Salt cell
Also called: chlorinator cell, replacement cell, electrolytic cell.
A salt cell is the part of a salt chlorine generator that makes the chlorine: titanium plates coated with a precious-metal catalyst. It is a consumable rated in hours of chlorine generation, not years, typically 3,000–10,000 hours.
Why it matters
Every hour of generation erodes a little of the coating, and it cannot be recoated. When it is gone you replace the cell, not the power center on the wall. Most of the clock is in your hands. Oversize the cell so it runs at a lower output. Keep the water balanced so it does not scale. Only acid-clean when you actually see scale, with a gentle 4:1 water-to-acid soak, because over-cleaning strips the coating. Rule out low salt, cold water and scale before you call a cell dead. Judge a replacement on cost-per-year, not sticker price.
In numbers
A cell that generates at 40% output for a few hours a day will outlast the identical cell cranked to 90% all day.