Hayward Chlorinator Troubleshooting & Repair Guide
By The Hayward Chlorinator comes in an offline and an inline model. The inline chlorinator connects using PVC fitting and unions and is piped “inline” with the swimming pool plumbing. The “offline’ Hayward Chlorinator hooks up in a completely different way. This type hooks up using flexible chlorine feeder hoses with saddle connection fittings. Now that you know that there are two different styles of the chlorinators you will now have to find out what type you have before you can start working on it.
Before working on either the in ground model which is the CL220 or the above ground swimming pool model which is the CL110 you will always want to make sure you can run the pool water though the chlorinator for a few minutes. Sometimes chlorine gas can build up inside the chlorinator and when you open it, the gas could make you sick. Always be sure to stand back when removing a chlorinator lid that has chlorine tablets inside of it. Try to always run water through the chlorinator by turning the pool on first, this was NOT a typo that was said twice, Chlorine gas can be very dangerous, be careful anytime you work with any type of swimming pool chlorine or tablets.
When working on the chlorinator you will want to make sure that your swimming pool filter system is shut off. You will also want to unplug t he pump cord if possible to prevent the swimming pool timer from kicking on the pool pump while you are working on rebuilding your Hayward Chlorinator.
How To Replace The Hayward CL220 & CL110 Cover O-Ring
One of the most common o-rings that will leak on both the CL220 and the CL110 Hayward Chlorinators is the top cover gasket as shown in part number 6 in the diagram. This part is called the Hayward Chlorinator Cover Replacement O-ring if you should decide to buy the part at a local pool supply store such as Leslies or even online.
The first thing you will need to is to remove the hold down screw that connects the top of the cover to the bottom disk below. You will first need to remove the cover that protects the hold down screw. This hold down cover is part #1 in the diagram. The hold down screw you will be removing is part #2 in the diagram. Once you remove the screw, which is, plastic you can remove part #5, which is the bottom, halve of the cover. You will now to be able to see the o-ring. You can now take a flat head screwdriver and pop the o-ring of the bottom part of the cover disk. Once the old o-ring is removed you can replace it with the new Chlorinator o-ring that you have purchased. You will also want to put a bit of Jack’s Pool Magic grease on the o-ring to prevent it from drying out.
Now that the new o-ring is back on the disk you can start to put the chlorinator back together in the reverse order that was described you above. Be careful and do not over tighten the hold down screw or you could crack it. It’s only made from plastic so you need to be careful when tightening this back down.
How To Replace The Hayward CL110 Chlorine Feed Hoses
The Hayward CL110 Chlorinator is a bit different from the CL220 model. This model uses flexible black chlorine feeder hoses to connect the tank to the filter system. From time to time these lines will become brittle and need to be replaced. You can buy replacement Hayward Chlorine feeder lines online or from a local swimming pool supply store.
To replace the lines on the Hayward CL110 Chlorinator you will need to loosen the nuts at the end of each line. Turning them counter clockwise will loose these nuts, be sure to do it carefully or the chlorine feeder line nuts could break or strip out. Once the nuts are loose you can remove both the feed and return lines. The Hayward re-build kit for the Chlorinator should have new nuts and lines in the pack.
You will now want to measure the length of the lines before cutting them and it’s very important to cut them straight or they will leak. Once you have pre cut the lines you will want to slip on the new lock down nuts and screw them on to the saddle fittings that you removed them from. Make sure to hold the line in all the way as you are tightening them down to ensure a proper seal. If the lines leak after installing new ones your problem could be an end that is cut on an angle, go back and re-cut that end of the line and re-install the line and you should not have a leak.
How To Adjust The Chlorine Setting on The CL110 & CL220
On the side of the Hayward CL220 & the CL110 is an adjustment knob that has a dial setting on it. The dial setting ranges from 1 to 10. You can use this dial on the side of the chlorinator to control the amount of chlorine that goes back into your swimming pool. To increase the level of the chlorine into the pool you would want to turn the dial up towards the 10 setting. If you wanted to have the chlorine feeder feed at the lowest setting you would adjust the dial to 1. Most people keep the dial set on mid way, which is 5, until the pool is running for about 2 weeks and then fine tune it later on for the proper chlorine levels.
How To Check The Direction Of Flow On The Hayward Chlorinator
In order for the Hayward CL220 or the CL110 to work right you must have the chlorinator set and installed with the correct direction of flow. On the side of the chlorine feeder you will see an arrow that says, “flow”. This arrow needs to be pointed towards the return side of the swimming pool plumbing.
How To Drain The Hayward CL Style Chlorinator:
If you want to drain the chlorinator you will find a drain plug on the bottom. You can use a 9/16 open-end wrench to remove this drain plug. Turn the drain plug counter clockwise and then the drain plug will be able to be removed. Once you remove the drain plug all the water will properly drain from the chlorinator if it is standing in the upward position.
I have a CL110. It won’t fill with water to dissolve the chlorine tablets. Plus, the water has to be high enough to exit the canister through the outlet valve. I’ve replaced the check valve, the cover gasket is good, the flow valve is set all the way open (I’ve tried at 3/4), the hoses are good. No leaks that I can tell. The direction is correct. What else could it be?
Hi Bob,
I would just replace the chlorinator at this point. The inner orifices might have swollen up from the chlorine fumes of the years,
Hope this helps.
