Generic vs OEM Salt Cells

What generic, aftermarket and OEM mean here

OEM means the original: a cell made by the maker of the system it runs on, such as a Hayward TurboCell on a Hayward AquaRite. A generic cell, also sold as aftermarket, cross brand or compatible, is another maker's cell: one company builds it to run on a different company's control. The words say who built the cell. They say nothing about how it runs.

We sell both kinds. Of the 104 salt cells listed on the store on October 1, 2026, nearly all of those built for someone else's system come from two names, CaliMar and CompuPool.

So generic is relative to the control. CaliMar and CompuPool each build cells for the other's systems, and each is the original on its own.

What you can compare before you buy, and what you cannot

Seven things are printed on a product page. Take them in this order.

1. System and model. A cell runs only on the control it was built for. A cell for a T-Cell-15 is not a cell for a T-Cell-9. Match this first.
2. Pool size rating. The gallons the page says the cell is for.
3. Warranty. Only what the product page states. Of the 104 pages, 23 print a Warranty row. A page without one is silent. It is not saying there is no warranty.
4. Blades. The number of plates. Many pages print none.
5. Housing and cell style. Clear or solid, 2 port or 3 port, a whole cell or a bare electrode for a housing you keep.
6. Cord and unions. Whether a cord is included, and whether unions are in the box or you reuse the pair on the pipe.
7. What it replaces. The part numbers the page names, checked against the label on your old cell.

Two things are on no page: how much chlorine a cell puts out over its life, and how many hours that life is. We found no test, by a maker or by anyone else, that runs one maker's cell against another's. So this page names no best cell and makes no claim about output or life in either direction. A rating and a warranty term are statements by whoever built the cell, not measurements.

Hayward AquaRite: T-Cell-15, T-Cell-9 and T-Cell-3

Hayward numbers its cells by size, and the control has a setting for each.

T-Cell-15: four cells

All four print 40,000 gallons. What differs on paper is the Warranty row, the cord and the plate count, which only Hayward's page prints. CaliMar's CMARCHA40-1Y page also gives a system build date of before 2009, so check the age of your control against it. The T-Cell-15 page holds all four.

T-Cell-9: three cells

CompuPool's page adds that its cell is for Hayward systems made after 2009, and its T-Cell-3 page says the same.

T-Cell-3: three cells

For the T-Cell-5 size, CompuPool's GRC20GH prints 20,000 gallons, 3 years, a clear housing and a cord. Hayward's AquaTrol cell, W3GLX-CELL-5, names the Goldline T-CELL-5 as what it replaces and prints 20,000 gallons, a 15 ft cord and no Warranty row.

One limit: Hayward's training guide says the AquaRite S3 control supports only the S3 family of cells, and no cell above is named for it. Every Hayward cell is under Hayward salt cells.

Pentair IntelliChlor: not a like for like comparison

Here the two kinds are not the same cell. The Pentair cells below are the Plus and LT generation. CaliMar's three are named for the IC20, IC40 and IC60. So this table sets two different cells side by side, and the first job is to settle which one your system takes.

None of the six pages prints a blade count, a cord or unions. The Plus40's page lists the IC40 under what it replaces, and the LT25's lists the IC20. Those are the pages' statements. Pentair's own Plus and LT guide describes a retrofit adapter that lets a new cell take the place of an older IntelliChlor, and names it for the LT15, LT25 and Plus30 only. The IC40 page takes up the Plus40 question, and the rest are under Pentair salt cells.

Jandy AquaPure 1400

Jandy sells its 3 port cell for the AquaPure 1400 two ways, and CompuPool builds one for the same system.

The three print one rating, and none prints a Warranty row. The difference on paper is the box: Jandy's pages list unions, a cord and, on the PLC1400, the sensors, and CompuPool's page lists none of them. The 700 size, TruClear and Fusion Soft cells are under Jandy and Zodiac salt cells.

AutoPilot Pool Pilot: PPC1 and PPC3

AutoPilot's cells carry PPC numbers, and older ones carry SC and RC numbers. The other makers' pages name all three: the PPC1 with the SC-36 and RC-35/22, the PPC3 with the SC-48 and RC-42.

