Hayward Aqua Rite "High Salt" Light: What To Do With Too Much Salt

What the "High Salt" Light Actually Means

The Aqua Rite determines salt concentration by measuring how easily electrical current flows through the cell. Very high salt means very low resistance, which the controller interprets as being above the safe operating range.

When the reading exceeds approximately 4000 ppm (exact threshold varies slightly by model and cell type), the system illuminates the "High Salt" LED and stops generating to protect the cell and electronics from overcurrent stress.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

Owner-Level Checks

Test salt with an independent method

• Use a quality drop test kit or electronic salt meter to confirm the actual salt level.
• Sample from 12-18 inches below the surface, away from returns.
• If your test shows 3800-4500 ppm or higher, the high salt reading is likely real.
• If your test shows normal range (2700-3400 ppm), suspect a false reading from the Aqua Rite.

Review recent pool history

High salt does not appear overnight. Common causes:

• Over-dosing salt when trying to correct a "Check Salt" warning.
• Filling with well water or municipal water that already has elevated salt or mineral content.
• Pool volume smaller than you thought, so the salt dose was too concentrated.
• Recent installation where the installer added salt based on incorrect volume.

Check for salty taste (careful method)

If you are certain the water is safe and you want a quick sanity check, a tiny taste test can confirm excessive salt. Normal pool water at 3200 ppm is barely detectable; 4500+ ppm will be noticeably salty.

Tech-Level Checks

Compare average salt to instant salinity

• Use the diagnostic button to scroll to instant salinity.
• If both the main display and instant salinity are showing very high and your test agrees, the salt is genuinely high.
• If instant salinity is much lower or your test is normal, suspect the averaged display is stuck or the cell/board is misreading.

Inspect and clean the cell

• Heavy scale buildup can distort resistance readings and make the control think salt is higher than it is.
• Remove the cell, inspect plates, and clean thoroughly if needed.
• Reinstall and recheck the reading after a few hours of circulation.

Verify cell type setting

• Wrong cell type selection (T-3, T-9, T-15) can skew all salt calculations.
• Scroll diagnostics to confirm the selected type matches the actual installed cell.

Decide: dilute or troubleshoot further

• If your independent test confirms high salt and you have ruled out misreading, dilution is the only fix.
• If test says salt is normal but the Aqua Rite insists it is high, troubleshoot the cell and board before draining water.

How To Fix Genuine High Salt

The only way to reduce salt concentration is to remove salty water and replace it with fresh water:

1. Calculate how much water to replace to hit your target (usually 3200 ppm).
2. Drain a portion of the pool (via waste line or pump-out).
3. Refill with fresh water to restore normal level.
4. Run pump for 24 hours to mix completely.
5. Retest salt and confirm the Aqua Rite display updates.

For example, to reduce a 20,000-gallon pool from 4200 ppm to 3200 ppm, you would drain about 20% (4,000 gallons) and refill with fresh water.

Common Parts That Fix This Problem

None (if salt is really high)

Dilution is a chemistry fix, not a hardware fix. If salt is genuinely too high, no amount of parts replacement will help.

Turbo Cell (if misreading)

If the cell is scaled, worn, or damaged and giving false high salt signals even with correct salinity, replacement restores accurate readings.

Control PCB (rare)

If the board's measurement circuit is faulty and multiple good cells all show the same false high reading, the PCB may need replacement.

Model-Specific Notes

• Aqua Rite is designed for a maximum of about 4000 ppm. Beyond that, the system protects itself by shutting down.
• Some techs temporarily mask high salt by selecting a smaller cell type, but this is not a real fix and causes other problems.

How To Prevent High Salt Problems

• Always calculate salt additions based on accurate pool volume and current tested salt level, not guesswork.
• Add salt in stages and retest between additions rather than dumping all bags at once.
• Test your fill water for salt or TDS if you are in an area with brackish well water or water softener backwash issues.
• Keep a log of all salt additions so you can track cumulative levels over the season.

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