Severe salt level drop

[joshs2000ss]

I added some salt a night or two ago because it had gotten a bit low. (check level, inspect cell light were blinking) Got the level back up and all was well. Yesterday, I left the SWG running while I was away, post heavy swimmer load the day before. When I went to turn everything off last night the read out was showing 700, down from 2800 and the same lights were blinking again. I'm going to take the cell out and check it but was wondering if there is anything else I should be concerned about or check.

I don't know the age of the cell. The pool was here when we bought the house last fall.

 

[joshs2000ss]

Just went out and inspected the cell. There was a little bit of debris (organic) in there and I rinsed that out with the hose. I took a plastic piece that works well for reaching in the cell and lightly scraped the inside of the cell. There wasn't anything of note in the cell otherwise. I put the cell back in place and the level dropped to 400 and the inspect cell and check salt lights are back again. I've turned it off for now and will maintain FC with bleach until I can figure out what's going on.

Any ideas?

 

[JasonLion]

The connection between the main unit and the salt sensor might be loose. Check the cable between the flow switch assembly and the control box and make sure the cable isn't cut and the connector at the control box is firmly connected.

 

[joshs2000ss]

I unplugged it when I cleaned the cell and then plugged it back in.

 

[Poolschoolgrad]

If the cell is clean, a sudden decrease in the displayed salt concentration can be a sign of an aging cell.

Do you have a local store that can test the condition of the cell?

PSG

 

[joshs2000ss]

That's going to be my next step. Hard for me to get home before they close, but I'm going to see if I can get it tested soon. In the meantime, I'm going the way of the bleach method.

 

[Poolschoolgrad]

Adjust the output to 100% then
Sequentially press the diagnostic button and post the following:
1. Temp
2. Cell voltage
3. Cell current
4. output %
5. salinity
6 produt name
7. Software revision level

Cell voltage should be 22 to 25 volts when generating otherwise 30-35v
Cell current is normally between 4.5 and 7.8

How much salt did you add?
It would be a good idea to have the salt concentration verified at the same time you test the cell.

Maintaining the chlorine level with bleach is an inexpensive and easy way to keep your pool usable until you have time or funds to purchase a new cell.

Keep us updated with your progress

PSG

 

[joshs2000ss]

I'll get these readings tonight and post them. Should I get the readings before the inspect cell and check salt level lights kick on?

I added 40 lbs. of salt, which brought the reading up to 2800 the day before the errors started.

 

[joshs2000ss]

Here are the numbers. The first number is what the reading was before the check cell/salt lights came on, the second is after. One number notes no change.

1. Temp
79
2. Cell voltage
31.4, 32.8
3. Cell current
.03, .00
4. output %
100 P
5. salinity
.0
6 product name
AL-0
7. Software revision level
r 1.55

There was a t-15 also after the above.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

For the inspect cell light, try holding in the diagnostics button for 3 seconds to see if it stops blinking. Does seem like the salt sensor is the issue...

 

[joshs2000ss]

Should have mentioned the light isn't blinking any longer, it is on solid, along with the check salt light.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

oh. IDK then... sorry

 

[joshs2000ss]

Figured out that the t-15 indicates the size of the cell. I wonder why such a high capacity cell was installed in a 14.400 gallon pool? That's another topic altogether I guess...

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Someone who didn't know any better? that's ok that means you could in theory run it at a lower % setting and extend the life of the cell, assuming the chemistry is where we recommend it. Who knows what it was before, that could be a contributing factor to what you are now seeing...

 

[Poolschoolgrad]

Diagnostics are consistent with a dying cell

To be 100% certain, you should have the cell tested.

There are several reasons to have the t-cell 15 on a 14.4k gal pool:
The higher output cell allows for shorter pump run times saving you energy dollars.
The higher output cell allows for lower output settings which could extend the life of your cell dramatically.
In the event of high bather load, aka POOL PARTY, the higher output cell can produce extra chlorine before the event and quickly recover the chlorine level after the event.

I would replace the t-cell-15 with another t-cell-15.

PSG