Cleaning chlorinator cell?

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peterb

Cleaning chlorinator cell?

Postby peterb » Sun 14 Jan, 2007 06:40

Hi
How do I clean a salt chlorinator cell (electrode)? Or is it best to take it into the pool shop and get them to do it?


Cheers
Peter


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Postby dynamictiger » Sun 14 Jan, 2007 16:34

Extract from Pool Care Basics from www (dot) poolindustrysecrets(dot) com free Ebook.

1 Salt Cell care
Salt water chlorination or SWG has taken off as a chlorination method for many pools. I cover this in more detail in my chemistry e-book, for those interested.
Caring for your salt cell is important. Cells are nearly as expensive as new pumps and often are not covered by warranty.
Some simple things you can do to prevent pre-mature failure of the cell are included here.
Bore water. I am not actually opposed to using bore water in a pool if it has been tested and found to be suitable. However bore water typically contains iron and or high levels of calcium either of which are not good for your cell and will lead to increased cleaning cycles.
Copper based algaecides, most salt cell companies will tell you these are fine to use with your chlorinator. This is a reverse of what they were telling us ten years ago, and cells where copper based algaecide are used regularly are usually the first cells I see that have failed.
Salt level, again the push in the last ten years has been towards lower and lower salt levels. Yet when you ask the right questions you will find the salt chlorinator manufacturers are operating on very fine tolerances at these low levels. That is to say if the salt level drops even 500 mg/l below the current level the cell will start to overdraw current and become burnt. Practically it is impossible to operate your pool within these tolerances. You are better to operate at the top of the range for the chlorinator. In other words if the chlorinator manual says a range of 2000-4000 mg/l operating at 4000 your salt cell will last longer. Finally if your pool remains in operation during the winter, regularly check probably once a month, the salt level and maintain it all year round.
Calcium deposits on your cell happen all the time. The colour of the deposit can assist in working out what is in your water. White is calcium based, brown usually indicates iron, green or blue indicates copper. Regardless of the colour the salt cell must be cleaned regularly. In the procedures I have laid out a suggested procedure for cleaning a typical salt cell.
One extra comment on salt cell cleaning before we leave this topic. The salt cell manufacturers suggest using HCL or Muriatic acid in a cut solution to clean the cell. Mixed incorrectly or soaked too long this treatment can damage the cell. A few years ago Lo-Chlor brought out a salt cell cleaner based on ADPA or Alkyl Phosphonic acid. This has the advantage of being recyclable you can clean your cell multiple times with this product and if you left your cell in it for 48 hours it would not damage the cell. The disadvantage is it is a slower method of cleaning, however, I think this is a very small price to pay for the advantages. I highly recommend it.
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Re: Cleaning chlorinator cell?

Postby utelectrode » Thu 10 Mar, 2022 01:01

To maximize the life of your salt chlorinator, consider the following tips:
Applying with Reverse Polarity electrode, it greatly reduces scale build-up on the cell and extends the life span of the chlorinator.
Maintain a consistent salt level (typically 2700-3900 ppm)
Clean the chlorinator cell at least once a season or as needed
Avoid too frequent cleaning of the chlorinator cell
Turn pool equipment off during lightning storms to avoid damaging power surges
Keep Calcium levels as low as possible and still remain in accordance with guidelines set by pool equipment manufactures.
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Re: Cleaning chlorinator cell?

Postby Teapot1 » Sat 12 Mar, 2022 07:45

utelectrode wrote:Keep Calcium levels as low as possible and still remain in accordance with guidelines set by pool equipment manufactures.

Absolutely! If it is a plastic/vinyl pool it does not require the published levels of calcium, those are for concrete pools but the industry hasn't yet got that level of understanding and its also likely to reduce chemical sales.
I may not give you the answer you want to hear, but I will give an honest opinion of your situation as you decribe it.
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Re: Cleaning chlorinator cell?

Postby dynamictiger » Sat 12 Mar, 2022 15:24

Teapot1 wrote:
utelectrode wrote:Keep Calcium levels as low as possible and still remain in accordance with guidelines set by pool equipment manufactures.

Absolutely! If it is a plastic/vinyl pool it does not require the published levels of calcium, those are for concrete pools but the industry hasn't yet got that level of understanding and its also likely to reduce chemical sales.


This is not always true for the entire industry. In my locale calcium is often not even bothered to add at all anymore. This presents another issue for normal chlorinated pools.
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Re: Cleaning chlorinator cell?

Postby Teapot1 » Sat 12 Mar, 2022 16:26

What do you mean, "presents another issue for normal chlorinated pools"?
I may not give you the answer you want to hear, but I will give an honest opinion of your situation as you decribe it.
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Re: Cleaning chlorinator cell?

