Your salt system is destroying metal inside of your pool equipment due to the slight electronic charge it gives off. This isn't a fault of salt cells—this is what they were designed to do.
Buy and set up the anode, replace it every 3-5 years, and enjoy a longer lifespan on all of your pool equipment. The anode will corrode so that your pool equipment doesn't have to. The fix is easy, cheap, and absolutely worth it.