Re: T Cell 15 bad?
Originally Posted by
kelemvor
I did the acid wash (and discovered a bunch of debris under the square grid inside the cell tube). Put it all back together and reset, and it seems to have eliminated the check cell lights. Thanks! Still reading low salt @2300ppm (yup,up 100ppm? I did add a cup or two of salt last night, but being that 100lbs is what I'd need, I can't see how that would have made any difference at all.
The pool store has a rather complicated looking array of beakers and tubes.
Most likely either a Taylor or Bioguard water lab.
One of them has a motor that spins a device on the bottom, and they drop a plastic "pill" in while adding chemicals.
That is a magnetic stirrer and the "pill" is a bar magnet to mix the chemicals. they are actually very useful in water testing, particularly for the calcium hardness, total alkalinity, and salt titration (if testing salt chemcially).
There's a few other beakers they use, along with a device that looks a bit like a scale with an electric meter on the bottom (I'm guessing this is the salt test by testing conductivity?)
Sounds like a MyronL salt meter, TDS meter, or their combo salt/TDS unit. MyronL are among the best meters of this type and yes it does measure conductivity. However, they need to be kept calibrated with standard solutions and if this is not done the results are meaningless.
The salt I bought is "Salinity Fine Grain Pool Salt W/Stain Inhibitor 40 Lb. Bag" so I think I'll put half of that in tonight and see where I end up tomorrow for a salt reading. I think I read too much salt can seriously damage things, is that correct?
I think I'm on the right track, anyway. Thanks for the help!
I if your salt level is too hight your unit will not operate and give you a high salt error. My suggestion is to get a tube of AquaChek Salt test strips. They are actually pretty good, unlike most test strips. See if they test closer to what your readout is or what the store testing is. This should give you some extra confirmation as to whether your cell is going bad or the pool store meter is off calibration.
FWIW, when cells start dying they often read low on the salt. If you call goldline tech support hotline they will ask you for the amps and volts your cell is putting out and can tell you if it is failing over the phone in many cases. It's worth a shot.
My suggestion is to try and clean the cell again. You CH at 400, TA at 110 and pH of 7.8 is certainly conducive to scale formation in the cell and I suspect that the unit was not properly maintained, which can affect cell life. Then again, the control unit you replaced could also be defective. You might want to contact whoever did the repair for you.
Finally, instead on wasting money on special 'pool salt' just use solar salt for water softeners (usually in a blue bag). I am going to make a guess that you live in Florida and your Pool Store is a Pinch a Penny (no, I am not psychic--Salinity is one of their 'house brands'. I actually shop at Pinch a Penny from time to time myself.) I will also guess that the water lab is a Taylor since that is what most Pinch a Pennys use. However, the results are only as good as the person doing the testing and that is often a problem. You really need to get your own test kit. A Taylor -2006 is the one you want (NOT the K-2005). You might have to order it online since most places do not stock it but only carry the less expensive K-2005. The difference is the chlorine testing method. The chlorine test in the K-2006 is far superior and much easier to use than the one in the K-2005!
Last edited by waterbear; 08-07-2010 at 12:01 AM.
Retired pool store and commercial pool maintenance guy.
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I'll give the cell another good washing tomorrow (after I come up with some kind of large toothbrush or something for the inside. Unfortunately I can't find the site I thought was selling the cells for 300 bucks so it appears I'm on my way to another $500 purchase unless I get lucky with cleaning this thing.
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