Salt cell impossible to unscrew

[ssgonzalez]

Hi everyone,

We closed our pool this weekend. Everything is fine, but we weren’t able to unscrew the top ring of our salt cell. We have to say that we didn’t install the pool, since we got the home this year, pool people came over to install everything so maybe they used tools to install it, making it very tight. We have tried putting boiling water to see if the plastic would expand, we used oil pliers and strap wrenches. Nothing worked… we do not know what to do anymore. It’s getting cold outside so we want to be able to recover the cell and put it away. Any ideas? We literally tried for like 2 hrs to take it off, it is impossible. It might be a combination of calcium buildup, well water, and the use of tools to put this in that is making it impossible.

We are thinking on literally trying to crack the ring with a little saw so we can pulll the cell out but we are scared of breaking the cell. It would be a last resort…

I would appreciate some help,

 

[TinFoilHat]

They are designed to be outdoors when winter comes so as long as there isn't water in it that will freeze it then you can leave it there to deal with at another time.

 

[ssgonzalez]

For real? I was told it would break with the freezing temperatures. There isn’t water in there anymore but it is quite dirty. I wish I could clean it.

 

[TinFoilHat]

I use an oversized pipe wrench to break mine free but you have to be very careful. Remember that the pool pipe will also bend with the force. You might dribble some lubricant down into the threads but I don't know what would be good with PVC pipe.

 

[PoolStored]

A strap wrench is a safe tool to use to unscrew cells and unions.


If you do end up using any type of lubricant (which we don't recommend). Make sure to clean the threads thoroughly to remove the lubricant before re-installing. Lubricant on unions, cells and PVC threads can lead to overtightening and cracking/failure.

If you remove it and are going to clean it, avoid using acid. Our guide to cleaning is here:

SWG How It Works - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[ssgonzalez]

I’ve tried everything you guys are saying… even some lubricant. I don’t even know what to do anymore. Strap wrench and pipe wrench were used, total failure.

 

[ajw22]

Show us pictures of what you are wresting with.

 

[SecoSteve]

Is it possible that you are tightening the union instead of loosening? Depending on the orientation of the pipe or the way the cell is installed, maybe it's "backward" and needs to turn the other way.

 

[reggiehammond]

Is it possible that you are tightening the union instead of loosening? Depending on the orientation of the pipe or the way the cell is installed, maybe it's "backward" and needs to turn the other way.

This is my bet. When you're standing over it and looking down, it's very easy to go the wrong way.
It may have been so over-tightened that with time and plastic degradation, it's pretty set.

 

[ssgonzalez]

This is how it is at the moment. We are at the point of not wanting to try anymore until spring… and even asking ourselves if it’s easy to clean it if we just put it upside down with the return jet plug on. Let me know what side should I be turning. We tried both ways anyway, nothing was really working

 

[JamesW]

Maybe hold the nut and turn the cell?

Maybe unscrew the 90 from the wall if it is already loose.

 

[TinFoilHat]

With it down you would turn the nut from left to right. With it up you would turn the nut from right to left.

 

[ssgonzalez]

Maybe hold the nut and turn the cell?

Maybe unscrew the 90 from the wall if it is already loose

How do we unscrew the 90? We weren’t able. But then we would still need to unscrew the 90 from the cell…

 

[ssgonzalez]

How do we unscrew the 90? We weren’t able. But then we would still need to unscrew the 90 from the cell…

We tried to unscrew the 90 but with the cell on, it is getting stuck with the skimmer (meaning we tried to turn the cell and the 90 in order to unscrew it from the pool but we have the limitation of the skimmer getting on the way)

 

[ssgonzalez]

With it down you would turn the nut from left to right. With it up you would turn the nut from right to left.

Yes we did it right then.

 

[johnnydot]

This is how it is at the moment. We are at the point of not wanting to try anymore until spring… and even asking ourselves if it’s easy to clean it if we just put it upside down with the return jet plug on. Let me know what side should I be turning. We tried both ways anyway, nothing was really working

I have the same RJ Hayward cell on my above ground pool. Looking from the top of the cell , clockwise tightens the cell, counter clockwise loosens it. I have made that mistake a while back and was actually tightening the cell instead of loosening it. My father was a plumber and he had these enormous oversize channel lock pliers that he used in his business, which I use to tighten and loosen the fittings as they seem to stick occasionally. Hope this helps. You probably gonna have to muscle it cause I suspect that instead of loosening it, you probably tightened it more.

 

[ssgonzalez]

I have the same RJ Hayward cell on my above ground pool. Looking from the top of the cell , clockwise tightens the cell, counter clockwise loosens it. I have made that mistake a while back and was actually tightening the cell instead of loosening it. My father was a plumber and he had these enormous oversize channel lock pliers that he used in his business, which I use to tighten and loosen the fittings as they seem to stick occasionally. Hope this helps. You probably gonna have to muscle it cause I suspect that instead of loosening it, you probably tightened it more.

I suspect yea that maybe we did that at some point. We tried for so long…. But after a while we started just doing it from left to right. We called the pool store that installed the pool and the guy said that perhaps the people who installed the pool put some glue on the 90 and maybe some of it went into the ring. But we aren’t sure about that. It’s just very very tight. We also tried today to cut the ring with a saw but it’s really tough because the pool shakes a lot and we are scared of breaking something.

 

[ssgonzalez]

I have the same RJ Hayward cell on my above ground pool. Looking from the top of the cell , clockwise tightens the cell, counter clockwise loosens it. I have made that mistake a while back and was actually tightening the cell instead of loosening it. My father was a plumber and he had these enormous oversize channel lock pliers that he used in his business, which I use to tighten and loosen the fittings as they seem to stick occasionally. Hope this helps. You probably gonna have to muscle it cause I suspect that instead of loosening it, you probably tightened it more.

What channel lock? We have this: https://www.amazon.ca/WORKPRO-W1140...14503239c29f3c7fb6a5a925d959e46f&gad_source=1

 

[johnnydot]

I suspect yea that maybe we did that at some point. We tried for so long…. But after a while we started just doing it from left to right. We called the pool store that installed the pool and the guy said that perhaps the people who installed the pool put some glue on the 90 and maybe some of it went into the ring. But we aren’t sure about that. It’s just very very tight. We also tried today to cut the ring with a saw but it’s really tough because the pool shakes a lot and we are scared of breaking something.

If you really crank down on it with a wrench, it actually squeezes the ring and makes it further difficult to unscrew. If you are set on cutting the ring, you might try one of these oscillating multi-tools if you can borrow one if you do not have one. Or a dremmel tool.

​

 

[johnnydot]

If you really crank down on it with a wrench, it actually squeezes the ring and makes it further difficult to unscrew. If you are set on cutting the ring, you might try one of these oscillating multi-tools if you can borrow one if you do not have one. Or a dremmel tool.

​

another option is to get a hammer and a large flat round punch and with someone holding the cell, hold the punch on the ledges of the ring and tap the punch with the hammer. That might free it up.