Do I need to bleed the cell?

[Crossy]

Nice shiny new salt water chlorinator.

 

Seems to be working just fine but there is a fair amount of "air" in the cell, maybe about 10% of the total cell volume. I got most of it out by slackening the big O ring but there's still a fair bit left.

 

Do I need to get it out? How?

 

One assumes that as there's no bleed valve and nothing in the manual that it will be just fine.

 

 

 

[Crossy]

Cheers for that Arjen, I'll leave well alone then.

 

[grollies]

 

It's more to do with flow and nothing to do with water temperature.

 

Assuming the cell has 2" connections your pump should clear all air in around 2 mins (if your pump is man enough).

 

The cell should be downstream of your filter, chemical injection point, etc.

 

If your cell is full of air chances are so is your filter.

 

installing a bleed valve in your pump room pipework won't alleviate the situation due to the pipework configuration of the cell (bottom inlet & outlet connections if same as mine?).

 

cheers, grollies

[Crossy]

@grollies yes, the cell (Emaux SSC series) is bottom connections, filter is definitely air-free.

 

There's about 10% air in the cell, it cleared down to about 20% air rapidly then stalled so I loosened the end nut to let more air out. I suspect you're right and the flow rate is too low to clear the rest of the air, it's only a small pool (20,000 L) with a 4,000 L/hr pump / filter which runs for 12 hours / day (about 2 turnovers).

 

Things do seem to be working OK although I think a bigger pump and filter is really needed in future, bather load is not massive and the water remains clear :)

[grollies]

I think for the cell to operate properly it needs to fully flooded?

 

you could invert the cell into a "u" shape which should allow trapped air to escape.

 

cant see a reason why the cell wouldn't operate upside down

 

grollies

[Crossy]

Actually, since one end of the cell is on a flexible pipe I can get it vertical without letting more air in so I'll try that before putting it back in the conventional position. Why didn't I think of that on Sunday? Old age setting in

 

I too see no reason why it's supposed to be in the 'n' configuration but nowhere in the instructions is it shown in any other orientation.

 

EDIT A quick Google shows other manufacturer's cells being mounted vertically but nothing for the Emaux unit. If I can get most of the air out I'll leave it alone.

 

[SantiSuk]

I have had two chlorinators - an Astral Pool and an Emaux. Both would show air in the chlorinator on occasions - always coupled with noticeable bubbles of air coming up from the pool bottom where water is being returned from the pump. It was always resulting from the pump not being able to suck sufficient water in and meant I had to climb into the reserve tank and clear leaves and crap from the one way foot valve filter that took in water to the pump.*

 

Irrelevant comment of you don't have that kind of set-up, but it would be my guess that if you do have bubbles of air coming up into the pool that you do have a pumping efficiency (not necessarily a pump efficiency) problem that needs sorting

 

 

 

* doesn't help that my footvalve filter has caved slightly, making it easier for leaves to get wrapped around in the leaf fall season(s).  Keep meaning to sort it by finding a stronger replacement, but have lived with it for a couple of years now. I replaced the footvalve/filter assembly a year ago, but the pump still sucked that filter inwards too within a matter of days! [Astral Thailand - supplied jobby - not up to the job IMO - and they would only supply the complete assembly as a replacement]. Anybody using an agricultural filter? They look much stronger when I see them in Watsadus, but have not found one with the right thread. Would need to cut and change the piping too I think. The blockage rarely occurs when I am running my pool with a high level in the reserve tank: again I could make sure that the auto topped level was maintained if I was not so lazy - just need to get round to replacing the auto feed from my water tower (with astronomical TDS readings from my well) by piping the village water through to my tower area and auto topping up from that, rather than garden hosing it in on an as-needed basis).

 

 

 

[Crossy]

I've got all the air out bar a tiny bubble. Let's see if it remains air free.

[grollies]

?

[Crossy]

In the event there's a bit of "air" (or some other gas) in the cell, but the plates are fully submerged and the control unit isn't complaining. Chlorine is belting out of the cell and all seems right with the world.

 

I'll leave well alone but a bigger pump is on order :)

 

[Crossy]

Just to update.

 

The cell gradually filled with "air" so I bit the bullet and adjusted it to be vertical with the outlet at the top.

 

Whilst the instructions make no mention of anything other than "n" position it's working just fine, we shall see how it performs.