Hayward or AutoPilot? HELP

[schwa]

Thinking of converting to a SWG.

As far as I can tell, these are the comparable models for our 20,900 gallon vinyl pool.

Auto Pilot Digital with SC-36 Cell or Hayward Aqua Rite with T-15 Cell.

The Hayward is cheaper and boasts 40k gal instead of 36k on the AutoPilot, but the Autopilot has a built in pump timer. I like the timer idea, since our timer is pretty old & I've shocked myself trying to move the little switches to set the on/off times! Ha!.

Any opinions? Thanks.

[Poolsean]

Sorry you haven't had any responses. I do have an AutoPilot that I run my pump through, and it is a nice feature as my old timer motor is shot. Either cell is sufficiently oversized, as is recommended for your pool.
The T15 makes approx 1.45 lbs/day of chlorine vs 1.28 lbs/day from the RC35/22 (SC36)...so theoretically the T15 will last a bit longer.

[schwa]

Thanks for the response. Since posting, I found that the replacement cost of the Hayward cell was much higher than that of the Autopilot. So I guess you pay either way.

I've also started just using bleach to chlorinate the pool, which is working well and is much cheaper. So, I think the SWG will have to wait it's place in the line of projects for a while.

[Pacecorp]

Hi,
I have experience with both brands and they are both good units with a strong outputs and good customer support. When it's time for a replacement cell, the OEM Hayward cell is less expensive than the OEM Auto Pilot cell. Curiously though, the generic Auto Pilot cells are cheaper than those for Hayward. Also, the AquaRites are so common, you can get many of the electronic parts online. As for AutoPilot, it's a pleasure to deal with their factory people...very responsive to whatever you need.
Pick whichever one suits your fancy. You can't go wrong.
Don