Hayward AquaRite2
different acid dilutions
For the same job on the same kind of part, one manufacturer specifies ten parts water to one part acid and two others specify four to one. Following the wrong manual is two and a half times the acid its maker calls for.
The cleaning procedure, brand by brand9
warranty variants, not one number
A salt cell warranty is not one figure per cell. It changes with the product line and with where the part was bought, and on one brand the term sheets and the owner’s manuals contradict each other outright.
What each manufacturer’s paperwork saysRead in the document, not the listing
Use of a non-genuine Hayward replacement salt chlorination cell on any Hayward automation or chlorination product will void the warranty for that product.
That sentence is not on any product listing selling you the cheaper part. Here is the honest math on both sides.
Coverage on a cell four to seven years old is worth checking before you buy anything, because on more than one brand the answer depends on where the part was bought rather than on the part. One row per warranty variant, not per cell. The full cross-brand table, with every source named.
| Cell | Variant | Term | Confirmed for your part? |
|---|---|---|---|
| CircuPool GEN15 | Commercial | 12 months | Check your part number |
| Hayward T-CELL-15 | Standard cell, Expert Line, purchased individually | 36 months | Check your part number |
| Hayward T-CELL-15 | W3 open-line SKU | 36 months | Confirmed for this part |
| Hayward T-CELL-15 | W-suffix cell | 12 months | Check your part number |
| Jandy TruClear replacement cell | Complete system, controller and cell purchased and installed together | 36 months | Check your part number |