Barely generating any chlorine

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tagteamcomputing

Gold Supporter
Feb 7, 2017
296
Tulsa, OK
My saltwater generator seems to barely be generating any chlorine. I ran it all night on max and it changed by 1 .

It looks like there is some calcification or something on my cell. Could this cause it to not produce much chlorine. Also, my salt is down around 2800, which I think is a little low.
It is a circupool RJ-60 plus
 
I ran the OCLT but forgot to turn the pump off. I did't lose any but didnt generate any either. I will be testing the OCLT again tonight with the pump off since I bought a couple of bottles of bleach. I am going to bring the chlorine up to a safe level and then test.

I tested my pool this morning
Chlorine - 2.0
PH - 7.8
CH - 250
TA - 130
Salt - 2900
CYA - 60

I also added one bottle of 10% bleach. I also added three bags of salt so my next test should show around 3000 or a bit over.

I plan to take out the cell this weekend and clean it. recommendations on cleaning my cell online was 3 parts water 1 part MA. On here I have ready MA can be a bit harsh on the cell but I think I need to just get this done.
 
thank you, sorry, to be more clear, I forgot to turn the SWG off. So I don't know if it was generating a little bit of chlorine. I will turn off the SWG tonight, leave the pool running, and then test again.

Do you leave your pump running 24/7?
 
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tagteamcomputing said:
It looks like there is some calcification or something on my cell. Could this cause it to not produce much chlorine.
Click to expand...
Yes!

tagteamcomputing said:
Also, my salt is down around 2800, which I think is a little low.
Click to expand...
Is that based upon the SWG reading or a separate salt test? If the former, ignore it because the scale will reduce the displayed salt.

The first thing I would do is clean the cell. Avoid using acid if possible, first try to remove the scale with a cable tie or a thin plastic/wood stick.

If you use acid, use a more diluted solution 8:1 MA/water or 1:1 vinegar/water.
 
I bought some 30% vinegar, since that is supposed to be a bit easier on the cell.
Is it still a 1:1 ratio if it is 30% vinegar?

I did my salt test with my kit, not using the system.

Also, I have a pressure washer, is that too powerful to use to try to clean the cell with just water.
 
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Absolutely no on the pressure washer. Just a strong stream from a regular hose nozzle, but not too strong.
 
is too much pressure too strong for the cell or the for the housing?

When I took the cell off I realized I have been a bad pool owner. I have had it in for about a year and have not taken it off at all. It didn't look that bad when it was on but when I took it off I could see all the calcification. I didn't realize that the cell is actually in a plastic housing and that the water has to pass through the cell to generate chlorine. Both the top and bottom of the cell were almost all closed off with calcification so the water was just going around the cell.

I used a vinegar solution for about 1.5 hours and then used the drain cleaner that others have suggested and cleaned up most of one side. The other side was so calcified that it still was fully closed so I am currently doing a about a 10:1 mix with Muriatic Acid but only filled it up to about 1/3 of the cell so that the acid doesn't affect the part that is already clean.
 
tagteamcomputing said:
is too much pressure too strong for the cell or the for the housing?
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For the hand holding the cell when you slip awkwardly holding it and spraying with the other arm fully extended.

But also possibly the coated plates. The plastic can handle it.
 
You had me for a minute there. Your profile has an RJ60 and I was wondering if you changed brands since. But your 2nd post made it right again. Phew. :ROFLMAO:
 

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