Low Instantaneous salt level. Can't calibrate. Is it time to replace the T-15?

[blairsooley]

HI All, I bought a Salt Solutions T-15 cell in July 2020 and it was working fine until about a month ago, which would be 3 years since install. My voltage is 23.9V but instant salt reading is -1900. Tried the procedure for recalibrating and could not get the instant reading to stay above -2000. This is Houston so during summer it runs most of the time my pump is running (10-12hrs/day during summer) but 3 years still seems a short usage period. Is it time to replace the cell? If so, any recommendations on who is offering a cost effective solution? I don't see anyone listing the number of runtime hours on their product, which would seem the only useful metric for evaluation.
Thanks, Blair

 

[Mdragger88]

An oem Hayward Tcell 15 has a rated lifespan of 8664 hours @100%
Generics vary between 5k & 10k hours.
You should not buy a cell that doesn’t list this information.

Hayward Aquarite SWG - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Discount salt pools lists the output ratings & life spans for all the cells they sell (oem & generic).
Pureline (inyo pools) lists this as well.

 

[blairsooley]

Thanks Mdragger88. I just checked out the DSP site and it lists the CircuPool® CIR-GEN9 and CircuPool® CIR-GEN15 as 10,000 hours.

My existing cell was a replacement for a 40,000 gallon cell, so my existing one is also rated for 40,000 gallons. Since my pool is 15,000, this seems overkill at first blush. The cell sizing information for the Circupool units suggest a cell with capacity = 1.5-2 times pool size. Based on this, I should be able to get away with a T-9 sized cell rather than a T-15? However, since I also live in Houston, which is slightly hotter than the sun during summer, is it just better to stick to the T-15?

 

[Mdragger88]

The bigger the better-
At least 2x’s your pool’s volume
The bigger the cell (the higher output) the less you need to run the cell & the longer it’s finite 10k hr @100% lifespan should last in people years.

 

[kellyfair]

I went total overkill - SWCG rated for 25k gallon pool for my 7k gallon pool. Go as big as possible!

 

[blairsooley]

I ordered the 40K from Discount Pools with a 10,000 hr rating. $600 delivered. Thanks for the comments.