Pentair IntelliChlor salt level
Your IntelliChlor should sit at 3,600 ppm (parts per million, the number a salt test shows) of salt. That figure comes straight from Pentair's user guide. Anywhere from 2,800 to 4,500 ppm counts as a healthy range. Once you dip under 2,800 ppm, the low salt indicator lights up. Drop under 2,600 ppm and the cell turns itself off.
How much salt should you have?
Shoot for 3,600 ppm. The IC40 follows that same target. Your salt sensor might be off by 500 ppm in either direction.
Hold free chlorine between 2.0 and 4.0 ppm. Everything else appears in Pentair's chemistry guide. Hold pH between 7.2 and 7.8, with cyanuric acid from 30 to 50 ppm. You want total alkalinity landing at 80 to 120 ppm. For calcium hardness, stay between 200 and 400 ppm.
Once water drops under 52 °F, the cell stops running.
Salt light meanings for IC20, IC40 and IC60
You're inside the good zone when salt reads 2,800 to 4,500 ppm. Go past 4,500 ppm and the high salt indicator lights up. Salt that heavy makes corrosion more likely.
Seeing the low salt light tells you the water fell under 2,800 ppm. A reading under 2,600 ppm means salt is very low and the unit powers down. No more chlorine gets made until salt goes in.
| Light or code | What it means |
|---|---|
| Salt: green | Good salt, 2,800 to 4,500 ppm. |
| Salt: green flashing | Salt above 4,500 ppm. Higher risk of corrosion. |
| Salt: Add Salt (red) | Salt has fallen under 2,800 ppm. Chlorine keeps getting made, just less efficiently. |
| Salt: Low Salt, system off (red) | Salt has fallen under 2,600 ppm. Chlorine stops until salt is added. |
| Cell: green flashing | Take a look at the cell. Scale could be coating the blades. No chlorine is being produced. |
| Cold Water | Water below 52 °F. The cell is off. |
The light names and meanings are taken from the Pentair IntelliChlor manual.
Messages on IntelliChlor Plus and LT
The screen on Plus and LT units should read 3,600 ppm. These models work anywhere from 2,600 to 4,500 ppm. Once salt falls under 3,000 ppm, ADD SALT shows on the screen. The source is Pentair's product page. Dip under 2,600 ppm and the system shuts down. Go over 4,500 ppm and a high salinity warning appears.
These models can also lose chlorine output because of water flow. Chlorine only gets made when the sensor reads at least 25 GPM, according to the Plus and LT manual.
Adding salt
Once the salt is in, leave the pump going for at least 24 hours so it blends through the water. With Boost mode on, output stays at 100% for the following 24 hours the pump operates.
Trichlor and dichlor products don't belong in a pool with a salt chlorine generator. Storable and steel pools aren't compatible with this unit either.
Questions people bring to the counter
What salt level works best for IntelliChlor?
Shoot for 3,600 ppm. IC models do well anywhere from 2,800 to 4,500 ppm. For Plus and LT units, the listed span is 2,600 to 4,500 ppm. Either style powers down when salt sinks under 2,600 ppm.
What percentage should I set my IntelliChlor to?
Two things shape your setting: the sanitizer output level and how long your pump runs. Tweak the output percentage until free chlorine holds steady between 2.0 and 4.0 ppm. Whenever you change the cell output percentage, give it 24 hours before you test free chlorine again.
What salt level is ideal for a salt pool?
With Pentair IntelliChlor systems, 3,600 ppm is the sweet spot for salt. Pentair's chemistry article gives a span of 3,000 to 4,500 ppm. Go past 4,500 ppm and the chance of corrosion climbs. Sink under 2,600 ppm and chlorine production stops.
The salt cell on my Pentair IC40 flashes green. What's that telling me?
When the cell light blinks green, that's your cue to inspect the cell. Calcium could be building up on the blades. To help keep the cell clean, the unit flips its electrode blades every few hours. Every 3 months, Pentair says to give the cell an acid wash.