Swimpure plus salt level not indicating properly... anything to check before buying a new cell?

[shorembo]

So since you have done this dance before, will have to again I am sure... Did you see how @JamesW got the instant Salinity for each polarity, then compared to your actual Salinity? That is why its important to know your actual Salinity (K-1766) and what the cell thinks its salinity is so you can compare them. So many people find out their SWG is not functioning only after the pool goes green, or they have been adding salt based on what the SWG says and next thing you know you are at 5000ppm salinity and the thermistor blows its top.

I assume you are talking about the 6th reading ( 0 -1600 -2900 ) but I don't get how that is a polarity test. The 0 was because the cell wasn't generating...I think? If my salinity is 3600 (and BTW I have and do use the K-1766 test kit) what should the tests read for a properly working cell?

 

[JamesW]

1600 -2900

These are your instant readings on different polarities. They should be the same and they should be the same as the actual salinity.

If my salinity is 3600 (and BTW I have and do use the K-1766 test kit) what should the tests read for a properly working cell?

1,600/3,600 = 44%.

2,900/3,600 = 80%.

So, one polarity is at 44% and the other polarity is at 80%.

Below 75% is a fail.

 

[shorembo]

So now I know two things:
1. How to test the Cell myself.
2. How to estimate the life of a T-15 Cell based on Desired Output % and hours running per day.

This is great info.... thanks a bunch.

 

[mguzzy]

I assume you are talking about the 6th reading ( 0 -1600 -2900 ) but I don't get how that is a polarity test. The 0 was because the cell wasn't generating...I think? If my salinity is 3600 (and BTW I have and do use the K-1766 test kit) what should the tests read for a properly working cell?

On your first Instant Salinity reading "0" the controller was probably between generating cycles. Turning it off and back on starts a new generating cycle. That gives you the next Instant Salinity reading "1600". Turning it of and back on again forces the controller to swtich the polarity on the cell and hence you get the third Instant Salinity reading of "2900". Because who is patient enough to wait for the cell to cycle on its own. But that is the Salinity reading as measured by the cell. The true salinity is read by your k-1766 test kit and that came in at "3600". So you have a big disparity between the Instant Salinity reading on each polarity AND both of them are way off from the true Salinity... And there ya go!

I real life the Instant Salinity will never really match the true salinity, they are calculated in different ways by the cell and the drop test. But if you get a base line reading when you first put in your cell you can see when the values start to diverge.. that is usually the first indication the cell is dying. How fast it dies depends on the conditions your cell is running in.

 

[JamesW]

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[shorembo]

Thanks again for the info.

 

[chlorinatorpro]

What the OP has is premature wear on one side of the plates. This mean that his cell is working during only one of the two 180 minutes cycle. At 83% duty cycle the cell is generating for 150 minutes on one polarity, then shutting down and not generating during the next 180 minutes cycle. So instead of generating for 300 of the 360 minutes, OP's cell is generating for 150 of the 360 minutes, 50% less than it should. Cell has to be replaced unless you don't mind manually resetting the system every hour and a half to keep it on the polarity that is generating.

As for the $299 cell OP mentioned, I guarantee you that cell is rated for 3000 hours which would mean about 15 months of normal use under optimum conditions. Warranty is one year so if you think $300 for just over a year of use is a good deal, go for it. However me thinks you will be dealing with the overseas manufacturer on the warranty rather than the retailer in this case.