Salt Cell life span

[wal81]

I recently bought a house with a pool. The previous owner converted to a SWG about 3 years ago. So far, everything is going well. What is the typical life span of a salt cell? Are there any warning signs that indicate if it's nearing the end of its life? i.e., does it just die one day and you wake up to an algae bloom, or can it be anticipated and prepared for?

 

[jblizzle]

They can last 3-7+ years depending on use and chemistry.

They usually start to read chlorine[\s] salinity levels lower than reality as they get dirty or start to fail. So you should have a salt test.

 

[ping]

Jblizzle is correct except it should have said the salinity levels will be read lower, not chlorine levels.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Depending on the quality of the pool store in your area and the type of salt cell you have, some will test a salt cell for free and give you a report on its lifetime.

The IntelliChlor models from Pentair have this "magic wand" that you can wave near the cell and attach to a laptop. The wand picks up an RF signal from the cell and the software on the laptop displays various cell parameters like number of hours on, previous current and voltage data, etc.


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[jblizzle]

Thanks for the correction.

Did not know that about the Pentair ... Another reason the cells are more expensive.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Thanks for the correction.

Did not know that about the Pentair ... Another reason the cells are more expensive.

I believe they're called IntelliWand


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