The life span of a pool and spa Chlorine Generator is determined by many factors, but perhaps the most important are:

• Current density, the current per square inch between the plates
• If self cleaning, the period of time between reversing polarity
• Length of chlorine production time

Current density

The current density is one thing that you, the owner of the chlorine generator can have little effect on. The only things that you can do are to set the water temperature and the salt level. The other things that effect the current density are in the design of the cell and the power supply.

The titanium plates typically have a life span of 10,000 hours of chlorine production with the current density at 0.2 amps per square inch. At 0.4 amps per square inch, the life span would be cut in half or even less, but the amount of chlorine produced would also go up.

The factors that effect the current density include

• Spacing between the plates
• Voltage applied to the plates
• Conductivity of the water

 Spacing between the plates: As the plates get closer together the current will go up for the same voltage. The spacing between plates and the voltage are part of the design of the chlorine generator and the manufacturer will typically give a recommended salt concentration which would provide the proper current density for the spacing and voltage of the chlorinator. The proper current density should be one that will exceed the warranty period of the chlorinator. If there is more salt then the current would be higher, if there was less salt the current would be lower.

 Voltage applied to the plates: Some chlorine generators have the ability to change the voltage to keep the current density constant. These will be able to work with greater salt concentration ranges and water temperatures.

 Conductivity of the water: The primary factors are salt concentration and water temperature. As the temperature goes up the current density also goes up. A pool chlorine generator would probably be designed for the proper current density at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. To use a pool chlorine generator in a spa, where the water is 104 degrees Fahrenheit could be a very big problem. At the higher temperature the current density would go up quite a bit and it would also make a lot more chlorine. You would probably not be able to adjust it low enough to make the right amount of chlorine. Over-chlorination can lead to corrosion of the spa heater and other parts. You can of course in this example keep the salt low or make sure that your chlorinator is the type that adjusts the voltage.

 Reversing Polarity

If you have a reversing polarity chlorine generator, then the coating on the titanium plates probably has a blend with Ruthenium Oxide. Every time the plate voltage reverses that can decrease the life of the plates but when done properly the cell will still meet the life expectancy of the chlorine generator. This is a function of the chlorine generator design.

 With the non-reversing chlorine generator the plates will need to be cleaned more often. The manual cleaning probably also effects the life of the plates.

 Length of Chlorine Production

This is the one factor that the owner of the chlorine generator can have a big impact on. The longer the chlorinator is on, that is getting closer to the life of the cell. You will get a longer life from the cell if you are able to have it on less. This of course leads to the chlorine demand of the water and the chlorine level you are trying to achieve. Some of the factors that can help to reduce the time per day the chlorine generator needs to be on include:

Table of things you can do to lower chlorine demand

Conclusion

Always follow the manufacturers recommended salt concentration for your chlorine generator. There are quite a few things you can do to help reduce the chlorine demand on your pool or spa, pick the ones that you can easily do and hopefully you will be able to lower the output level on your chlorine generator, make sure to measure the free chlorine every couple days.

written by Scott Lenney at  www.controlomatic.com

ControlOMatic has updated the specifications for the amount of chlorine per day for their spa chlorine generators. They originaly tested at 70 degrees F which gave low chlorine production rates and since most spas are at 104 degrees F that is where the rates should be specified.

ColorChlor and TechniChlor: 33 grams / day, or 0.07 pounds / day
ColorChlor HP and TechniChlor HP: 53 grams / day, 0.12 pounds / day
The tests were performed at 100 degrees F and a salt concentration of 3000 ppm.

ControlOMatic is nearing release of an official above ground pool chlorine generator. Currently the ColorChlor HP or TechniChlor HP can be used for pools up to 10,000 gallons or about 18 foot round. The ChlorSimple is designed for above ground pools up to 24 feet round or about 15,000 gallons. For larger pools you can use two ChlorSimple and should position one on each side of the pool.

There are also two versions of the ChlorSimple. The ChlorSimplehas no light shows, you can’t set the power level and does have self cleaning. If it is making too much chlorine you can add a standard timer and plug the ColorChlor into the timer to lower the chlorine production.

The ChlorSimple Ultra has light shows and includes 6 high output LED red/green/blue LED’s. It also has three output levels that can be set by turning on the ChlorSimple while it is out of the water making it hard to accidentally change the power level while using the pool. Since most above ground pools don’t come with lights the ChlorSimple Ultra makes the pool much more usable at night. The light shows are similar to the ColorChlor with single color and fading between colors.

The chlorine production of the ChlorSimple is between 0.2 and 0.3 pounds per day of chlorine and depends on the water temperature and salt concentration. The power supply is 12 volts and can provide 5 amps for 60 watts of chlorine producing power.

The nice folks over at ControlOMatic have made videos demonstrating the operation of the ColorChlor and TechniChlor. In fact, the videos are award winning and are very well done. Make sure to check them out if you have any questions on the operation of the ColorChlor.  You can see all the videos at (http://www.controlomatic.com/videos.html).

Here is the overall introduction to the ColorChlor and TechniChlor.

ControlOMatic (www.controlomatic.com) has released TAP technology for both the ColorChlor and TechniChlor line. Now they operate by gently tapping the ColorChlor or TechniChlor against the side of the spa or your hand instead of taking them out of the water.

Here is a videw demonstrating changing the power level using tap technology.