Salt Cell Refurbishing

[d.w.b]

How do you refurbish a salt cell? I had two bad Jandy AquaPure R0452400 3-Port PLC1400's so I cracked one open with a flat pry bar. The terminal end has an oblong groove around the body where the ends are glued together. The glue is stronger than the plastic but at least the plastic at that seam is weaker so it cracked along that grove. I wasn't careful enough at the terminal indentation and broke a 3" lip off. I think a good plastic glue can put it all back together. Apparently the water pressure is low because the terminals have simple rubber grommets around them. The plates are in a two-halved snapping encasement each printed with "A0119905 .040 BLADE". I searched but didn't find a replacement. The glued seam seems to preclude that possibility. Of the [13 plates, 12] looked reasonably intact but one of the inner pair was deteriorated about [half an inch from each] end. As for rebuilding it, the plates can be rearranged to put that one elsewhere with the best one to replace it next to/near the middle terminal. ... The plates are not connected to each other but separate by their own slots within the plastic encasement. ... The inner one has a plastic shroud around the tip with very little metal showing through a rub. Do they work just by proximity in electrically conductive water? I don't have a new one, yet, to investigate.

 

[JamesW]

Of the 14 plates, 13 looked reasonably intact

There are only 13 plates.

The cell works like a battery charger with batteries in series. The water between the plates is basically like a battery. The energy is stored in chlorine gas and hydrogen gas.

The power supply is the battery charger.

The cell has one or two sets of 6 "batteries" in series.

A single set is 7 plates (6 gaps) with the end plates being connected to the + and - power.

A double set is two sets of 7 plates in parallel. The center plate goes to both sets, so there are only 13 plates.

The voltage is about 24 volts divided by 6 batteries, so each battery gets 4 volts.

 

[d.w.b]

A double set is two sets of 7 plates in parallel. The center plate goes to both sets, so there are only 13 plates.

Thanks for clarifying. I started reassembling it and thought I came up one short. I wonder why the center groove is twice as wide as the plate, as if it was designed for two face-to-face. Also, the slotted clam-shell enclosure is different parts. The other is marked "A0119903 .040 BLADE". Also, it seems the outer probes were originally soldered to plate because two or three pitting/lumped points on the probe match unique hole patterns in their respective outer plates. I wonder if I will be able to use conventional solder to reattach them. Also, the center probe's bared metal is asymmetrical so I suspect I should insulate those points.

 

[d.w.b]

I tried soldering iron tests but could not get the solder to stick to the probe or the plate.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

The plates are made of titanium with a mixed transition metal oxide coating. You can’t use conventional tin/silver solders. The wires were likely spot welded to the plates.

 

[ajw22]

I tried soldering iron tests but could not get the solder to stick to the probe or the plate.

Connections are welded to the plates.