Life of salt cell at 100%

[DaveTheAccountant]

Good evening,

I’ve learned here that my salt cell is undersized for my pool. I supplement with liquid chlorine twice weekly during the summer. In addition, I run it at 100% for 12 hours daily. I’ve read there that running at 100% can dramatically reduce the cells life.

We’re two summers in, and I had no idea about this site and it’s valuable info when we built. Should I plan ahead by purchasing a cel at some point? If so, what’s a good choice for me?

We are in middle GA (hot), and our season runs May 1 to September 30 usually. Pool is approximately 29,000 gallons.

If I should not pre purchase, what should I do to increase the life? Is that even a wise decision?

Thanks in advance!

 

[PoolStored]

No need to pre-purchase, use liquid chlorine if/when the cell dies.

If I should not pre purchase, what should I do to increase the life? Is that even a wise decision?

Increase the pump run time and reduce the % output to keep your FC level.
Maintain CSI between -.3 and 0
Don't clean it with muriatic acid.

Running a SWG at 100% and Cell Life

From ... https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/have-had-to-add-120-lb-salt-to-pool-in-one-year.254219/post-2251405 @JoyfulNoise said: This is not true. Cells should never be run at 100% all the time. That will absolutely wear out the coating faster. Your assumption is that the...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[needsajet]

Salt cells tend to last around 6000 to 10000 hours of run time. This number is based on the quality of the salt cell. I'll use 8000 hours for a theoretical salt cell of reasonable quality.

If it's set at 100% then 8000 hours of runtime. Say, for example, you run your pump an average of 5 hours per day across the year, that's 1600 days or 4.4 years.

If it's set at 80%, and you pump for an average of 5 hours per day, that's 2000 days, or 5.5 years.

If it's set at 50%, same 5 hrs per day pump time, 3200 days, 8.8 years

Setting it at 100% is no different from 80% or 50% in terms of how many operating hours you'll get out of the salt cell.

Once you own an SWCG, your cheapest source of chlorine is the gradual wearing out of the salt cell. Maxmize use of the salt cell and minimiize liquid purchases for best economics.