Is my SWG dying/dead or is it my board? - SOLVED

drsaxman

Well-known member
Jun 21, 2022
55
Mooresville, NC
I think I'm having an issue with my SWG. The pool store states that my salt is at 3700 PPM but the diagnostics state:
+27.5V
+3.46A
76F
1300 PPM
I have the Optimum Simple cell which came with the house, so it's been on there for almost two years now. Is this an issue where the cell could be bad? I keep on getting "check status" light due to low salt.
 
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I think I'm having an issue with my SWG. The pool store states that my salt is at 3700 PPM but the diagnostics state:
+27.5V
+3.46A
76F
1300 PPM
I have the Optimum Simple cell which came with the house I bought two years ago and I have no idea when the previous owner replaced it. The pool was built in 2006, so I imagine this is the second cell.
Is this an issue where the cell could be bad? I keep on getting "check status" light due to low salt.
Could the board be bad? Is there anything I can test to determine one or the other?
 
My SWCG was also indicating low salt when I knew salt level was fine based on my Taylor test. I cleaned the sensors with rubbing alcohol and that fixed the problem. My cell was relatively new at the time, so I didn’t expect that it would have failed so quickly. If your cell truly is only the 2nd one in 16 years, you’ve exceeded the average lifespan. I’m on my 3rd after 15 years.
 
Probably a depleted cell.

Post all the diagnostics…
  • Report all readings when you..
    • Move the switch from auto to off and check all of the readings.
    • Move the switch back to auto and recheck the readings.
    • Move the switch to off for a minute and then back to auto and recheck the readings.
 
Probably a depleted cell.

Post all the diagnostics…
  • Report all readings when you..
    • Move the switch from auto to off and check all of the readings.
    • Move the switch back to auto and recheck the readings.
    • Move the switch to off for a minute and then back to auto and recheck the readings.
Mine is a Hayward Prologics so there is no switch, there is just the diagnostic menu. I hit menu to get into diagnostics, and then hit left arrow for it to pull up the readings. Right now it says:
+28.03V, +2.99A, 77F, 1000PPM
 

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  • Go to the diagnostic screen, note the readings and then press the + button to reverse the polarity.
  • When the new numbers appear, see what they are.
  • Then, press + again and note the new readings.
 
  • Go to the diagnostic screen, note the readings and then press the + button to reverse the polarity.
  • When the new numbers appear, see what they are.
  • Then, press + again and note the new readings.
I didn't even know you could reverse the polarity by following that process.
Original: -26.75V, -4.25A, 78F, 1800PPM
Reverse: +27.43V, +3.28A, 78F, 1200 PPM
Back to Original: -26.59V, -4.85A, 78F, 2100 PPM
 

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It could be a bad cell but it also could be a dirty cell. Have you ever cleaned the cell or even inspected the cell? You can usually see the calcium deposits if it is scaled. Before declaring a cell dead, it is always a good idea to clean it first.
 
I say its the cell. Your performance number is below 50%.

To get the performance of the cell, divide the instant salinity by the actual salinity. If the ratio is less than 75%, it's time for a new cell. For example, 2,000 (instant salinity) ÷ 3,600 (measured salinity with a test kit)=56%. Check the cell and clean it if necessary. If that doesn't work, it's time for a new cell.
 
If you have a SWG, you *need* to get your own salt test. Taylor K-1766 is a good one. Use that to cross-check the cell.
As Mark pointed out, be sure to check that your cell doesn't have scaling.
If the cell has no scaling, and you truly have 3700PPM salt (which is high for a Hayward system, which is what yours really is--you just have an aftermarket cell), then the cell is probably failing. 3500PPM is really the max for this system. If the cell is failing, you need to drain and replace some water to get the salt around 3200PPM before installing a new cell (otherwise you risk causing damage to the board or at least blowing a fuse from high amps).

I'm guessing the reason your pool salt is high is that the unit kept telling you that your salt was low & you added salt to try and satisfy the system. That is typically what happens. You need to get in the habit of checking your salt level independently before adding any salt. Even better, check salt regularly (at least once a month) using a salt test, so you can see any issues coming.

