Hayward W3AQ-TROL-RJ w/ T-CEL-5...Salt Reading Off

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T

TexasRon

0
Mar 26, 2017
12
Needville, TX
Pool Size
17500
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
My pool was completely "down" for the winter. The pump stopped working and I lowered the level and disconnected everything. I had a pump on hand and, once the weather was nicer, I put the new pump in place, cleaned the SWG, and re-piped the system, The SWG is vertical and in exactly the same place in line as it was previously. The re-piping was to neaten the area and make isolating components easier.

The pool is a 27' round above ground pool.

When I turned the pool on, job one was getting the water looking good. I added salt based on the readings I had on tests. I cleaned the pool up and the water is clear. My issues now is that the salt consistently appears to be low (1100-1900) even though my other tests and the pool store test, show it is 2800+. The pool has been chlorinated from the pump startup until now with bleach in amounts recommended by the app. It was the higher range for a while to get the grossness gone.

These are the readings I got today using both polarities:

Average Salt Levels 1900 1900
Pool Temp 76 76
Cell Voltage 31.6 28.7
Cell Amperage 0* 2.39-2.83
Desired Output 100% 100%
Instant Salt Level 0 -1900**
Both read AL-7 and R 1.47 for Program Code and Circuit Board Revision

This unit was purchased and installed in 2022. I have given this issue some time but nothing has changed so now I am trying to figure out the next steps. I did purchase a new model to replace the current cell (a GLX-Cell-5) but I have not installed it as I want to "check in" and see what folks with more experience have to say.

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
Your old cell is probably depleted. Put in your new cell and see if it fixes the problem.

You should only clean the cell if it visibly is clogged. And then with the least damaging methods as described in SWG How It Works - Further Reading

Cleaning a cell with acid unnecessarily strips the rare earth coating off the plates and reduces the life of the cell.
 
Thank you for the answer and for directing me to the SWG cleaning process.

Now to get the chemicals in balance since I added a lot of water this year.

Thanks again!
 
Since I was going with the opposite issue of a cell indicating it was initially low on salt and after replacing the cell do to age it was high salt, I was reminded often to not trust the read outs and buy your own kit.
 
TAMC93 said:
Since I was going with the opposite issue of a cell indicating it was initially low on salt and after replacing the cell do to age it was high salt, I was reminded often to not trust the read outs and buy your own kit.
Click to expand...
I was pretty sure the salt level was fine to start with because no water left the pool once it was drained down below the outlets when the pump broke down in December. I added enough salt to cover the water added to bring the level up to normal once I got the pool back service. I tested it several times with strips, my kit, and then the pool and all the readings came out in the same basic range...with correct levels. That was when I read more about the SWG readings on the control unit--I was way behind on knowing about the meaning of those--and I did a lot of searching and reading here to determine what the problem might before and then posed the question here.

As always, I learned more about my pool and, once the new SWG was added, it started to have correct chlorine levels and cleaned up from the mess winter without being connected made of the water. In the process, I also used PVC pipe for all the connections and the whole setup is a lot easier to manage now if something needs fixed.

Everyone looks at my pool and wonders why the water is so clear...I always tell them about this site! Lots of information and help to be found here!
 
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