High Clorine Leves w Hayward Sense and Dispense

[cjryan33]

I am a pool newbie and having issues with high chlorine levels using the sense and dispense by Hayward. Here is my current water test from this morning at store

TDS:3600 (not sure what this is)
CYA: 82
Tot Chlorine :10 (Control Panel shows ORP 600 mv)
Free Chlorine: 10
PH: 8.1 (Control Panel shows 7.5, I went ahead and added about a qrt of acid, per store recommendation)
Tot Alkalinity: 123
Adj Total Alk: 98
Hardness: 302
Borates: 11

My main concern is the chlorine level of the pool. The water is clear and no algea is present. I currently run the pumps from 8:30am 12:30pm at 85% and then from 12:30pm to 10:45pm at 45%. The Hayward rep from the Houston area set these run times up. I checked the configuration of the sense and dispense and it is set to 650 mv. Isn't this supposed to be what the system maintains the chlorine level at? The past couple of days I have noticed on our remote that the filters are running when they are not supposed to. There is a message on the remote that reads ORP extended "Filter On". Why would this be if my chlorine levels are so high? When it comes to levels who do you trust, the pool store or the control panel? Any assistance would be appreciated.

 

[Poolschoolgrad]

ORP extended means the system is running the pump continuously trying to adjust the ORP level.
The pump will run 24/7 no matter what you have set for the ouput % or pump run duration
This is why the chlorine level is so high.

The probes may need to be cleaned.
To clean the ORP and pH probes, run the Clean Probe Wizard within the Settings
Menu on the Aqua Rite Pro or the Maintenance Menu on the Pro Logic. This Wizard
will walk you through the probe cleaning process.

Here is a link to the owners manual:
http://www.hayward-pool.com/pdf/manuals/Manual355.pdf

IF cleaning the probes does not solve the problem, then the probe may need to be replaced.
You can disable the auto sensing function under the
Chlorine Feed section and change to TIMED % until you get a replacement probe installed.

Next, use the PH calibration wizard to reset the PH level.

Hope this helps

PSG

 

[cjryan33]

Thanks. I cleaned the probes per the clean probe wizard in the maintanence menu. I then tested the water independently and calibrated the PH level. Does the PH calibration need to be done at every water test and when the co2 tank runs out? I saw that there was not a calibration wizard for the chlorinator output. If the orp probe is good, it should see the high clorine level and shut the chlorinator off until the level comes down? there is a setting under the configurations locked menu for maintain orp level 650mv (650-800 best) what does this mean. How does MV relate to Total Chlorine of 10? Thanks

 

[cjryan33]

I do apologize for my bad typing. Ever since I upgraded to Windows 7 my keyboard has a mind of its own.

 

[JasonLion]

You have several different things going on. First, the PH should never get that far out of calibration, either the probe is old, or has a bad cable connection, or the probe is dirty, or something. Without properly stabilized PH levels, ORP automation will not work correctly. PH calibration should last months, especially if the probe is relatively new. There is no standard for how many mv corresponds to what FC level, every pool/system is a bit different, and you need to calibrate it to your situation.

Second, ORP automation is not going to work reliably with CYA that high. Higher CYA levels result in less ORP response to changing FC levels, which makes it very difficult to get things to work. ORP automation is often problematic when CYA is above 50, and even lower CYA levels are more reliable.

Third, you need to set your ORP target based on FC readings in your pool. Get FC to where you want it, see what ORP level you are getting, and set that as your ORP target level.

Fourth, ORP automation simply doesn't work in some pools. Don't be surprised if you continue to have ORP problems even if you follow my other suggestions.

 

[cjryan33]

Thank you for your input. I did clean the probes for the first time today. My sense and dispense was hooked up back in March. Hopefully that will make a difference. I did notice that the MV's were going up. What is the best way to bring down the chlorine levels? I changed the chloronator from auto to timed %. I set it to 65%. Thanks again for your assistance.