Dang. I was just going to say the same thing. Beat me to it. Oh well.
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
Salt day has arrived, finally so a couple questions
- Thread starter Titan7
- Start date
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
Let the pump run all night, this morning aqualink is showing 3000ppm. Turn on the salt cell now? Set to 50%?
- May 23, 2015
- 24,472
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Sounds good. Your salinity might go up a little but you're at the low end so that is fine.
Just remember that, as you add chemicals like acid, fill water and any supplemental bleach, your salt will want to increase. Depending on how much water your pool loses to draining and splash out (not evaporation), your salt levels can rise slowly over time. It's a good idea to keep your salinity on the low side.
Just remember that, as you add chemicals like acid, fill water and any supplemental bleach, your salt will want to increase. Depending on how much water your pool loses to draining and splash out (not evaporation), your salt levels can rise slowly over time. It's a good idea to keep your salinity on the low side.
Thanks Matt, i am pretty impressed with pool math and this Jandy system, it was showing 1100 ppm before i added salt. I added exactly what pool math said to get to 3000 ppm, and this morning its right there at 3000ppm.
Is 50% a good staring point for the salt cell?
Is 50% a good staring point for the salt cell?
- May 23, 2015
- 24,472
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Well, one would hope that simple mathematics works most of the time [emoji6]
At 100% output and based on your pool volume, the AquaPure cell should produce 20oz of chlorine gas per day which will yield 14ppm FC.
So, you should set your pool's FC level using liquid chlorine and then target your pump runtime and SWG output to compensate for a 3-4ppm FC loss per day. Start there and adjust output as needed.
Odd, its now back to 2800ppm? Can i turn on the swg @ 2800 or wait longer, or add more salt? Thanks
- May 23, 2015
- 24,472
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Many systems are designed to shut off the SWG in the event of low salt. I would give it another day to mix and see where you are at. It's very easy to add salt, not so easy to remove it.
The Jandy system will tell you when it's low on salt. Mine has to get down to 2400 before the low salt message comes on.
Trust the SWG. Its salt level is all that matters.
Get your FC up to your target level with bleach. Turn on the SWG at 50% for 24 hours and check the FC level. If it went up, turn the % down by 10 and if it went down turn it up by 10. Repeat until you hit on the correct setting. It might take a few days, but as long as it is happily producing FC, all is well.
Get your FC up to your target level with bleach. Turn on the SWG at 50% for 24 hours and check the FC level. If it went up, turn the % down by 10 and if it went down turn it up by 10. Repeat until you hit on the correct setting. It might take a few days, but as long as it is happily producing FC, all is well.
Okay, 48 hours since i added salt, looks like it settled in at 2800ppm. So i am reading from you guys i should just operate this at 2800ppm vs getting to 3000ppm before starting. Jandy recommends 3000-3500ppm. But i guess the sensor could be off also?
+1 to Gris, if the SWG is happy with the salt level then everyone is happy with the salt level. Yes, the sensor will be off +/- 200 ppm or so. More as the water cools depending on how well it adjusts for temp. Mine doesn't do a good job with temps in the 70s and I turn it off below 70f.
I'd start up your SWG. If it doesn't complain, you're okay for now. If it stays stable at 2800, then use the pool calc and bump up to 3000.
Thx, just spoke with Jandy, they also said no problem at 2800ppm but would like it between 3000-3500. They also told me the cell can be calibrated, so i will get the taylor test kit and test the water.
I tried the test strips but i was getting a really low reading with them. It was 5.0 on the strip which is like 2100ppm, that can't be correct?
I added 170lbs of salt which according to pool math will add 1900ppm to my pool.
The cell was reading 1100ppm before I added salt. So my cell is off by 900ppm in the senario. The test strips are reading 2100ppm vs 2800 on the cell.
Still reccomend starting the cell with this new info?
I tried the test strips but i was getting a really low reading with them. It was 5.0 on the strip which is like 2100ppm, that can't be correct?
I added 170lbs of salt which according to pool math will add 1900ppm to my pool.
The cell was reading 1100ppm before I added salt. So my cell is off by 900ppm in the senario. The test strips are reading 2100ppm vs 2800 on the cell.
Still reccomend starting the cell with this new info?
- May 23, 2015
- 24,472
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Be careful with calibrating the cell. It's basically a conductivity meter and few of the SWG manufacturers do temperature compensation accurately. Pentair SWGs used to be able to be field calibrated but they have since removed that option as too many people and service techs were not doing it correctly and screwing up the cells. For instance, the typical temperature starting point for a single-point calibration (which is what most do) is around 75-77F. That means you should test your water sample and calibrate the cell when the water flowing through it is the right temperature. Warmer water is more electrically conductive than colder water so it's important to calibrate against a known temperature and concentration. A Taylor K-1766 kit gives you a fairly accurate chloride level to start with, so that is good but chloride is not the only component of conductivity. Since the conductivity is dominated by salt levels, the difference in conductivity from chloride alone versus all conductive ionic species should be small.
