Cleaning SWG with Muriatic Acid

[sharp7823]

I am trying to clean the IC40 with acid like I normally do except this time I am not getting bubbles nor is the scale being removed. I bought the acid yesterday and got pretty strong fumes when I opened it, so it seems pretty strong. Can acid go bad or get weak if it is an old bottle? It's the same brand and strength (31.45%) as I have used in the past. Maybe I will get a different one tomorrow and try that.

 

[mknauss]

You should not clean a SWCG with mineral acid if at all possible. And only very diluted if you use it. I posted the link in your other thread.

 

[sharp7823]

Oh, wow, thanks! I will not try to clean it that way anymore. For some reason I thought that was the way to clean it and that the plates were fragile. So scaping the scale off the plates or using strong blast of water are the best ways? And vinegar is okay to use?
And regarding the low salt reading in the SWG from my other thread, will the SWG generate chlorine if the thermistor is bad? Or since it is falsely sensing low salt, does it not generate chlorine since it thinks it's low salt?

 

[mknauss]

So scaping the scale off the plates or using strong blast of water are the best ways? And vinegar is okay to use?

You want to use soft items. Like popsicle sticks, etc. As described in the wiki article. Vinegar is a mild acid. Will not strip the rare earth metals like mineral acid. will.

regarding the low salt reading in the SWG from my other thread, will the SWG generate chlorine if the thermistor is bad? Or since it is falsely sensing low salt, does it not generate chlorine since it thinks it's low salt?

If the IC senses low salt (real or not) it will not generate. The Low Salt red light should be on the Generating light will be off.

 

[sharp7823]

Great, thank you so much. I will order the thermistor.

 

[mgtfp]

Good advice from Marty not to use strong acids to clean the cell.

But it's still odd that the scale didn't fizz away with the acid. That might be a clue that this is not ordinary calcium carbonate scale. Have you been using sulphuric acid or dry acid or other sulphate containing products?

 

[sharp7823]

Good advice from Marty not to use strong acids to clean the cell.

But it's still odd that the scale didn't fizz away with the acid. That might be a clue that this is not ordinary calcium carbonate scale. Have you been using sulphuric acid or dry acid or other sulphate containing products?

No, nothing different than I had been using the last 2-3 years since I started taking care of the pool. That's kind of why I was wondering if it has a shelf life and I got an old bottle. We did get much, much more rain this year and I did a few partial drains to keep the water level correct.

 

[mgtfp]

That's kind of why I was wondering if it has a shelf life and I got an old bottle.

Nah, this stuff lasts for ages. Bigger problem is that the plastic jug will disintegrate at some point, and handling of really old jugs can actually become dangerous.