10k gallon pool - do I really need a 40k cell?

[Drew80]

I've always heard that you want to buy a salt cell that is 2-3x the size of your pool, so I bought a T-CELL-15 in 2018. That cell appears to be failing just out of warranty (thanks again Hayward), and I'm considering replacing it with a T-CELL-3. Here's my logic.

- my pool is only 10k gallons
- I run my VS pump on low 24/7, so I can crank the SWG all the way up if I need to
- the warranty is the same, and I have little faith in Hayward products lasting a day past their warranty. It's like they have a time bomb attached

So why spend almost twice as much?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Drew,

The key is to just understand what you already appear to know.. As long as you understand the relationship between cell size, pool size, and pump run time, then I suggest that you buy whatever cell will work best for you...

In my case, the original cells on two rent house lasted well past the warranty period.. One lasted just under 9 years and the other over 7 years..

Ya throws the dice and you takes your chances.. Sometimes you win and sometimes you don't...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Drew80]

That's fair Jim. With pool stuff I often feel like I know what I'm talking about only to find out there was some detail that I missed. There's so much to learn. I appreciate the response.

 

[JamesW]

I don't think that I would go with a 3.

Maybe a 5 or a 9 would work for you.

Maybe try an aftermarket cell if you want.

Your T-15 failed fairly early compared to most other T-15s, but I don't know why.

Did you do a lot of acid cleaning on the cell?

 

[Newdude]

Hey Drew !! FWIW, here is my $.02. I can only get 2X which does just fine in NY but in the peak season I did have to run 60% 24/7 at times. I’m building again and would have gone 3X in a heartbeat for longevity because the math always works there. It’s about 20% to upgrade each stage and double or 50% the lifespan going 20k to 40k (double) to 60k (50%more than the double). So in this instance, going 20k straight to 60k costs 40% more but lasts 300% longer. The other manufacturers with different lifespan intervals have a similar pattern.

Being in TX you have a much longer season and higher UV demand. A 2X unit will work, especially with 24/7 run time. A 3X unit is probably the sweet spot for longevity/cost and up to you if you want to go 4X and all but guarantee the electronics fail before the plates expire.

 

[Drew80]

Did you do a lot of acid cleaning on the cell?

Only when the system told me to, which is every 3 months I think. Not a lot.

 

[Drew80]

Being in TX you have a much longer season and higher UV demand. A 2X unit will work, especially with 24/7 run time. A 3X unit is probably the sweet spot for longevity/cost and up to you if you want to go 4X and all but guarantee the electronics fail before the plates expire.

I hear what you're saying, in theory, I've just had very different experiences than others seem to have had with Hayward longevity. I've had two Hayward devices that have failed just past warranty - a single speed pump and now a salt cell. The cell is 3.5 years old. Others have told me that the T-Cell-15 should last for many years past the warranty, but I'm feeling a little skeptical based on recent experience.

 

[Newdude]

Only when the system told me to, which is every 3 months I think. Not a lot.

Abort mission !!!!! Inspect the cell mid season. Only clean it when there is visible buildup which will look like toothpaste but be hard. Knock off all you can with a popsicle stick and give the rest a bath. It will fizz like your kids science experiment. The moment the scale is gone it will stop fizzing. Stop right then and rinse it real well.

 

[JamesW]

Only when the system told me to, which is every 3 months I think. Not a lot.

That's actually way too much.

The system never says to "Clean" the cell, it says to "Check" the cell, which is completely different.

You should never acid clean the cell unless you actually see scale.

Where do you keep the CSI?

Did the cell ever have scale when you cleaned it?

What strength was the acid and how long did you allow the plates to soak in acid?

 

[Drew80]

Abort mission !!!!! Inspect the cell mid season. Only clean it when there is visible buildup which will look like toothpaste but be hard. Knock off all you can with a popsicle stick and give the rest a bath. It will fizz like your kids science experiment. The moment the scale is gone it will stop fizzing. Stop right then and rinse it real well.

Yeah, that's what I do, at least for the process. So are you saying that I cleaned it too much or not enough? Every time I cleaned the cell it had some visible scale, so it seemed like the right frequency.

 

[Drew80]

That's actually way too much.

The system never says to "Clean" the cell, it says to "Check" the cell, which is completely different.

You should never acid clean the cell unless you actually see scale.

Where do you keep the CSI?

Did the cell ever have scale when you cleaned it?

What strength was the acid and how long did you allow the plates to soak in acid?

My CSI stays in the 0-0.3 range with some occasional jumps higher if I'm traveling or forget to check the pH for over a week. I definitely struggle with high pH in my pool. I normally have to add muriatic twice a week.

And yes, the cell always had some scale when I cleaned it. I dilute the muriatic 4:1 in a bucket before pouring it in and soak it for 15 minutes.

 

[Newdude]

Every time I cleaned the cell it had visible build up, so it seemed like the right frequency

Ok. Phew. You worried us for a moment there. If you need to clean it, well, you need to clean it. But the acid strips the plates too. So only do it as long as it fizzes. And only what you can’t knock off first.

I bathed mine for 3.5 hours over its lifespan pre TFP. I didn’t know better and did as I was told. The pool was mint so it had to be the right way ? Right. Lol. Live and learn my friend. Live and learn.

 

[Drew80]

Ok. Phew. You worried us for a moment there. If you need to clean it, well, you need to clean it. But the acid strips the plates too. So only do it as long as it fizzes. And only what you can’t knock off first.

I bathed mine for 3.5 hours over its lifespan pre TFP. I didn’t know better and did as I was told. The pool was mint so it had to be the right way ? Right. Lol. Live and learn my friend. Live and learn.

Got it. I just thought acid washing was part of regular maintenance. This is good to know.

 

[JamesW]

My CSI stays in the 0-0.3 range with some occasional jumps higher if I'm traveling or forget to check the pH for over a week.

Keeping a tighter control of the CSI would probably avoid scale and the need to acid clean.

Avoiding scale would probably double the cell lifetime.

PoolMath

 

[Newdude]

I just thought acid washing was part of regular maintenance

Me too man. Me too. No finger pointing or blaming. My PB told me to do what he did himself. He was ruining his *own* SWG. He meant no harm and thought he was doing it right. We aren’t alone on that idiot bus. It’s PACKED.