urgent help needed please

[thailandrocks]

Hi.

Salt water pool chlorinator is cracked and needs replacement,,, our local pool company jd pools in chiang mai whom built our pool and serviced us for the last 10 years has gone out of bussiness,,, after a extensive search here in town we have not been able to find a replacement,,,,when we called jd pools in bangkok they quoted us 21,500 baht to replace the thing,,,,,, seems to me that the peice of plastic that needs replacement should cost no more then 5-8000baht at best,,,,, hence,,,,is there anyone out there that might know where we can find this item we need to replace,,,, thank you in advance for any help offered,,,, cheers,,,

[fdimike]

What is the brand name of the chlorinator? The pic you posted is of the cell which can be expensive depending on the brand and output. Once you know the brand name you can search the web for a replacement cell. Generic replacement plastic cases are also available from numerouse dealers on the net.

[SwimmingPoolsThailand]

If you know the brand, an extensive web search will almost certainly come up with something.

From the look of the product (square cell enclosure) it could be an older Hurlcon model (since liquidated and purchased by Astral). Bear in mind however, that retailers here in Thailand will probably only stock spare parts for the major brands of chlorinators that are sold here with sufficient demand to provide a performing after sales service and customer support, and even then only stock the major parts and components. Hurlcon was not one of the widely distributed brands although their products enjoyed a good reputation worldwide..

That said, the price you have been quoted is almost certainly for the cell unit (see some examples of spare parts for chlorinators in Thailand) and even then, all the individual parts of the cells such as the plastic enclosure may not be available. Baht 5,000.00 is indeed about the right price for the plastic enclosure, if you can get it.

If your unit is 10 years old, like SureChlore chlorinators from Poolrite, a former leading quality manufacturer who also recently went into liquidation, your product may be long obsolete and you may not be able to get spare parts at all. Complete generic cells and/or electrode inserts may be available online, but beware of the often excessively high shipping costs demanded by overseas pool stores and warehouses when supplyng to Thailand.

At the end of the day, you may be best advised to invest Baht 21,000.00 towards the cost of a new chlorinator of a brand that is widely distributed in Thailand, and from a retailer (whether online or a real store) who is a genuine accredited manufacturer's agent. There are only three brands that are widely sold here in Thailand.

[thailandrocks]

thank you very much for your input,,,, the brand name Is called Minder and the size is 8 inches in long and 3 inch wide,,,cheers,,,

[SwimmingPoolsThailand]

thank you very much for your input,,,, the brand name Is called Minder and the size is 8 inches in long and 3 inch wide,,,cheers,,,

The Minder Co. is a very small Australian company so international distribution may not be their strong point. However, their management is extremely responsive and helpful, and we will be posting here again as soon as we have their information regarding the availability of your cell housing.

[SwimmingPoolsThailand]

UPDATE

This is not a cell from the chlorinators manufactured by Minder Pty, Australia. It is a cell from a model named Minder that was manufactured by the Autumn Solar Co, also in Australia. The cell unit and its parts are now obsolete . They can be replaced by the complete new cell unit (see photo) which however needs a minor plumbing change.

[Anthony5]

I doubt you will find the housing for the cell separately, but since the water pressure on it isn't that extremely high, you may consider trying to repair the crack. There is nothing to lose.

Super glue and baking soda may solve your problem.

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/10/stuff_eng_tech_ca_glue.htm

[thailandrocks]

thank you so so very much for the super glue trick,,,the banking soda is now bonded to the hairline crack and it seems to have sealed the leak,,,, wow,,, the mixture is very very hard as a seal,,, ,,,,I will post back in about a weeks time and let you know if it works or not,,,, thanks again,,, cheers,,,

[Anthony5]

thank you so so very much for the super glue trick,,,the banking soda is now bonded to the hairline crack and it seems to have sealed the leak,,,, wow,,, the mixture is very very hard as a seal,,, ,,,,I will post back in about a weeks time and let you know if it works or not,,,, thanks again,,, cheers,,,

It will most probably hold, as I have sealed joints right at the filter of my irrigation system, long time ago, and I think that get much higher pressure.

I learned the trick at a carbody repair shop here in Thailand, where they repaired bumpers and other plastic body parts of cars with it.

If it should come off it may reward to make the surface around the crack a bit rough with sand paper or a file, since the surface of the cell housing is very sleek.

You can now also use a file to make the repair smoother as it is some kind of cement already.