Joseph
How many years should you get out of the chlorinator before it must be replaced?
I have a CL220 chlorinator that was installed by my contractor 4 months ago. The CL2 tabs are new. I cannot shut the chlorinator off. Even when the dial is set to off the chlorine levels in my pool are high and the tablets are dissolving. Something is not right. Any ideas?
I have the same problem as Steve. I took my system apart about a few weeks ago, made sure it was super clean, then reinstalled the system (cl-220).
A week ago I checked the clorine levels, and they were high, so I went from a setting of 2 to 1. To go lower I would have to shut the system off.
My PH is now running 8.8. Way to high considering I have the unit on the lowest setting. Anyone have any ideas what might be causing this. I know it is installed correctly, the only thing I do not have is a check valve on the line. Guess I should go out and buy one of those things right?
Seriously, any other ideas would be appriciated.
Larry
This winter I saw that the main vessel portion of our chlorinator had split and was “dripping” frozen water. Was this the fault of the service we had close our pool, or is it something that can happen from time to time? The chlorinator was two years old, summer use only, and infrequent, since we had some other issues with the pool, and we couldn’t get the proper chlorine levels using the inline chlorinator.
I had a chlorinator installed last year, by someone less than reputable. It fills with water the chlorine dissolves, but nothing goes into the pool. I see no leaks of any kind. what do you think the problem is.
I have a noise which sounds like air/water? tumbling not flowing somewhere in line coming out of Hayward H150PED2 pool heater going into the Hayward CL200 chlorinator going back into ground return line. Hayward filter C900 pressure use to be 10 – 15 now up to 22 and has been running there for the last month. We bought new filter it did not change filter pressure at all. We do not have any noise in the lines from the filter to the heater. The water return into the pool is not very strong (able to put hand very close to return with no problem at all, also no air bubbles or air mixed with the water). Pool now cloudy, according to pool shop, I had to shock the pool with 4 bags, Total alkalinity was low and had to then had lower my pH and my pool is only 6500 gallons (I have been trying to clear the cloudy water for 5 days now coming along but very slow which is not normal). My chlorinator was always on setting 1 or 2 but now I am on 5 and still only barely can keep level on test strip white. My 3″ chlorine tablets in my chlorinator are dissolving. I also had the pool heater cleaned by a professional for the first time this year it is LP Gas. By also restricting the return flow into the pool by putting my finger into the side of the return the noise goes away but I do not see any change in the filter pressure of 22. Any Ideas?
My Hayward CL-220 doesn’t seem to be working well anymore because the tablets almost never dissolve.
There are no leaks so I ran a few tests:
If I run pool filter system and chlorinator with the lid off and set the dial to Zero no water fills up in the chlorinator. That is correct operation. Once I turn the dial to 1 the chlorinator start to fill and progressively fills up faster as I approach level 8. AS IT SHOULD. IT will eventually overfill since the lid is off but this is just a test.
If I put the lid back on and disconnect the outlet tube from the system and run everything, then water gushes out of the tube. AS IT SHOULD. Showing that water is flowing properly.
I don’t get it though. Everything seems to be operating correctly but if I put 4 tablets in the chlorinator it takes over 3 weeks to dissolve with the setting on 8. These are the same tablets that worked perfectly just a few months ago and the same type slow dissolving tablets I’ve been using for 30 years so I know that’s not the problem.
I am using the proper viton o rings, and cleaning the mating surface, yet the o rings are failing within a couple weeks as they are growing on the I.D. And cause a leaker, the only thing I have omitted is the lube on the o ring. I only use 4 or 5 3″ tablets at a time to reduce gasses while pump is off. The cl200 is 14 years old. Any thoughts?
I cant get the lid off my Hayward Chlorine dispenser. I’ve cleaned the lid, replaced the rings and used a lot of muscle to try to get it off. I am told there is some kind of a pry wrench designed for the lid to give extra torc but cant find one. Is the problem suction or equipment?
Similar to Pam’s comment, I am having trouble with the CL220 cover/lid. I can get the cover off, but it will not go back on completely – tightens before the seal can be made and before the stop lug. I have replaced the o-ring and have tried cleaning up the inside of the cover and outside of the feeder to make sure it is clear of debris, but still cannot get the cover to re-sit completely. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
Same problem as Drew and Pam. Hayward chlorine dispenser lid is stuck on. Can’t get it off for the life of me. Its ridiculous. Anyone have luck fiquring this out?
Hi Pearl,
Let some air into the system by opening the filter air relief.
Hope this helps,
Joseph
I have found that when I replace the swelled O ring I can put the old one aside and it will revert to normal dimensions over time(months?).
If one keeps a swelled O ring in too long then the lid on/off process will be difficult and will gouge the O ring making it non reusable.
There are O rings for the flow adjustment value on the side that must be replaced after a number of years. You will notice leaking by the value. Twist off past detent to remove valve needle.
I have a SPLASH chlorine feeder, Model 70168. I need to replace the o-ring and can’t find one for my specific chlorinator anywhere online. Can you recommend a hayward o-ring that might work as a substitute? Can the same sized o-ring work with any chlorinator? Thanks.
i have a hayward inline chlorinator that is leaking from the the chlorine adjustment setting knob… is there a fix or do i just take it back to my pool shop ?