Cleaning my AquaRite T-15

I'm going to clean my T-15. I've found the below directions on a couple of spots on the Internet. My question for all you pool guru's is: how do I disconnect the Turbo Cell from the water line, without having water spill all over the place?

1) Turn Filter pump off.
2) Remove the AquaRite Turbo Cell from its position in the plumbing by loosening the unions on both ends of the cell.
3) You will need a small plastic bucket (6 - 8" opening), water and muriatic acid.
4) Fill the bucket with 3 - 4"of water.
5) Set the Turbo Cell, on end, in the bucket of water.
6) Add 1 - 1 1/2" of muriatic to the water in the bucket. Let the cell sit in this solution for 5-10 minutes.
7) Turn the cell over and let the other end sit in the solution for 5 - 10 minutes. You will be submersing the cord, which will not be affected by the mild acid solution. Look in both ends of the cell to confirm calcium deposits are removed. If not, repeat cleaning procedure.
9) Rinse cell with fresh water and replace in plumbing line. Hand tighten unions before restoring power to filter pump.

When I cleaned mine, I used a 4-1 water/acid mix. Also, I suppose your plumbing situation could be more difficult than mine, but I just opened the vent on my filter to release the pressure on the plumbing and probably lost less than a gallon of water when I removed the t-cell from the line.


I'm fairly certain I read that you should try and avoid submerging the part of the cell where the cord goes in into the acid wash; but I guess I could be wrong. I avoided it, in any case. In the future I'm going to get one of those acid wash stands, because it looks far simpler to just screw the cell onto the stand and fill it up with wash.

From the product manual ( http://www.hayward-pool.com/pdf/manuals/Manual345.pdf )

Servicing and Cleaning the Aqua Rite cell
Turn off power to the Aqua Rite before removing the electrolytic cell. Once removed,
look inside the cell and inspect for scale formation (light colored crusty or flaky deposits)
on the plates and for any debris which has passed through the filter and caught on
the plates. If no deposits are visible, reinstall. If deposits are seen, use a high pressure
garden hose and try to flush the scale off. If this is not successful, use a plastic or wood
tool (do not use metal as this will scratch the coating off the plates) and scrape deposits
off of plates. Note that a buildup on the cell indicates that there is an unusually high
calcium level in the pool (old pool water is usually the cause). If this is not corrected,
you may to have to periodically clean the cell. The simplest way to avoid this is to bring
the pool chemistry to the recommended levels as specified.

Mild Acid Washing: Use only in severe cases where flushing and scraping will not
remove the majority of deposits.
To acid wash, turn off power to Aqua Rite. Remove cell
from piping. In a clean plastic container, mix a 4:1 solution of water to muriatic acid (one
gallon of water to one quart of muriatic acid). ALWAYS ADD ACID TO WATER -
NEVER ADD WATER TO ACID. Be sure to wear rubber gloves and appropriate eye
protection. The level of the solution in the container should just reach the top of the cell
so that the wire harness compartment is NOT submerged. It may be helpful to coil the
wiring before immersing the cell. The cell should soak for a few minutes and then rinse
with a high pressure garden hose. If any deposits are still visible, repeat soaking and
rinsing. Replace cell and inspect again periodically.

Here's how I've done it-

Plug the return (I'm assuming you have an AG pool) and shut the valve for the suction line (or plug the skimmer).

Put a ~10:1 water:acid mix in a bucket. Plug the bottom of the cell (where the cord doesn't enter) with a #11 expandable rubber plug. Put the cell in another bucket and add the acid to the cell so that it covers the plates. See if it 'bubbles up', if it doesn't - you just wasted some acid and time:o. If it does, wait ~ 5 min. and see if it has stopped. Dump the acid into the cell bucket, rinse the cell and repeat the procedure.

Repeat as needed.

If you don't see any 'junk' on the plates, or if it washes out with a simple hosing - do NOT acid wash the unit!

Thanks for your help. We ended up soaking in the acid solution and then neutralized the solution with water and baking soda when we were done. So far, the system seems to be working in a better way.