Salt Cell extenders/protectors

[Dalandlord]

First let me say I am pretty new to the forum so if this is a dumb or pedestrian question please just move it to where it belongs.

In searching for a replacement salt cell I have noticed a few sites suggest some extras to go along with it(surprise, surprise). First I noticed by the time you use this products a few years you might want to just save the money for a new cell but I guess down time is worth something. Second, I have never heard of any of these products. I looked at the MSDS on two of them. One is about 1% Citric acid and the other is about 2% Sodium hydroxide which is nearest I can tell, Caustic Soda or LYE. right? (Please remember I am pretty new to this stuff and have never even taken basic chemistry). Between the two of these products they make claims ranging from preventing build up in the cell to extending the life of the cell, to being the greatest thing since slice bread for protecting the life of the pool plaster and fixtures. I also suspect that if these things were great for anything but boosting sales, I would have read about it on this forum by now.

I have always been a KISS method kind of guy so unless all these wild claims are true they aren't getting my money and most of all my time, but I just thought I would ask, is there is anything to these claims?

Thanks

 

[chem geek]

Sodium Hydroxide is the same thing as caustic soda or lye (as in Drano crystals though those aren't pure). It significantly raises pH so I don't know how it helps with a salt cell. Usually, one uses acid to clean the salt cell as well as keeping the pH lower in the pool since it tends to ruse in such pools. Citric acid is used as a reducing agent, usually to remove metal stains. Again, I'm unclear as to its use on salt cell plates unless such plates have some foreign metal oxides/hydroxides on them.

I suspect that the active ingredients for the products you are looking at are not the minor components you listed. Oftentimes, MSDS only list hazardous ingredients, not all ingredients.

 

[Dalandlord]

Thanks Chem Geek