Answer
Oct 31, 2025 - 12:40 PM
A common misconception is that salt cells may get "weaker" or generate less chlorine as they get older. Instead, when people say the salt cell is "used up" or depleted, what is really meant is that the plating inside the cell has failed. When the plating fails is generally going to happen quickly, and as the system tries to pass power through the cell it will find suddenly that it can't, and trigger a warning or indicator on the controls.
So when salt cells talk about lifespan, its an estimated number of hours that they think the plating will last before it fails. So in your case when the Pentair Intellichlor IC20 says 80%, it just means the number of hours that the system has run is 80% of the total amount of run time the system is expected to have. It's worth noting as well that cells can last longer, and of course fail sooner. Systems that report cell usage can be helpful, so you can proactively be thinking about having a replacement on hand.
Continue to use any salt cell for as long as possible until the system's warning lights or notifications indicate that it can no longer generate chlorine. This will ensure you get the most return on your investment.
So when salt cells talk about lifespan, its an estimated number of hours that they think the plating will last before it fails. So in your case when the Pentair Intellichlor IC20 says 80%, it just means the number of hours that the system has run is 80% of the total amount of run time the system is expected to have. It's worth noting as well that cells can last longer, and of course fail sooner. Systems that report cell usage can be helpful, so you can proactively be thinking about having a replacement on hand.
Continue to use any salt cell for as long as possible until the system's warning lights or notifications indicate that it can no longer generate chlorine. This will ensure you get the most return on your investment.
