replacing cell

[DONNIE]

Do I really need to replace the $54.00 cell cord when I replace the cell? I've seen it suggested on store websites.

Donnie

 

[JasonLion]

Cell cords tend to wear out over time, their contacts can also get dirty or become corroded. They don't tend to wear out at exactly the same time as the cell. However, it isn't always obvious when they are wearing out. All in all, replacing the cord when you are replacing the cell is prudent, but by no means required in every case.

 

[DONNIE]

Is the cell designed to progressivly deteriorate? When it was new I ran it on level 1 and gradually increased the setting. A couple of years later I had to switch to level 2 and have been gradually increasing the setting. Now on year 5 i'm on level 3 @ 60% to get it to keep up with the extreem sunshine we have had these past couple of months. It's at 8.0 / 24V. It is producing FC though. Is that how it's supposed to work?

Donnie

 

[JasonLion]

Cells do wear out over time, requiring high settings to continue functioning. However it is usually much slower than what you describe, at least at first. Then, towards the end, they typically fail quite quickly.

 

[DONNIE]

It's a beautiful Saturday morning in Oklahoma. Lesson learned already this morning. Ya gotta look at BOTH ENDS of your SWG cell to see if it has build up! Mine was perfectly clean on one end and after removing it from the manifold I discovced calcium (looked like comet) buildup blocking at least 30% of the flow across the cell. Soaked it in 25/75 acid to water, sprayed it off with water and now it looks beautiful. I'll let it run a while and do some testing. I'll check back later! Have a great day! I plan to!

Donnie

 

[DONNIE]

Well.......after cleaning my cell: 90F, CYA 85-90ish, 100+ degree bright sunny weekend. FC is maintaining around 1 to 1.5 on it's own. SWG is on level 3 @ 60 and shows 24 amps 8.0 volts (or vice versa). I guess it's on its last leg. I was hoping the cleaning would correct the high amps. I'll still try to milk it to seasons end!

Donnie