Cell End of Life?

[lurch]

I have an AutoPilot SC-48 that is now 4 years old. It's flashed Check Voltage from the first day I had it, but still reliably produced chlorine at an acceptible amount at Level 2, usually between 50 and 75%. This year, it's not keeping up. I'm now up to Level 3 and 100% and it produces some, but not enough to keep me at 3-4ppm. I'm adding a half jug of bleach every few days to get it back up in the safe zone.

I've done the acid bath several times a year and it looks pretty clean now. Shows voltage of 28 or 29 and amps of .9 to 1.2. I've never brushed it, if that matters. I assumed the acid bath was pretty much as clean as it could get.

Is this how you would expect a cell to die? Still produce, but just at lower and lower levels, or would you expect it to suddenly stop producing altogether?

Chemicals are good:
PH 7.5-7.8 (bringing it down once it hits 7.8 with maybe a quart of acid every 3-4 days)
TA 70
CYA 70
CH 320
Salt 3500
Borate 50

 

[JasonLion]

Yes, that is the way a cell behaves when it is getting old. The voltage goes up, amps go down, and the amount of chlorine produced falls.

 

[Strannik]

yep, that's how they die

the behavior depends on a system you've got
if it has current control - it will always keep the same current, the voltage will rise up until the certain limit and it will start saying low salt/check cell, current will start to drop while voltage will be at it's limit.
the cell will appear to die quickly

if it hasn't got it, the voltage will stay the same and current will start to drop straight away, so the cell will appear to be dying for a while

 

[Poolsean]

Lurch,

Remove the cell and inspect the two outer blades. If they appear shorter in length than the ones between them, your cell is dead and needs to be replaced.

The main error displays are, Purifier Off - Check Flow, Check/Clean Cell, Low Amps/Cell?, and Bad Temp Sensor.
Your cell amps and volts are more consistent with Low Amps/Cell?
This may be caused by;
a failed cell, see above recommended inspection.
bad cell cord connection, inspect both ends of the cell cord for discoloration or damage
or failed cell fuse/power circuit board, not recommended to check unless you're comfortable with electronics and test meters.

I'm a little surprised that you've had this display since its been installed. Have you had the installer come back out to check this, or called our customer service to address this?

What voltage is your unit wired to? 220 volts or 110 volts? The unit is wired for 220 volts from the factory. If it's wired to 110 volts without the required internal wiring changes, you should see the voltage and amperage running at about half the normal operating amps and volts.

 

[lurch]

Lurch,

Remove the cell and inspect the two outer blades. If they appear shorter in length than the ones between them, your cell is dead and needs to be replaced.

The main error displays are, Purifier Off - Check Flow, Check/Clean Cell, Low Amps/Cell?, and Bad Temp Sensor.
Your cell amps and volts are more consistent with Low Amps/Cell?
This may be caused by;
a failed cell, see above recommended inspection.
bad cell cord connection, inspect both ends of the cell cord for discoloration or damage
or failed cell fuse/power circuit board, not recommended to check unless you're comfortable with electronics and test meters.

I'm a little surprised that you've had this display since its been installed. Have you had the installer come back out to check this, or called our customer service to address this?

What voltage is your unit wired to? 220 volts or 110 volts? The unit is wired for 220 volts from the factory. If it's wired to 110 volts without the required internal wiring changes, you should see the voltage and amperage running at about half the normal operating amps and volts.

Wow, thanks for the response Sean! It's the Low Amps/Cell? message I get. I'll check the cell tonight and take pictures of the cell cord. Is there an obvious way to know if I'm wired to 220 or 110? The circuit breaker is right next to all of my equipment.

I called your support about it the first week I got everything turned on in our pool (when pool was built) and at the time they just suggested I check all of my chemicals. I found it was producing a lot of Chloriine despite the warning, so it just never got my attention again until now.

 

[Poolsean]

Wow, thanks for the response Sean! It's the Low Amps/Cell? message I get. I'll check the cell tonight and take pictures of the cell cord. Is there an obvious way to know if I'm wired to 220 or 110? The circuit breaker is right next to all of my equipment.

Follow the conduit from the Digital unit to where it's connected. It should be connected to the same spot as the pump wires. If so, it's just a matter of what voltage the pump is.
If they are connected to an Intermatic time clock, the model number on the timer door will identify the voltage.
Usually a T101 = 110 volts, or T104 = 220 volts. The "T" and "1" may be different, but the 01 and 04 should be the same.