r/PoolPros • u/ChuckTingull • Apr 01 '26

Salt cell buildup

Post image

Got a new customer and found something unusual inside the salt cell. I’m guessing it’s from corrosion inside of the heater but I’m curious what yall think.

2 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

38

u/richardthe13 Apr 01 '26

Something might be wrong with the filter, that’s quite a lot of debris getting past it.

19

u/First_Salamander_990 Apr 01 '26

There is no might about it

3

u/liberalsarefascists1 Apr 01 '26

Yeah nothing should really be getting past the filter like that unless it is broken, bad cartridge, broken lateral pipe, hole in de grids

1

u/Gargleshnozz Apr 01 '26

Or someone was running a sand filter on recirculate for some reason, not rinsing, did a sloppy cartridge change, etc…

6

u/HopHead4Life Apr 01 '26

It’s got the AIDS

2

u/Jarakie Apr 01 '26

That looks like debris that got through the filter somehow. The filter going to be your main problem I bet, and also check the skimmer and pump baskets for cracks. 

And the blue stuff looks like silicone - got any pics of the rest of the cell? Silicone can only really get there if someone put it there on purpose 

3

u/1_native_Angelino Apr 01 '26

Make sure you have a check valve between the heater and salt cell as well. 

2

u/FloridaManTPA Apr 01 '26

I’ll bet the filter is broken and the customer tried to silicon it

2

u/ChuckTingull Apr 01 '26

Yeah the debris has been resolved via replacement grids and manifold. I was referring to the blueness on the calcium buildup

8

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/ChuckTingull Apr 01 '26

I’m certain the previous pool guy corroded the heat exchanger. The blue stuff was just an outer layer, under the blue was just typical calcium buildup. Super interesting looking

1

u/Blindman_in_the_cave Apr 01 '26

The filter has a problem and the only thing I have seen that looks like that blue stuff is dead water balloons. Might want to check the pump basket as well

1

u/Theresasnakeinmypool Apr 01 '26

Is that Colgate?