Electronically how does SWG work?

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Georgia088

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Jun 29, 2013
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I’m curious as to how the salt water generator works. Specifically the t-15 cell. My basic understanding is a dc voltage is applied to the generator cells which converts the salty water to chlorine gas. What voltage is applied? The current that is being produced by the generator is measured by the SWG controller correct? The more salt the higher the amps produced? The more current supplies in to the cell the more current measures at the controller?

So, if I had a body of water with exactly 3200 ppm of salt. The t-15 cell was new and working as it should. What voltage/current would I need to supply to the cell for it to be producing chlorine at 100% max output?

Thanks!
 
mknauss said:

SWG How It Works - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Hayward Aquarite SWG - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

For your reading pleasure.
Click to expand...
THANKS SO MUCH! That is an awesome read!

So, if I understand correctly, to have the salt water generator produce chlorine gas, all it basically needs is:

Either 30-33vdc supplied to its pins 1-4. It will work with VDC+ supplied to pins 1 and 3 and VDC - supplied to pins 2 and 4 OR it will work with the polarities switched (VDC- to 1 and 3 VDC + to 2 and 4)

Isn't that all it needs to produce the gas?

The thermistor protects the transformer and the PCB, and I assume allows the microcontroller on the PCB to get a reading of how many AMPS are being generated and using it along with other factors (water temp etc.) to calculate the salt level and how many volts/amps to pass to the Salt cells pins 1-4.

So, assuming that I took a salt water cell and I supplied 30-33 volts to the correct pins (1-4) I would be producing chlorine. What I am not sure of is how many amps would need to be supplied to the pins 1-4?

Am I way off? Thanks!
 
The controller as-is is fine. These are electrolytic cells that produce both chlorine and hydrogen gas as well as other side reactions. If you supply too much voltage, you will drive more electrolysis of water than chlorine production and if you supply too much current you can easily overheat the wiring and connectors and melt the surrounding plastic. The voltage also needs to be reversed periodically or else you will build up scale on the plates and destroy the cell.

Please don’t fool around with an SWG. Chlorine/hydrogen gas mixtures are explosive and dangerous and you can easily damage equipment, or worse, hurt yourself or someone you love in the process.
 
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JoyfulNoise said:
The controller as-is is fine. These are electrolytic cells that produce both chlorine and hydrogen gas as well as other side reactions. If you supply too much voltage, you will drive more electrolysis of water than chlorine production and if you supply too much current you can easily overheat the wiring and connectors and melt the surrounding plastic. The voltage also needs to be reversed periodically or else you will build up scale on the plates and destroy the cell.

Please don’t fool around with an SWG. Chlorine/hydrogen gas mixtures are explosive and dangerous and you can easily damage equipment, or worse, hurt yourself or someone you love in the process.
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I understand thanks! So, in learning how they work, what kind of current is being supplied when the salt generator is producing at 100% vs say 50%?
 
Georgia088 said:
So, in learning how they work, what kind of current is being supplied when the salt generator is producing at 100% vs say 50%?
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For a T-15 cell, the current is usually between 5 to 8 amps depending on the salinity and the water temperature.

The unit is either on or off, so at 50%, the unit is on half the time and off half the time.

Some models adjust the voltage to increase or decrease the output.
 
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JamesW said:
For a T-15 cell, the current is usually between 5 to 8 amps depending on the salinity and the water temperature.

The unit is either on or off, so at 50%, the unit is on half the time and off half the time.

Some models adjust the voltage to increase or decrease the output.
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5 to 8 amps is the incoming current from the power supply to the cell? Or is that what is coming out of it?

THANKS!!
 

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The power supplies deliver a DC voltage and current. Most are constant-voltage power supplies because you want to keep a stable voltage across the plates. The current then is mostly a function of the solution conductivity.

As James alluded to, these units are operated using a duty-cycle control - the percentage output is simply the percent ON time for a fixed time period. Manufacturers design their power supplies to switch polarity periodically during the duty cycle.
 
JamesW said:
What do you mean coming out?
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If you supply a constant 32VDC 5 amp power source to the cell, where do you measure the voltage/current to determine the salt level? From where the power supply is INPUTING voltage/current? Or is there an OUTPUT wire from the cell? If the salt level is higher this allows more current to flow through? So the Current will be closer to the 5 amps being supplied, but the voltage should drop right?

I really do appreciate y'all explaining it to me!

Thanks!
 
For DC, you have a positive wire and a negative wire.

To measure voltage, you measure from line to line.

For current, you measure on either leg.

The voltage is constant for some units and the current depends on the salinity and the water temperature.

You do get about 1 volt of voltage drop per amp of current.

The Pentair Intellichlor can adjust the voltage to maintain a more consistent current but only within a limited range.
 
JoyfulNoise said:
The controller as-is is fine. These are electrolytic cells that produce both chlorine and hydrogen gas as well as other side reactions. If you supply too much voltage, you will drive more electrolysis of water than chlorine production and if you supply too much current you can easily overheat the wiring and connectors and melt the surrounding plastic. The voltage also needs to be reversed periodically or else you will build up scale on the plates and destroy the cell.

Please don’t fool around with an SWG. Chlorine/hydrogen gas mixtures are explosive and dangerous and you can easily damage equipment, or worse, hurt yourself or someone you love in the process.
Click to expand...
HhhHhhaaa that would be cool


1685637061911.jpeg
 
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A SWG controller and cell is certified for pool use.
If you modify one or build your own, it isn't certified for pool use.
If something were to happen, your insurance would be invalid and you would be putting pool users at risk.
 
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