Postby dynamictiger » Sat 12 Mar, 2022 20:46

Teapot1 wrote:What do you mean, "presents another issue for normal chlorinated pools"?


It can cause unusual effects on some liners, its usually best overall to run in general accordance with LSI or principles around it. Please bear in mind I only get called in for problems so I only see the worst of the worst.
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Re: Cleaning chlorinator cell?

Postby Teapot1 » Sun 13 Mar, 2022 03:13

In my time on pools, the damage to liners was attributable to low pH issues and nothing to do with calcium. In one area of France I worked in, the water is so soft its hard to believe, Alk at around 27ppm, calcium at 40ppm. When I got to the first pool I was actually panicking and looking for suppliers of bicarbonate of soda and calcium chloride. I calmed down after a day of searching and realised these local vinyl pools have all been running this way for years. Thus another scare myth was debunked.
I may not give you the answer you want to hear, but I will give an honest opinion of your situation as you decribe it.
dynamictiger
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Re: Cleaning chlorinator cell?

Postby dynamictiger » Sun 13 Mar, 2022 04:03

I was meaning liner in the generic sense not specifically vinyl.
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Re: Cleaning chlorinator cell?

Postby dynamictiger » Tue 15 Mar, 2022 03:02

Teapot1 wrote:In my time on pools, the damage to liners was attributable to low pH issues and nothing to do with calcium. In one area of France I worked in, the water is so soft its hard to believe, Alk at around 27ppm, calcium at 40ppm. When I got to the first pool I was actually panicking and looking for suppliers of bicarbonate of soda and calcium chloride. I calmed down after a day of searching and realised these local vinyl pools have all been running this way for years. Thus another scare myth was debunked.


For interest and by the way...this is how I set up vinyl or fibreglass pools using carbon dioxide saturation in accordance with Henry's law to maintain pH...provided there are no significant metallics in the circulation systems. The pump shaft can generally be ignored as it is usually shrouded, a heat pump can generally be ignored as they run titanium heat exchangers, similar with salt cells due to the use of other metals that are largely corrosion-resistant for the purpose being discussed, however other metals may be damaged by this system.

It's an interesting topic and further research is required.
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Re: Cleaning chlorinator cell?

Postby Teapot1 » Tue 15 Mar, 2022 12:56

Yes seen some corrosion on stainless steel ladders. Increased the pH to reduce the corrosive nature of the water on the LSI index, only took a small increase to bring it into line and as they were outdoor pools using CYA is had negligible effect on sanitiser.
I may not give you the answer you want to hear, but I will give an honest opinion of your situation as you decribe it.
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Re: Cleaning chlorinator cell?

Postby dynamictiger » Tue 15 Mar, 2022 17:08

Teapot1 wrote:Yes seen some corrosion on stainless steel ladders. Increased the pH to reduce the corrosive nature of the water on the LSI index, only took a small increase to bring it into line and as they were outdoor pools using CYA is had negligible effect on sanitiser.


Interesting I haven't seen corrosion on the Stainless here. Perhaps the SS is a different grade. Was the corrosion a line at about water level or was it more general?
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Re: Cleaning chlorinator cell?

Postby Teapot1 » Wed 16 Mar, 2022 00:57

More general but at the edges of the treads where polishing hadnt been good.
I may not give you the answer you want to hear, but I will give an honest opinion of your situation as you decribe it.
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Re: Cleaning chlorinator cell?

Postby utelectrode » Wed 16 Mar, 2022 01:30

1.Turn the power off.

Before you start messing with the cell, the power needs to be off for safety's sake. Don't try to unscrew the unit while it is still on. Most filtration systems have an easy access switch to turn the power off.

2.Remove the salt cell.

Once you have the power off, take the salt cell out to inspect it more closely. You'll be looking at the metal plates inside the unit. You should be able to inspect them fairly easily to see if they need cleaning.

3.Look for deposits.

The cell only needs cleaning if it has mineral deposits on its filters. The mineral deposits will look white, dry, and flaky, like a tub faucet or shower head gets at times. These deposits reduce the unit's efficiency, so you need to remove them. If your filter doesn't have deposits, put it back, and check it in a month or so.

4. Check the cell regularly.

Most salt cells will need cleaning at least twice a year. Some may need it as often as every two months. It mostly depends on how hard your water is, as that's what causes buildups. Check on it every two months to see if it needs cleaning until you figure out how often yours will need to be cleaned.
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Re: Cleaning chlorinator cell?

Postby Teapot1 » Thu 17 Mar, 2022 03:51

That sounds fine, build up on the plates etc but you need to look closely between the plates as build up there short circuits the plates causing low chlorine production and often a short circuit burning out the power supply
I may not give you the answer you want to hear, but I will give an honest opinion of your situation as you decribe it.

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