Salt Cell near end of life?

[P00ltrbl]

My T-CELL 15 is only about 3 years old. System is no longer generating chlorine (inspect cell and check salt illuminated) because average salinity reading drops below 2300 each night. I recalibrate each morning and instant salinity matches what tests indicate, 3100ppm. It starts generating chlorine because the salinity level is in range. Cell tested good at pool store.

Is the cell nearing end of life or is this a PCB issue?

 

[mikemass]

instant salinity matches what tests indicate, 3100ppm

Which test is that?

What confuses me about your whole post above is: If it starts generating Cl because instant salinity is in range, what's the problem?

First you say "system is no longer generating chlorine". Them you say "it starts generating chlorine because the salinity level is in range"

I think you are saying that the "instant" reading drops after the system has been running a while and then it conks out with the orange warning light? Is that correct?

 

[JamesW]

Can you post the diagnostics with the switch off and then in auto?

After checking diagnostics, hold the diagnostic button down for five seconds to see if the check cell light goes out.

Also, get a k-1766 salt test kit.

 

[P00ltrbl]

Leslie's pool store tested the water, reads 3100ppm. Yes, the reading drops over time.

I have an Aquarite system. As I understand it, the system normally displays an average salinity reading for the last 24 hours, which mine drops as low as 500ppm. When I recalibrate, that provides an instant salinity reading, which I then lock in to override the average reading.

The only reason it generates chlorine currently is due to me manually recalibrating to get an instant salinity reading each morning. If I left it alone, it will not generate because the average reading never goes above the required level of 2300ppm.

 

[mikemass]

OK. Now I understand. This was exactly what was happening to my system last month when I opened. I knew my salt was higher than the reading would "drop" to throughout the day. The only difference with me is that my cell "FAILED" when plugged into Leslie's. I have since bought a new T-Cell-15 and all is good.

Sounds like cell is going bad, but I don't understand it testing "good" at Leslies. Did you watch the test? You actually saw the green light: "PASS" at the end of the test?

 

[P00ltrbl]

Yes, I watched the test and it showed PASS. There were also a decent amount (decent amount per the guy testing it) of chlorine bubbles coming up during test. If it is a cell going bad, maybe it is intermittent and the test only took a snapshot when it was good?

AUTO
1 Pool temp: 84
2 Cell voltage: 25.1
3 Cell current: 6.10
4 Desired output: 90P
5 Instant salinity: -3000
6 Product name: 88-0
7 Software revision: r8.80

OFF
1 Pool temp: 85
2 Cell voltage: 32.1
3 Cell current: 0.00
4 Desired output: 90P
5 Instant salinity: -0
6 Product name: 88-0
7 Software revision: r8.80

It seems strange to also see 88-0 for an Aquarite PCB. From what I read it should show AL-x (x being a number), but maybe this is an old board?

 

[mikemass]

It is possible that you can have a bad board. Some of the older ones were very susceptible to lighting strikes even when properly grounded. Do you know when your system was originally installed? (you said cell was 3 yrs old, is that the system too)?
<and>
When was the last time your SWG was working properly?

 

[P00ltrbl]

Installed 2004. Working fine about a month ago. I had to fix the flow sensor cable as well since a rat chewed it, and it worked fine for a little while. I tested the varistor on the PCB and it tests good...2 ohms.

 

[mikemass]

This is a tough one. Do you know anyone who also owns a working T-Cell-15 that you would feel comfortable enough asking to borrow it and hook it into your system? What I am trying to establish here is a bad cell or a bad message getting sent back to the board. If you can plug a known working cell into your system, you will at least be able to rule out if a faulty cell or not.

 

[P00ltrbl]

I thought about that as well, but do not have or know someone who has a known good PCB or cell to test.

 

[JamesW]

Your readings look good. The product name and revision look like they go to a non Hayward circuit board. I suspect that the board was replaced with a generic version at some point.

Turn the percentage to 100 % and check the readings every 30 minutes for three hours.

 

[P00ltrbl]

I thought it might be a generic board, but it is laid out exactly as the Hayward PCB (down to connectors, resisters, varistor, etc)..maybe someone reproduces after market, non OEM, boards that are the same.

I changed the dial to 100% and the pump is currently off. I noticed the dial label showed 80%, but the display showed 90%, so the dial does not line up with the actual setting perfectly.

The cell is not original. It is 3 years old.

 

[JamesW]

There are non OEM boards. I think that if you check yours, you will see that it is not an original Hayward.

Try setting the percent to 100 and then check the diagnostics in 30 minutes and at one hour. I think that that will be enough to tell what’s wrong.

 

[P00ltrbl]

What are you trying to determine?

Set for AUTO
Over the last couple hours:

Average salinity went from 3000 to 1500 now (causing inspect cell and check salt light to illuminate)
Water temp 84 to 80
Cell voltage 31.3 to 31.9
Cell amps constant at 0
Desired output constant at 100P
Instant salinity constant at -0 (which if the average uses this, it explains why it drops over time)

 

[JamesW]

Trying to determine if it’s the cell or board. If it were an original Hayward board, I would say that the cell was bad. However, I think that the generic board might be faulty. Can’t tell either way.

 

[P00ltrbl]

SOLVED: Aqua Rite SWG had power even when pump shut off. Noticed SWG cabled to LINE instead of LOAD power. The fix was to move the SWG to LOAD so it would turn off when the pump did. Now, the SWG does not continue trying to calculate salinity (which the system reads at 0 ppm since the flow sensor did not sense flow) when the pump is not running.

 

[JamesW]

If the flow sensor did not detect flow, the cell would be off and it wouldn't get a salinity reading.

Maybe the flow sensor is stuck closed and not turning off the cell when there is no flow.

 

[P00ltrbl]

Please note: The problem is fixed. The system is operating correctly and without issue.

When the flow sensor is open (does not sense flow,) it does not remove power from the SWG. It only prevents the system from generating chlorine, especially if you have the SWG wired to the LINE SIDE of the filter pump timer. A Senior Hayward Tech confirmed this as well.

I have a filter pump timer. This is from the Hayward installation manual: " Wire the Aqua Rite to the LOAD SIDE of the filter pump timer. It is very important that the Aqua Rite is powered only when the pump is running."

 

[mguzzy]

I understand the issue at hand was fixed.. (yeah!) Was it always wired like this? And I was wondering if you are still showing the same product name and revisions... just curious.

 

[P00ltrbl]

As far as I know, it has always been wired this way.

The board still shows the same product name and revision because it is an after market board, not a Hayward. It appears the original PCB was replaced at some point.