The PPC1's page prints 40K gallons, and CaliMar's cell for the PPC1 prints 35,000. A rating is each maker's own figure. No page above lists a cell cord, and AutoPilot's warranty wants the cord replaced with the cell. AutoPilot's Digital Nano manual says a Nano takes a PPC1 and no other cell. The PPC4's three cells and every other size are under AutoPilot salt cells.

CompuPool and CaliMar systems

No table is possible here. For CompuPool's systems, CaliMar builds three electrodes, and two of their pages print no specification rows. The third, CaliMar's CMARCCE20-1Y, is named for the CFCP15: 20,000 gallons, 4 blades. CompuPool's own 4 blade electrode, JD363130B, prints 20,000 gallons too and is named for the CPSC16. Both are electrodes only: no housing, unions or O-rings. The pages name different models, so match the model before the numbers. The rest are under CompuPool salt cells.

On a CaliMar system the CaliMar cell is the original. Its four cells for the CMARSHA systems each print a three year limited Warranty row, and they are under CaliMar salt cells.

What each system's maker says about other makers' cells

• Hayward. The AquaRite owner's manual says that fitting a non-genuine replacement cell to any Hayward chlorination or automation product voids any warranty. That is Hayward's statement.
• AutoPilot. Its chlorinator warranty is void when the equipment is serviced with parts that fall short of OEM specifications, certifications, performance, fit or compatibility. It names no maker.
• CompuPool. Its CPX and CPSC manuals both say to fit only a cell whose label states it is a replacement for that system, and the CPX manual adds that only genuine CompuPool parts may be used.
• Pentair and Jandy. Nothing either way. The IntelliChlor guides and the AquaPure, TruClear, AquaPure Ei and Fusion Soft manuals read for this page do not mention cells from other makers.

Each statement is about the warranty on the control. The warranty on a new cell is separate: whatever that cell's product page states. This is practical, not legal advice. If your control is still inside its maker's warranty, read that warranty before you choose. If it ran out years ago, the maker's condition has nothing left to act on.

Setting up a cell from another maker

No manual read for this page gives a setting that is special to another maker's cell. The control is set for the size of cell fitted, whoever built it. Switch the power off before the old cell is unplugged or unscrewed.

• Hayward AquaRite. Set the cell type code: t-3, t-5, t-9 or t-15, with t-15 the factory default. Hayward's manual says the wrong choice makes the salt reading inaccurate and will likely suspend chlorination. The three smaller cells want software 1.50 or later, and any revision runs a t-15. Hayward's guide then resets the average salt.
• AutoPilot Pool Pilot Digital. Cell Type must match the cell: PPC1, PPC3, PPC4 or PPC5, with PPC3 the factory setting. Then Replace Cell: hold for about 13 seconds, until the display shows Amp-Hrs = 0. AutoPilot lists a Cell Type that does not match among the causes of premature cell failure.
• Solaxx PureChlor. Solaxx says the power supply has to be reprogrammed for any new cell, to the size of that cell.
• CompuPool CPX. The manual says a replacement cell needs no change to the control settings.
• Pentair IntelliChlor. The guides describe no cell type setting.

How to choose: the trade-offs

When the original is the simpler choice

• Your control is still under warranty and its maker is Hayward or AutoPilot, whose documents carry the conditions above.
• You want the part that came out. Hayward's troubleshooting guide says to replace a cell with the model the system had before.
• You need what a kit lists, such as the unions, cable and sensors on Jandy's PLC1400 page.

When another maker's cell is worth weighing

• The control's warranty has already run out.
• Its product page states a longer term. For the T-Cell-9, Hayward's page states 1 year, CaliMar's 2 and CompuPool's 3. A term is a promise by the cell's maker, not a measure of its life.
• Its page lists something you need. CompuPool's cells for Hayward list a cord, and its cells for AutoPilot list unions.
• The cell named for your model comes from another maker: CaliMar's for the IC20, IC40 and IC60.

Neither list is a verdict. Weigh both against your control, its age and what is already on the pipe. Both kinds, for every system, are under salt cells.

First, be sure the cell is worn

None of this matters if the cell is only scaled, cold or short of salt. When to replace a salt cell has each maker's test for a worn cell, and how to clean a salt cell has each maker's method.