If Jandy allows for field calibration, then follow their procedure exactly. Just be certain that they allow pool owners to do the calibration without voiding the warranty. I can easily see the manufacturers wanting to have them calibrated by service techs and not pool owners.
If Jandy allows for field calibration, then follow their procedure exactly. Just be certain that they allow pool owners to do the calibration without voiding the warranty. I can easily see the manufacturers wanting to have them calibrated by service techs and not pool owners.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,472
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I think it's fine to turn on the cell and just ignore the strips for now, they are not very accurate and easily subject to going bad.
Wait until your K-1766 arrives before making anymore salt additions.
Wait until your K-1766 arrives before making anymore salt additions.
I read a bit more on calibration, i will leave it alone, but what are your thoughts on the discrepancy of the test stips and what the cell is reading?
Got it, will turn it on now.
Got it, will turn it on now.
I've tested my salt level 15 different ways, but really it's up to the SWG to let you know if it is OK with your salt level.
There is no "magic" to it, once the SWG starts to make FC, it will just continue until it either runs out of salt or you add too much. The amount of FC produced will be the exact same no matter the salt concentration, 3800 doesn't make more or less chlorine than 2800.
Tests for salt tend to run +/- 400 ppm, including what your cell says. They are only designed to get you in the ballpark. And to make sure your cell isn't failing. When a cell fails or the water is cold it will read the salt level low causing you to add more salt. I got my salt above 5000ppm the first fall because the cell said low salt when it wasnt. It isn't an exact thing and precision isn't required. My cell makes chlorine just fine with salt anywhere from 2800 ppm and >5000ppm. It gives high salt error when it thinks salt is 4500ppm.
I would add another 300-400ish ppm of salt and call it good.
I would add another 300-400ish ppm of salt and call it good.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,472
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
The test strips are the least accurate way to measure salt. They are a proxy method - they measure solution capillarity as a function of salt level and that is highly subject to both miscalibration and environmental conditions. The K-1766 is the most accurate method of testing as it is chemistry-based - it only measures chloride (Cl-) levels. It's only possible sources of interference are bromine, iodine and cyanide, none of which are present in your pool at any reasonable concentration. So, as I said, wait for the kit to arrive and use that to monitor salt levels.
As to the suggestion that all you have to do is "make the cell happy", while I agree with that in principle for a new cell and one that should be properly factory calibrated and in good working order, it is not the appropriate mindset to have in terms of long-term maintenance and testing. The cell's internal salinity meter is nothing more than a very basic conductivity probe and it is subject to going bad like any other piece of pool equipment. You absolutely need an independent method for verifying salt levels because it is not at all unheard of for SWG's to scale up with calcium and/or for the plates to lose their coatings and go bad. The first sign of those types of failure modes is a salinity reading from the cell far off from what your actual water salinity level is. Hayward AquaRite SWG's are notorious for reporting Low Salt when the plates start to go bad (i.e., lose their coating). If one were to simply always rely on "making the SWG happy", then one would find themselves over-salting their water as soon as the cell started to get old. This is a very common problem we see here on TFP and pool service companies/technicians often fall prey to this problem - they simply keep adding salt when the cell reports low salt and FC production falls rather than investigating the true cause of the problem.
So, with your salt kit in hand, you should be easily able to keep your SWG happy and running without adding more salt than is absolutely necessary.
As to the suggestion that all you have to do is "make the cell happy", while I agree with that in principle for a new cell and one that should be properly factory calibrated and in good working order, it is not the appropriate mindset to have in terms of long-term maintenance and testing. The cell's internal salinity meter is nothing more than a very basic conductivity probe and it is subject to going bad like any other piece of pool equipment. You absolutely need an independent method for verifying salt levels because it is not at all unheard of for SWG's to scale up with calcium and/or for the plates to lose their coatings and go bad. The first sign of those types of failure modes is a salinity reading from the cell far off from what your actual water salinity level is. Hayward AquaRite SWG's are notorious for reporting Low Salt when the plates start to go bad (i.e., lose their coating). If one were to simply always rely on "making the SWG happy", then one would find themselves over-salting their water as soon as the cell started to get old. This is a very common problem we see here on TFP and pool service companies/technicians often fall prey to this problem - they simply keep adding salt when the cell reports low salt and FC production falls rather than investigating the true cause of the problem.
So, with your salt kit in hand, you should be easily able to keep your SWG happy and running without adding more salt than is absolutely necessary.