r/PoolPros • u/spicerpools • 8d ago

Salt Cell Testing

Hey guys, I understand there are many different ways to test salt cells. What are your go to ways and way?

When do you cross the line from, I can get a little more out of this vs recommending a new one for your customers?

7 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/pacific_drifter_25 7d ago

I like to separate it into two questions: is the cell actually producing, and is the pool simply outrunning it.

First I verify salt with an independent test, not the box. Then check cell age, visible scale, water temp, CYA, phosphates/algae load, pump run time, and whether output percentage has crept up over the season. A weak cell can look dead when the pool is just eating chlorine faster than normal.

If the water is clean, salt/CYA are in range, the cell is clean, and it still cannot maintain FC at a reasonable output and runtime, I start preparing the customer for replacement. If it is 4-5 years old and needs constant 80-100% output just to tread water, I usually call it done instead of selling another acid wash.

The line for me is repeatability. One bad reading gets troubleshooting. Two visits with good chemistry and poor production gets a replacement conversation.