The Hayward system estimates salt concentration via measured volts, amps, and temperature at the cell, along with the cell model (I think yours is a clone of the T-15)--which is essentially "how big are the plates and how many are there?"

Because it's not using an independent conductivity probe, but using the cell characteristics, it is not an independent view of the salt content. It will be affected by scaling, and cell life. Once the cell "instant salt" reading on a *clean* cell is 75% or lower than the actual pool salt reading, the cell can be assumed to be failing.
 

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It could be a bad cell but it also could be a dirty cell. Have you ever cleaned the cell or even inspected the cell? You can usually see the calcium deposits if it is scaled. Before declaring a cell dead, it is always a good idea to clean it first.
Yes. I cleaned the cell with 1:4 Muriatic acid at the beginning of the season, which coincidentally is when my problems started. I'm worried that the acid wasn't needed and may have damaged the cell. I hosed it out yesterday just to double check. I'm not seeing any calcium deposits in the fins whatsoever. I cleaned the cell last year as well (first summer in the house). I'm pretty diligent keeping up with the pool maintenance, I just don't know the history of what the previous owner did. Right this second, I'm dealing with a bacteria issue, likely caused by too many people in the pool, staining, and low chlorine. Tonight is shock evening because the stain remover said to wait 7 days before shocking the pool. Last time I removed the stains, and shocked the pool a couple of days later, the staining came back. Also, had the sand filter changed on Monday. The sand came out a nice shade of green. I doubt the previous owners ever changed the sand filter...
 
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It could be a bad cell but it also could be a dirty cell. Have you ever cleaned the cell or even inspected the cell? You can usually see the calcium deposits if it is scaled. Before declaring a cell dead, it is always a good idea to clean it first.
If you have a SWG, you *need* to get your own salt test. Taylor K-1766 is a good one. Use that to cross-check the cell.
As Mark pointed out, be sure to check that your cell doesn't have scaling.
If the cell has no scaling, and you truly have 3700PPM salt (which is high for a Hayward system, which is what yours really is--you just have an aftermarket cell), then the cell is probably failing. 3500PPM is really the max for this system. If the cell is failing, you need to drain and replace some water to get the salt around 3200PPM before installing a new cell (otherwise you risk causing damage to the board or at least blowing a fuse from high amps).

I'm guessing the reason your pool salt is high is that the unit kept telling you that your salt was low & you added salt to try and satisfy the system. That is typically what happens. You need to get in the habit of checking your salt level independently before adding any salt. Even better, check salt regularly (at least once a month) using a salt test, so you can see any issues coming.

The Hayward system estimates salt concentration via measured volts, amps, and temperature at the cell, along with the cell model (I think yours is a clone of the T-15)--which is essentially "how big are the plates and how many are there?"

Because it's not using an independent conductivity probe, but using the cell characteristics, it is not an independent view of the salt content. It will be affected by scaling, and cell life. Once the cell "instant salt" reading on a *clean* cell is 75% or lower than the actual pool salt reading, the cell can be assumed to be failing.
That is exactly what happened. The system was calling for salt and I added more which over saturated the pool. I'll definitely be getting the taylor salt test kit. I'll also drain off some water and refill to get it down to the 3200 range. It's supposed to rain this weekend, so hopefully I can backwash and dilute without having to add too much water from the well. I appreciate understanding some of the calculations that go into understanding the percentages.
 
That is exactly what happened. The system was calling for salt and I added more which over saturated the pool. I'll definitely be getting the taylor salt test kit. I'll also drain off some water and refill to get it down to the 3200 range. It's supposed to rain this weekend, so hopefully I can backwash and dilute without having to add too much water from the well. I appreciate understanding some of the calculations that go into understanding the percentages.
Care to guess how I learned this lesson? :D
 
@jedigrover, @ajw22 ,@jark87 Thank you so much for your help and advice. I got the Taylor test as suggested and it was reading at 3700 ppm. I drained/filled and tested at 3200 PPM. The new SWG came today, I plugged it in and Diagnostics say 3100 ppm. I can also see chlorine gas being produced in the cell.
Thanks for walking me through the troubleshooting. Hopefully this new cell will behave.
 
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