How Can I Tell If My Salt Cell Is Working Properly?

Is your salt cell is looking a little worse for wear, has lost a few plates and the acid bath just isn't quite cutting it? Or your pool is starting to grow its own ecosystem even though your chlorinator is cranked to 100%? We've got all the answers here

Green Pool? Poor Clarity? Low Salt? Tell tale signs that your chlorinator might be on its way out, so how can you tell if your salt water chlorinator is working properly?

Your chlorinator is a miniature liquid chlorine manufacturing plant. Firstly, The action of salt water passing through the salt cell causes electrolysis which creates chlorine (Sodium Hypochlorite) that is then returned to the pool.

The easiest way to be certain if the chlorinator is working is to make sure the cell is clean by checking the needle or production lights on the chlorinator box. When operating, you should also see bubbles inside the chamber, producing what looks like cloudy water - that's chlorine being created! If you don't have a clear housing to view chlorine being made, many salt cells can be removed from the housing and placed in a bucket of salty pool water. Turn it on and look for tiny bubbles or cloudy water being created.

Remember less salt = less chlorine. So, check your salt level first.

Basic Salt Cell Troubleshooting

1. Check Power:The Salt Cell is powered by thecontrol panel, If the control panel has no indicator lights, that's a good sign of no power. Many salt chlorinators also have a fuse inside the cabinet, designed to blow in the event of power overload, or a lightning strike.
2. Check Water Flow:The Salt Cell needs a certain amount of water flow to operate effectively. Flow rates can be reduced by clogged pump orskimmer baskets, dirty filter, or closed directional valves.
3. Check Salt Level:The Salt Cell needs a certain amount of salt in the water to convert the salty water to chlorine. Each salt cell is calibrated to work within a certain range of salinity, generally around 4000 ppm. Most salt chlorinators use a salt sensor and display the measured salt level, or have an indicator light or error code to let you know when the salt level drops below the minimum threshold.
4. Check Water Balance:Your pH,alkalinity and calcium hardness should all be within range so that the created chlorine has the most efficiency, or killing power. Low pH can accelerate the activity of chlorine, burning off more rapidly, and high pH can reduce the activity, making your chlorine sluggish and less effective. You can test these water levels yourself using a 5 in 1 Test Kit.
5. Inspect Salt Cell:The Salt Cell needs to be cleaned regularly to remove calcium deposits that slow water flow and bridge the gap between metal plates, preventing the electrolysis from happening. Majority of thesalt cell chlorinators are now self-cleaning, by reversing polarity on the metal plates, to slough off the collected calcium which is swept away by the water flow. However, even self-cleaning cells need regular inspection, and perhaps occasional cleaning. You can clean cells by giving them an "acid bath" which usually consists of 90% water to 10% acid, and "brushing" the calcium deposits off with a toothbrush. The acid will eat away at the plates given enough time, so be sure to bath the cell for no longer than 10 minutes.

Also important is to clean the electrode terminals, which can develop corrosion similar to car battery terminals. Terminal corrosion can be removed with an old toothbrush dipped into an acid solution. Check output leads and replace if required, there are also half lead kits on the market to make it an easy fix.

The salt cell will eventually lose performance and the controller circuit boards can develop problems over time.

Chances are, at some point you will face an expensive repair to your salt system, I’m talking about either a new salt cell, or a new control board. Both of these repairs can approach half the cost of a whole new Salt Water Chlorinator system.