Frequently Asked Questions > Salt Water Pool Operation > Why should I inspect my ECG cell?
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As we have just discussed in the previous section, the operating conditions within your ECG create a scale forming environment. This is why almost all ECG units sold for residential purposes are equipped with something called polarity reversal. Polarity reversal quite simply reverses the flow of electricity through the cell after predetermined operating times. By reversing the electrical flow, the plate surfaces that were previously being scaled up are now stimulated to shed that scale and the other plates now become the plates prone to scaling. By automatically reversing polarity at appropriate intervals, these units are less likely to scale to the point of being inoperable. It is very important to realize however, that even with polarity reversal; some scale formation is likely to accumulate over time and if not corrected, can shorten the ECG’s life and reduce its ability to produce chlorine.
For this reason, it is recommended that the cell be visually inspected at certain intervals (check your ECG owner’s manual for specific instructions). You also should acid wash the scale accumulation off per your ECG owners' manual instructions. If you find that you are getting visible scale accumulation despite keeping your pool water balanced, then you should seriously consider using Pristiva® to prevent this from becoming a problem for you. Preventing scale is much easier than having to acid wash ECG’s which also can shorten their usable life expectancy.