Trying to figure out SWG settings

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ceedubbadubba

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Aug 28, 2015
56
Lake Elsinore, CA
Hi everyone,

First and foremost, I know there is a TON of information in the other threads and Pool School regarding filter run times, SWG percentage, and related topics. I've dug through just about all of it, and still can't seem to figure out what settings make sense for me. I'm hoping no one gets mad about me not doing more of the work for myself, but I've always lived by the adage of not reinventing the wheel if I don't need to.

With that said, here's all the info I've gathered at this point:

  • My pool is about 6 weeks old.
  • My pump: Hayward SP3400SVP
    • 600-3450 RPMs
    • 3 hp
    • 2.5" pipe
  • My SWG was connected about a week ago and is maintaining at around 3200 ppm pretty consistently.
  • It's currently at 50%
  • I'm running my pump 12 hours/day (4 hours at 80% and 8 hours at 20%). I have NO IDEA if this is good or not.
  • I've been adding chlorine seemingly constantly to keep the FC levels up. Admittedly, I just ordered my TF-100 so I have no idea what my CYA is yet. My water is beautifully clear (I've been doing the FC and pH test daily and adding as necessary), but I know I need to get my overall chemistry under control. Once my TF-100 gets here, I'll be all over it.

Anyway, my questions are as follows:
  • Given my current place in the evolution of my pool, does anyone have a recommendation for my:
    • Filter Schedule, including the speeds I should be running my filter at.
    • Chlorination %: Should I raise it from 50% so that I can stop adding jugs of chlorine?
  • Given all of my stats, I still can't seem to figure out how to calculate my (I know all of these would help me make these decisions):
    • Total head
    • GPM
    • Turnover Time

I apologize again if this seems redundant to the other posts, but I still feel stuck. Thanks in advance for any help!!

Very Respectfully,

Chris
 
Quick response -

1. No advice until you get your TF-100. Just keep doing what your doing until it arrives then hit us with the numbers.

2. Don't worry about head loss, RPMs and turnovers. At the end of the day, pump run times are going to be dictated by two factors - maintaining the proper FC/CYA ratio AND how does your pool water look TO YOU! That's all that matters.


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It's very hard to say without knowing your CYA value. If CYA is low, then you need to run your SWG hard to get any measurable FC. If your CYA is at the recommended level, then I'd say run the SWG at 50% output for 12 hours and let's see what you get. If it's too high, then you dial back pump run times. If it's too low, then more pump or more SWG output or BOTH.

When does your test kit arrive?


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Thanks Joyful! I hope I didn't sound ungrateful for the advice. I ordered the test kit yesterday, so it should arrive sometime next week. You know how it is though--weekends are project times so I am all geared up to work on my pool with nothing I can really do!

I have a feeling my CYA is going to be very low because I can't seem to maintain chlorine levels.


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ceedubbadubba said:
Thanks Joyful! I hope I didn't sound ungrateful for the advice. I ordered the test kit yesterday, so it should arrive sometime next week. You know how it is though--weekends are project times so I am all geared up to work on my pool with nothing I can really do!

I have a feeling my CYA is going to be very low because I can't seem to maintain chlorine levels.


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Click to expand...

No worries, your comment was fine with me.

Well, I'll be whipped with a wet pool noodle for suggesting this, but you could swing by a couple of different pool stores and try to compare a few water samples. It may be a wild goose chase but at least it gives you something to do. Or, you can try to see if any of those stores carry a CYA test kit, you never know.

In the grand scheme of things, the time you spend waiting for your TF-100 to arrive is nothing compared to the life of the pool and the number of tests you will perform. So consider it a short respite before the deluge...yoga and meditative chanting will help pass the time :p


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Lake Elsinore, CA....I remember driving by there on my way to Perris with the kids to go to a Thomas The Tank Engine day at the railway museum. My wife's side of the family are all model train nuts and it rubbed off a bit on my kids. Lake Elsinore is very nice...
 
Yup, we like it here. It's grown up quite a bit in the last few years.

OK, I have another related question: In the meantime (or even after I get all my numbers), is there any downside to turning my salt cell up over 50% to try to bring my FC up that way? I'd love to stop pouring money down the drain with jugs of chlorine :)
 
Sure, that's ok. In the short run its not going to hurt your cell. Once we get a handle on your chemical levels, we can adjust it back down.

Send it up to 80% and see what you get.


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ceedubbadubba said:
Yup, we like it here. It's grown up quite a bit in the last few years.

OK, I have another related question: In the meantime (or even after I get all my numbers), is there any downside to turning my salt cell up over 50% to try to bring my FC up that way? I'd love to stop pouring money down the drain with jugs of chlorine :)
Click to expand...

Yes, I know that makes me sound like a cheapskate. It just feels like I'm chasing my tail when I add chlorine every day. Again, I'm almost positive my CYA is horrible.
 
ceedubbadubba said:
Yes, I know that makes me sound like a cheapskate. It just feels like I'm chasing my tail when I add chlorine every day. Again, I'm almost positive my CYA is horrible.
Click to expand...

I totally understand. But know this, you will always need some bleach on hand just in case. I like to run my cell at a consistent % output during the swim season and then I bump my FC up using bleach during high bather load times. I prefer not to fool around with SWG too much. Then again, I can get high strength liquid chlorine for cheap in refillable gallon containers from a mom&pop local pool store here, so I don't worry about the additional cost.


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I have a suggestion as to what to do while waiting for your test kit....read everything in Pool School. You've read it, good, read it again. There is enough information there to fill a couple college courses. It took me several times through before it all began to fit together and make sense. Oh, and after that, spend some time getting real familiar with Pool Math. You will be using that a lot.

Seriously, it really helps to try to get ahead of things, so that you have a good understanding when issues come up.
 
Hey!

I got my TF-100 and just ran it for the first time! Here are my results:

pH=7.4
FC=.5 ppm
CC=1 ppm
TC=1.5 ppm
CH=275 ppm
TA 50-60 (it was light pink at 50 and red at 60)
CYA=20+ (The black dot surely became hazy, but I could always see it.)

I currently have my SWG set at 80% and have not added any chlorine for about a week. My FC results had been fairly consistent around 3 ppm since I bumped the SWG to 80%, but I had a party this weekend, so my swimmer load was fairly high.

I'm a little surprised that my CH was within range. I have white soft chalky deposits developing in the nooks and crannies of my artificial rock work. I'm a little concerned with that and hope you guys can give me some advice.

Thank you!
 
You need to raise your CYA. You should be in the 60-70 range. Otherwise you will be overworking the SWG to maintain FC level.
 
ceedubbadubba said:
Yep, thanks Chief. That's definitely what I saw. Do you (or the forum in general) recommend a specific product to do that? Is all CYA in granular form? Just looking for some specifics. Thanks!!


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Granular is the cheapest way to get 99.9% CYA. You can find liquid conditioner but it's typically more expensive than granular and it's only ~30% available CYA, the rest is inert liquid.


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ceedubbadubba said:
Thanks joyful! Is there a particular brand you recommend?


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I've used BioGuard brand (found at Leslie's) without issue. This season there were lots of reports of bad CYA from Walmart which is HTH brand. We never verified it but lots of people complained about HTH brand not registering at all.

As for salt levels, set your level based on your SWG - if you need 3400ppm, add enough salt to get to 3400ppm on the cell output. Don't overshoot unless you expect a lot of rain water dilution.


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