Greetings...

My pool is about 25,000 gallons. We bought the house about 1-1/2 years ago. Pool has the Aqua Rite system. I have been pretty religious about keeping a daily (every other day) eye on it, and keeping it clean/maintained by pouring the 50/50 mix of Muriatic/Water through it. The reading normally has been about 2900ppm (happy clear water). Over the past few months, I have been getting "low salt" - "check cell" error, and gradually decreasing salt level, as low as 2400. 24 hours ago I added another bag of the Leslie's salt, and today the reading is at 2500-2600ppm. Local pool guy told me to SOAK it in the 50/50 mix, which I have done (protecting the cord). Once cleaned, the cell will "rejuvinate" for lack of a better word, itself, and go back to 2900ppm. Within about 2 weeks, it is erroring again. Summer here in Southern Ca, if that makes a difference. Over the past probably 2-1/2 to 3 months, I have added literally 5 bags of salt. The first about year I lived here, I did not add but about 1-3 sacks to the pool. I did the regular water test, and the color is a mild yellow (I don't know the name of the test - where you add 5 drops into the tube) When it's at the 2900pm level, I get the nice yellow "pee" color - lots of chlorine look. Today, at the 2500 mark, it is a distant yellow.

I am taking a sample to the pool store tomorrow for analysis; my real question is how long do the Aqua Rite SWG's last? I cannot guess how old it is. Knowing for sure the pool is 10 years old, I would venture a guess that the unit was installed at the same time the pool was installed, or soon after, since the prior owner spared no expense on anything.

Do these things wear out after a few years? It has quite a bit of weather wear on it, telling me it does have some years on it.

Side note, prior to knowing what I was doing, while cleaning it, while pouring the 50/50 mix through it over and over, I would stick a long handles thin screwdriver inside, and CAUTIOUSLY pry some of the corrosion loose. I am SURE I have slightly (this was before I knew better) scarred some of the finish on the inside of the cell, but not too much I am sure of this.

Any ideas?

THANKS!!