Ecomatic winter mode vs. turning down output.

[azxd09]

Hello,

I have an old Ecomatic ESC 36 with a new cell that I installed this summer. The cell output control is very basic, and in normal mode will show a display output of 100 and cycle on and off depending on what percentage of output I want. For example, if I set to 50%, the cell will output at 100 for 5 minutes, then go into standby for 5 minutes, etc. The system also has a winter mode which drops output by 15%. This means that if I set the runtime to 50%, it will show a display output of 85 for 5 minutes, then go into standby for 5 minutes. I assume that the difference between 100 and 85 on the display is just a drop in voltage being applied to the cell. Sorry for the long winded background, but here is my question: Is it better for the cell longevity to go into winter mode (cell output 85) and run the cell longer, or is it better to stay in normal mode (cell output 100) and run the cell for less time? For example, to generate the same Chlorine level the cell runtime in winter mode will be 3 hours or normal mode runtime of 2.5 hours. Which option will allow the cell to last longer?

Thanks as always TFPers for the help!

Mike

 

[jblizzle]

Most SWG do not actually adjust the voltage as you described. Are you sure the "winter mode" does not actually reduce the run time by that percentage?

Maybe you are right, I am not familiar with that setup.

I would guess that you would be better off with a shorter run time, but am not sure how the voltage reduction (if that is what happens) affects longevity. Personally, I would just shorten the run time.

 

[azxd09]

Thanks for the response. I don't think it is shortening the run time, since the output in normal mode shows '100' and it shows '85' in winter mode. Run time stays the same. I think I will just turn down the runtime in the winter.