Salt generators - are they worth it?

I installed a Jandy Aquapure Salt generator 2.5 years ago and it has been a money pit. I like the salt water vs. chlorine when i am in the pool and also like not handling chlorine. However, my decision was alos based on the economics of not buying chlorine.

The Jandy Aquapure 1400 chlorine generator has been a disaster. I had it installed installed in April of 2009. I replaced the PCB Back Board in July of 2010 (out of warranty) the bill was $388. I opened the pool again this year and its broken again. This time the sensor is not working. I am looking at another $400 to $500 repair including labor.

So, are salt generators an issue or is the Jandy Aquapure brand very poorly built?

I don't like Jandy (or their parent company Zodiac). Salt generator from Hayward, Autopilot, Watermaid, and Compupool are dependable units. Pentair has had problems in the past but I have heard they have fixed them and they are supposed to be good ones these days. I have a Goldline (Hayward) Aqualogic that has performed flawlessly for almost 8 years now (pool is open year round in Florida).

membership updated. -ben