How long to run saltwater chlorinator

Jump to latest Follow Reply
S

Soonersalt

0
Oct 6, 2013
54
Oklahoma
This is my second year of our new pool. Last year was very mild. We are having a more typical hot period now. Water is 94-96 degrees and I'm not able to keep adequate chlorine w the generator, so I'm adding near a gallon of bleach per week
13,000 gallon guinite pool running the pump and chlorinator about 14 hours at 90% setting. Is this unusual for the size of pool and water temps
Desired chlorine level 9.0
Ph 7.5
CYA. 75
Calcium 325
Alkalinity 60


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
No I'm having no issues with the clarity and quality of the water. It's crystal clear and have never had any sort of algae outbreak. My question is more of a request of comparison of others who use SWG with very warm pool water. I want to know how long they are running their pumps, if they too are regularly using bleach to keep chlorine levels up. I know the sun breaks down chlorine but maybe warm water breaks it down quicker too


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
What brand and size of SWG do you have?

Targeting 9ppm of FC is high and the pool will lose more FC in a day due to the higher FC level. You should be targeting 6 and not let it drop below 4.
 
My SWG is running 60% about 10 hours a day right now. Sounds like yours is undersized for your pool. Yes, heat, sun and lots of swimming definitely use up more chlorine.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
I am in full Coastal Charleston, SC sun for 14 hours a day. I run my SWG at 35% for 12 hours a day and do not add additional bleach. I target a FC or 8 and this achieves that.
 
If all is well with the cell then you are adding 6ppm of FC a day with a 14 hour run time and 90% output. There is something wrong with either the SWG or organics in the water.

You must do two things to help determine what is the problem that you are having. The first is to remove the cell and make sure it is clean of any scale. If the cell has enough scale on the plates it will not produce as much chlorine as it should. The second thing to do is run an OCLT as stated in some earlier replies. The OCLT will rule out organics consuming the chlorine.

Report back your findings and we can continue from those results.
 
Ok. Tested FC last night and early this morning. It read 5.0 on both readings. CC was 0. I did notice the Aquapure computer of theSWG read No Flow when I checked it several last night and early this morning so I'm guessing it's something w the unit. I'm disconnecting the SWG tonight for inspection. Have not done this before. Anything to look for? The manual mentions scale but I'm not real sure how easy this is to inspect.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Flow is usually determined by an external sensor outside the cell potted into a pvc fitting. You may have scale built up on the sensor. Un screw it and clean.

- - - Updated - - -

Fyi I'm battling the same phenomenon...my swg isn't keeping up at 75% for 12 hours. Starting to investigate myself but mine is less than a month old.
 
Yes, scale is easy to see, it is white crusty build up.

And sorry, I was asleep at the wheel. 90+% of the time when a SWG is not keeping up with chlorine demand and it isn't giving warning lights it is due to an early algae bloom the pool. The signs are cloudiness, then slimy pool walls, then visible algae here and there and then green pool water. All combined with higher chlorine consumption and the filter clogging up faster. The rest of the time it is a dirty or failing cell or sensor.

The way to verify is to inspect and clean the cell to eliminate errors. And raise your FC to at least 10 ppm and Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT) to see if there is organic matter in the pool consuming chlorine.
 
I am curious why some of you keep your FC level so high with a SWCG. I keep mine between 3-6 and is usually pegged right at 3. I just want to make sure I am not too low. My thought has always been to keep the level as low as possible but keep the pool safe and algae free. 3rd year and have never had to SLAM it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tina Sage
I keep mine at the high end because of my CYA level being 80. My pool is in full sun and I don't want to take a chance. Also, I don't see a problem keeping my level at 8 since I only have my SWG set to 30%. What is your CYA?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply