Autopilot LS1000 Question

[CHParker]

Hi Sean. I have the LS1000 with an RC-15 cell. The pool is 30,000 gallons, approximately. My questions are: (1) is there any way to tell/test the remaining life of the cell; and (2) when the cell is to be replaced, is the SC-48 or SC-60 a compatible replacement?

Thanks in advance.

[Poolsean]

The only indicator that the cell needs to be changed is the SOLID RED CELL Light and the visual signs of degradation to the center and two outer blades in the RC-15 Cell. Depending on which 803 circuit board you have, there may be some test points on the lower left corner of the board, I think labeled P6 on the circuit board. These are marked I C V (I = Amps, C = Common, V = Voltage), meaning if you place a multimeter on DC VOLTS and test between the center test point, C, and V (I think this is the on the right side of C), your meter reading will show you the cell voltage. Leave the meter on DC VOLTS and test between C, and I. This display will indicate cell amperage, but with the decimal one place to the left. i.e. 0.563 is really 5.63 amps.
With the LS series, you should get 5.0 - 5.5 amps and a voltage range of 17 - 25 volts at these test point.
IF the cell is bad, verify with the visual inspection of the blades, but also verify that the voltage is 30 + volts, and low amperage (below 4.0 amps). Under these conditions, the cell is still producing some chlorine, but at a greatly reduced efficiency.

The SC-60 cell is the replacement for the RC-15 cell. If you go with the SC-36 or SC-48, you will also need to do some rewiring on the cell cord connector, where it connects to the circuit board.
You will also yield less chlorine output.

With your pool being approximately 30,000 gallons, I would not recommend going with anything less than the SC-60 cell, whcih will give you slightly less output than the RC-15 cell. You can also go with the CC-15 commercial cell. This has 15 blades and will give you the exact output of the RC15 cell, but is rated for longer cell life.

Hope this helps, and thanks for being a long time Autopilot Owner!