Conflicting advice re correct chemical levels

[Salsiccia]

Hi folks,

I'm new to this group, just joined on the weekend and have already learned enough to know that Testing Testing Testing is my #1 priority so I am busily devouring the Pool School articles on here - very well written they are I have to say, they set out the requirements very well.

While I set myself up with a good testing kit I have an initial question.

I have a SWG and I found the very helpful page in Pool School regarding water balance for SWG owners which I have read and made notes on for my own conditions.
On that page it advised me to check my manufacturer's manual of my chlorinator unit for correct settings which I duly did and I have identified some discrepancies between the manual and what is recommended here so I wanted to ask for advice (although I'm pretty sure I will get told to listen to advice from here over my manual, but you never know !!).

The discrepancies I have noted are as follows:

• Salt: My SWG manual recommends 4000 ppm, the advice here seems to be 3000 - 3200 ppm
• Cyanuric Acid: My manual suggests a level of 50 (and even quotes the Australian standard as being 30 - 50). I have already picked up a very strong message from this site even after my short time here that 70 - 80 is the right answer for this important measure and also that this measure is one that SWG owners commonly get wrong and is a frequent cause of problems. I am keen to get this number correct !

Those were the main 2 discrepancies I identified. everything else seems to match up.

I just want to make sure that my first step is understanding what my correct measurements *should* be - then I can worry about getting there.

Thanks in advance for any tips - I'm hoping to learn a lot from being here.

Sal

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!

Of course follow our recommended levels ..... BUT ....... Salt is the one thing you need to follow your equipment recommendation for since the SWG units down there seem to often use higher levels to operate correctly.

While 50ppm of CYA would work fine, the higher recommended level should lower the FC loses to the sun and thus make the SWG last longer.

 

[MarianParoo]

Welcome! Great questions! ...and great answers

 

[Isaac-1]

As has been already said, salt levels are going to be SWG brand and model specific, so follow the manual on that one. As to the suggested CYA level, you can follow the manual and burn through SWG cells at a faster rate which lets them sell you a replacement more often and makes them more money, or you can follow our guidelines of about 70 ppm CYA and save money, it is up to you, you can maintain a balanced pool either way, it is just a matter of maintaining a proportionate FC level.

 

[Hawknz]

Hey Salsiccia,

Welcome fellow aussie, I'm fairly new myself, I've learnt here that as they have already said, salt is more often determined by your SWG manufacturer however in my experience between 4000-6000 would seem to apply to most aussie brands, my SWG low salt light comes on under around 3000, but I don't get too hung up about the salt level as long as its within that range, I'd rather it be a touch higher than lower which obviously effects its production / life.

What "good" testing kit have you got?

Welcome to the forums, enjoy the ride!

 

[Salsiccia]

Hi guys,

Thanks very much for your responses, makes sense to me.
I kind of figured that I really need to stick to the manual for the Salt reading, but CYA (I like the acronym !!) I should keep at 70 - 80.
Nice to have it confirmed though.

I don't have a good testing kit that's my next research topic.

I have discovered a couple of threads on what kits people are using in Aus as it seems we don't have the luxury of ready access to the kits that our Northern friends do.
At the moment I just have a 4-in-1 kit that was with the pool when I bought the house so its a few years old now and won't be reliable - which explains the inconsistent readings get.

Rather than redirect this thread on kits though I'll do some more research and maybe start another Aussie Test kits one, although I suspect there are a few threads that cover it well already.

Thanks again for your feedback.

Sal

 

[Casey]

Welcome Sal! You are well on your way to a trouble free pool!

 

[chem geek]

The reason for the higher CYA target for SWCG pools is not just that it saves money by losing less chlorine to sunlight, but the lower SWCG % ontime means that the rate of pH rise should be slower as well. So it's not just the saved money from lower electricity cost or even from using less acid, but also more convenience by not having to add acid as frequently. Also, in some pools the SWCG is woefully undersized so a higher CYA level is required to be able to keep up.

 

[Sparkle]

My SWG manual recommends 4000 ppm, the advice here seems to be 3000 - 3200 ppm

Actually the TFP recommendation is to add 200 - 400 ppm to the manufacturer's recommended range. So in your case the TFP recommendation is 4200 - 4400 ppm.

 

[Salsiccia]

Actually the TFP recommendation is to add 200 - 400 ppm to the manufacturer's recommended range. So in your case the TFP recommendation is 4200 - 4400 ppm.

Thanks for the gentle reminder there Sparkle - I now recall reading that somewhere here too and then promptly forgetting.

I'm keeping a spreadsheet of ideal settings (because I'm in IT tragic) and my readings history so I will update that with the TFP suggestion.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks chem_geek for this little gem:

... but the lower SWCG % ontime ...

I was reading on here today about the topic of pump runtime as I'm quite sure mine is on way too long.

My approach to tackling this one is to get the balance right first as I'll likely have to do some extra pumping for the next few days to get things under control and then when I can get accurate readings I will turn my attention to checking pump run time - my electricity bill is horrendous.

 

[BankOMS]

It's really great to be able to search for and find info on here! I had the same question about the high CYA levels.