T15 not producing chlorine

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R

Radboy01

0
Apr 27, 2016
5
Bremen Georgia
HELP! Newbie to the forum, pool owner for 7 years. Upon opening the pool from winter, seems as me SWG is not producing chlorine. Salt was high initially at 4000 after adding too much
:( so I drained and now I am at 3100. Voltage on cell reads OT at 26.?? And current is 5.8? The current was much higher when the salt was elevated but was proportional to the salt level. Everything reads out on the panel as acceptable numbers yet no chlorine out of the returns. Water temp is 68 (Georgia).4 bags of shock then had water tested 2 days later at local store and
TC 1.0
FC 0
Stab 30
PH. 7.5
Calc little low (forgot the numbers)
How can I test the cell to verify since all parameters seem to be showing that it is working properly. 20k gallon.
 
:wave: Welcome to TFP!!!

The pool store should be able to test whether the cell is still good ... but do NOT let them test your water, we do not trust pool store testing. You need to invest in one of the Recommended Test Kits to truly know the condition of your water.

What does the water look like?

Please add your pool details to your signature as described HERE as it will help us help you.
 
You generally do not want to rely on the SWG to raise the FC from zero. You should use bleach to get the FC level up to the required level, dependent on your CYA level (see the FC/CYA Chart) and then dial in the SWG to maintain it there.

But, none of this is possible without one of the recommended test kits.
 
Ok. Will adhear to that advice and get a sugessted kit but shouldn't the SWG produce chlorine at returns regardless of the total or free? I collected water directly from the return and used two different otc test strips and read out zero. I have done that before just to verify I had adequate chlorine production and the reading was sky high instantly, now, nothing?
 
The voltage, amps, salinity and water temperature are all correct for a properly working cell. It's making chlorine. You should see hydrogen bubbles coming from the returns.

I don't understand the OT?

Can you post a picture of your diagnostics?
 
Radboy01 said:
Ok. Will adhear to that advice and get a sugessted kit but shouldn't the SWG produce chlorine at returns regardless of the total or free? I collected water directly from the return and used two different otc test strips and read out zero. I have done that before just to verify I had adequate chlorine production and the reading was sky high instantly, now, nothing?
Click to expand...

Some test strips will actually bleach out and register 0ppm if the FC is too high. This can happen if your cell is running normally and you collect highly chlorinated water at the return. It is also why we don't trust test strips around here. We call them "Guess-Strips" because that's about all they are good for...

Jason and James are senior experts here and will give you the very best advice.

Good luck.
 
The salinity that you're reporting, is that from the diagnostics or an independent test?

If it's from diagnostics, can you get a reliable independent test? The Taylor K-1766 is a good test for salt. You should definitely get that.

How old is the cell?
 
Will post a pic. The salinity was f the rea wasding from the control panel. The local pool supply read out 200 lower than mine. Will try to get a more accurate test and will take the cell in to have it tested at another supply store in the morning. Starting the 7th year now. Typically run for 8 hours daily at 65% for 8 hrs and has been fine. If my calculations are correct, I am looking at around 5k hours total.
 
26 volts and 5.8 amps are right on for 68f and 3100 ppm salinity. If the salinity is close to actual, the cell is good.

If the real salinity is more than 800 ppm higher than the diagnostics show, the cell is failing.

If you're getting 26 volts and 5.8 amps, it's definitely making chlorine.

7 years is about when cell fail.
 

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Update:
Thanks to everyone who has given advice. It is invaluable! I took the salt cell in to my local supply store this morning. Cell tested fine (heard stories of one place tested good and the other bad), so I was still not satisfied. I fabricated a union to fit in place of my SWG to maintain water flow so the control panel would not turn off due to "no flow". I then filled a 5 gallon bucket with pool water and submerged the cell in the water (as you all know, the T-15 does not have visible plates while installed) and turned the system on. Within 5 seconds of the cell energizing, started producing bubbles and VERY cloudy/chlorine water! GREAT NEWS! Dodged a $500 bullet on this one! James, you are right, I am definitely producing chlorine. Sooooooo, I need to add liquid chlorine to get levels up to acceptable and then the cell should maintain with proper chemistry. Thanks Jason! 25.54v, 5.90 amp, 2900 salt currently via diagnostic panel. I still have to order a kit that Jason had suggested, just haven't had time due to the current issues. Once again, thanks for the knowledge supplied by everyone.
 
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If the volts and amps are right, it's almost impossible that it's not making chlorine. It's a pretty definitive test.

The best test for cell preformance is how close the diagnostic salt reading is to the actual salt level. When the cell is new and working optimally, the diagnostic reading will be right on (within the allowable precision). If the cell begins to underperform, the diagnostic reading will be lower than actual. I would suggest the following guidelines:
Diagnostic salt within 400 ppm of actual -Cell good
Diagnostic salt 400 to 700 ppm below actual - Cell underperforming.
Diagnostic salt 800 to 1,000 ppm below actual - Cell substantially underperforming.
Diagnostic salt more than 1,000 ppm below actual -Cell failed. Time to replace.

Get the salt test kit option with the TF100 to track the performance of your cell.
 
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