Im dealing with the same issue, i have the same intex unit,this morning i flipped the black plug on top of the cell over and it it immediatly started shedding scale from the side that had buildup, im going to try this for the next couple days switching it back and forth every day or two and see if this helps to avoid some of the vinegar soaking sessions. The black plug simply slides off in goes on either way so it must not be that big of deal if you can reverse that easily, if not mine is still under warranty from walmart. I still assume its a water balance issue with mine and im waiting on my TF-100 kit so i can get mine dialed in correctly, GOOD LUCK!