Help cleaning my salt cell

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S

ssgonzalez

Well-known member
May 28, 2024
120
Canada
Pool Size
64000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite (T-3)
hello everyone,

My Hayward salt system is asking me to inspect the cell so I need to unplug it. I turn off the pump, disconnect the cable that goes to the cell and turn off my salt system.

My question is. How do I avoid water coming out of my cell when u disconnect it? I start unscrewing it and a lot of water comes out. Perhaps I need to close my valves in a way that that part is closed?

I have an above ground pool and the salt cell is vertically positioned.

Any help would be appreciated. Also the cell it’s impossible to take off with bare hands. I am using a plier to do so. And the top part is hard to take off.
 
Yes, close valves if the SWCG is below water line. An oil filter strap-style wrench might help you. Be careful with pliers as you can easily damage the union.

Only clean the SWCG if there is visible scale. "Cleaning" a cell removes the rare earth metals that make it do its thing.
 
How do I close the valves? To what direction and which one? I usually just move the multivalve to close the pump line or the skimmer but never done it for the cell. The multivalve one doesn’t seem to point to that area. Perhaps the ones at the bottom in blue?
 

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Mine is mounted the same way, but yours is much more precarious and the pipes are much more fragile than mine. Removing yours will drain water from the pool so you'll have to plug the outlet to the pool. The unions can be hard to tighten and loosen. People would cringe here to see the size of the pipe wrench that I use to loosen and tighten mine but it's what I had handy the first time 22 years ago and it still works today. I just barely use it as that last little oomph to snug the unions or to just break them free. Put some pool lube on the o-rings when you put it back in. As mentioned, if there is no scale on the plates then no cleaning is needed. It's recommended to not use acid but rather to use vinegar. That will still need to be diluted and takes longer to clean scale off but it's better for the plates. If you can just knock the scale off gently then that's best.
 
ssgonzalez said:
hello everyone,

My Hayward salt system is asking me to inspect the cell so I need to unplug it. I turn off the pump, disconnect the cable that goes to the cell and turn off my salt system.

My question is. How do I avoid water coming out of my cell when u disconnect it? I start unscrewing it and a lot of water comes out. Perhaps I need to close my valves in a way that that part is closed?

I have an above ground pool and the salt cell is vertically positioned.

Any help would be appreciated. Also the cell it’s impossible to take off with bare hands. I am using a plier to do so. And the top part is hard to take off.
Click to expand...
Your cell doesnt have a valve so when its removed, the pool will drain down to that level. Might consider adding one.
 

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Plug the opening in the pool that the salt cell returns water to the pool from. That will keep the pool from draining down to the level of that opening when you remove the cell. Don't worry about damaging the cell. They can run past the "Inspect Cell" point with no problem. Or you can turn the cell off and just put liquid chlorine in (checking your Free Chlorine too, of course.) Then you can deal with the cell later.
 
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ssgonzalez said:
What is pluggin the return ?
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When you remove the SWG, water will drain out of the 90 degree fitting. Is there a way to plug the return from the inside? Do you have a winterizing plug? Not sure how you guys do it with above ground pools.

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Rancho Cost-a-Lotta said:
When you remove the SWG, water will drain out of the 90 degree fitting. Is there a way to plug the return from the inside? Do you have a winterizing plug? Not sure how you guys do it with above ground pools.

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Okay guys yes, after doing some reading on my setup. Yes I need a winterizing plug. I bought this home with the pool and honestly I don’t know if I have this piece. I’ll go and buy one today. It seems like I definitely need it for this setup.
 
Rancho Cost-a-Lotta said:
When you remove the SWG, water will drain out of the 90 degree fitting. Is there a way to plug the return from the inside? Do you have a winterizing plug? Not sure how you guys do it with above ground pools.

View attachment 599080
Click to expand...
Can you just explain me where do I put the plug once I have it? I guess I put it from inside the pool on the return jet?
 

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TinFoilHat said:
Plug the opening in the pool that the salt cell returns water to the pool from. That will keep the pool from draining down to the level of that opening when you remove the cell. Don't worry about damaging the cell. They can run past the "Inspect Cell" point with no problem. Or you can turn the cell off and just put liquid chlorine in (checking your Free Chlorine too, of course.) Then you can deal with the cell later.
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In fact I have the light of “inspect cell” intermittent at the moment. Which means that is advising me to inspect it soon but it hasn’t failed yet. I think?
 
Unscrew the knurled eyeball retaining ring. Measure that opening. There's probably some type of a winterizing plug made for that specific return. However, you could likely just use a rubber winterizing plug. You'll have to measure the opening. Something like this.

1721838466696.png
 
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TinFoilHat said:
No, it hasn't failed and is not close to failing. That warning comes up due to accumulated time that the cell runs so that you are prompted to check the plates in the cell rather than forget that it needs to be checked periodically.
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I’ll have time to buy the plug today but might not have time to clean. It’s going to thunderstorm today in a few hours. Would it be ok if I come back in 4 days to clean it? Going on vacation.

My chemistry is fine, just pH is a bit high. Will put some muriatic acid as well before I leave.
 

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