Lectranator Systems Inc was a Calgary, Alberta, Canada-based distributor of pool products and in particular was a pioneer in early salt water chlorination systems. The company filed for bankruptcy in January 2020 shortly before COVID-19 hit.
In fact, the company filed for bankruptcy at the same time as CLM Distribution Pool and Spa Products Inc. and it appears they were the same company or related anyways.
Combined, the companies were pool and spa products distribution businesses that sold a variety of pool products. They produced a number of models including the Pool Pilot salt chlorinator lineup and the CUBBY soft water system.
My experience with Lectranator Systems was with a basic version of their salt chlorinator system. It was a small white plastic control box with a plastic dial that went from 1-10 to operate the chlorinator.
So if you set it to 5, it’d produce chlorine half the time the pump was running. If you set it to 10, that would offer the maximum chlorine output.
The Lectranator also had 4 lights:
- A GREEN light indicating the power was on and the system was running.
- Another GREEN light indicating that the salt cell is operating and thus producing chlorine.
- A RED light that illuminates when Service is required.
- A RED light that indicates that there is a Low Flow problem.
That was it! No timers, or automation of any kind.
It didn’t even have a flow detector that I recall. It was a fairly basic system and an example of an early generation chlorinator system.
We kept this unit for 2 years but once the salt cell died, we decide to replace the whole system and installed a Hayward AquaRite system with automation and a number of other great features. In a word, the Hayward unit was much more sophisticated and feature-packed. And much more expensive too.
So what happened to Lectranator?
Hayward had become the preeminent supplier of salt chlorinator units certainly in North America. Hayward purchased Goldline, which was an early successful producer of salt chlorinator systems and in fact, invented the AquaRite brand. AquaRite remains the most popular salt chlorination system available today.
You can also choose from companies like Pentair, Zodiac, CircuPool, and Jandy among others. So consumers have many choices to select from when picking a salt chlorination system.
It seems that Lectranator got pushed out of the market and just couldn’t survive. Not a lot is available online regarding their demise except the fact that it occurred in early 2020 right before COVID hit globally.
While they had developed some newer and more modern consumer and commercial salt water chlorinator systems, Hayward remains the top brand available and most people in the business know this.
If you still own a Lectranator system, it’s likely you’re already having trouble getting parts and might need to eventually replace the system. Best to check with local pool companies to see what is available and if you can source parts online.