Circupool Review

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grasshopah

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Oct 20, 2009
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Hi,

I am considering a Circupool SWG for my 30K gunite inground pool the RJ -30 which produces 1.35 lbs of CL a day

Can anyone who has a circupool installed share their experience. Of Course if you feel strongly about another SWG please share as well.
I would like to know how long the cells last and if any problems have been encountered.


The manufacturers currently have a special offering a free upgrade to the next higher model, so I want to know if it would be advisable to upgrade to the the RJ-45 model which produces 2 lb of CL a day. Of course with that comes the increase in CELL replacement cost!

Thank You
 
Posts on the forum have been fairly positive about the Circupool SWG. They haven't been around all that long, so it isn't clear how long the last, but the problem rate for the first few years has been low and people seem happy with their units. If you search the forum for Circupool you should turn up a number of comments.
 
I am still in the process of installing my Circupool unit, so not up and running yet but wanted to share a little on customer service. To start, I bought the unit almost 2 months ago (with the same special/upgrade most have spoke of), they were kind enough to suggest I call them after my install is completed/springtime to begin the warranty coverage. So, no lost months for taking advantage of a winter sale special with regard to warranty. Now that I've started to work on the electrical/plumbing for the unit, there was a part missing from the shippment. A simple phone call to the company and an overnight package was on the way....along with the offer of ...if I needed any advice or anything regarding the install to call for support. Their folks are more than willing to help one thru any number of questions, including emailing pictures/video for telephone discussion.

Bottom line, like anyone else, I want the unit to function and operate as advertised and last (with proper care) for a reasonable amount of time. Time will tell, but things are off to a very good start.
 
I have a circupool rj45. I installed it myself. I have called them twice...once to order the unit, and once with a couple of questions. I talked to a real person quickly, and they were knowledgeable. I can't speak to the unit's long term reliability. I still have to dial in the percentage and pump run time.
 
Thank you all for sharing your feedback on the circupool. Customer service ranks high on my evaluation list and that tipped in favor of circupool.
I spoke with them and was informed that the same company makes both the compupool and circupool. They say the cicrupool is a better quality product hence the better warranty.


I am getting the RJ-45 and will post an update in few months. Abxflyr/ncpool do you have any installation advice?
 
Here's braindump on my experience installing an SWG (a lot of this isn't specific to the RJ). Below are the issues i posted about as i went through my install:

uprights-for-circupool-cell-install-t41490.html
pump-makes-noise-on-hi-when-swg-is-on-and-lo-is-off-t41664.html
circupool-vector-jet-t41960.html

Honestly, it was pretty straightfwd (at least in hindsight). I didn't have a lot of experience with pvc and that was a little bit of a challenge. The old saying "measure twice, cut once" definitely applies. I would also urge you to not take any leaks lightly. I had a couple, figured i'd just fix them later, however they caused my pump to lose prime until i fixed all leaks and had everything completely water tight.

On the electrical, i ran into an issue with having the wrong timer unit, but that was a pre-existing condition the swg install exposed, it shouldn't be something the typical install has to deal with. On a sidenote, having a ten dollar multimeter from your preferred hardware store can really come in handy.

One last thing you may or may not have considered, make certain you do a salt test prior to adding salt. My pool water had a salt reading of 1050 before i added a single bag. You need to make sure you know that number before you go into pool calculator to determine how many bags to purchase. Don't assume your pre-swg water has a zero salt reading. That may cause you to add way too much at start up.
 
Ncpool has said it all. I'd only add to measure twice on cutting PVC, use a quality glue, and sandpaper your cuts to avoid any leaks. I am (attempting) to attach a few pics of my recent installation. I did use multiple valves in creating a manifold so I can completely by-pass the salt cell. On occasion I add chemicals directly into the skimmer and do not want to run them thru the salt cell, also should it become necessary to remove the cell I can continue pump operation with the unit removed. Some may not want the bypass, others will say it leads to confusing valve operations (I label mine). Anyway, this gave me the distance in the vertical to keep the cell above the pump as well as providing straight pipe before the cell.

[attachment=0:3jd1svd5]IMAG0129.jpg[/attachment:3jd1svd5]
 

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I have a 26k gallon inground pool with a vinyl liner. I am on my 3rd season with the Circupool system. I have the RJ-60 and highly recommend it. I only use one bag of mineral salt rejuvenator made by Aqua Chem every week. It costs me less than $10 from Walmart and it controls scale and keeps the PH from rising. I purchase zero chlorine during the season. I recommend buying the system that is one size bigger than you need. This will save your cell and give you more super chlorination power should you need it. I installed everything including electric myself. Use 220 volt if you can and check out the YouTube video for changing the wiring.

I have had to replace the control module because it was getting too hot and the cell housing cracked. The Customer service at Discount Salt Pools in Texas has been amazing. Again I am so happy with this product.

They say that the cell will last about 5 years if you clean it mid season and at year end with muratic acid but you will easily get 10 years I think if you use white vinegar to clean the cell. It does an amazing job cleaning the cell without removing a layer of titanium.

Feel free to ask me any questions on the Circupool unit.
 
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NCpool: Following your insight of salt existing in the pool, I went out and bought the taylor k-1766 kit. I used 14 drops ~ 2800 ppm before any salt was added. I performed the test twice to be sure.
Did anyone else experience a reading this high initially? Is this reading normal or do I have pool water that is totally out of whack.

Abxflyr/Wjjklj: Thank you for the tips!
 
:)
Abxflyr said:
Ncpool has said it all. I'd only add to measure twice on cutting PVC, use a quality glue, and sandpaper your cuts to avoid any leaks. I am (attempting) to attach a few pics of my recent installation. I did use multiple valves in creating a manifold so I can completely by-pass the salt cell. On occasion I add chemicals directly into the skimmer and do not want to run them thru the salt cell, also should it become necessary to remove the cell I can continue pump operation with the unit removed. Some may not want the bypass, others will say it leads to confusing valve operations (I label mine). Anyway, this gave me the distance in the vertical to keep the cell above the pump as well as providing straight pipe before the cell.

[attachment=0:3385lq2g]IMAG0129.jpg[/attachment:3385lq2g]
Click to expand...


Nice installation! I'm also considering SWG for my pool which is about the same size as yours. Which model CircuPool did you install?
 
I have installed the RJ-45 (i.e. 45K pool). So far it has done a fine job, but the temps are just now rising to summer time numbers. I'm in the middle/end of an AA treatment for some lite staining, so I'm using the unit on low settings. Prior to the treatment I was running it at 40 or 50% for 8 hr/day cycles and holding around 3-4ppm with a CYA of 40 or so. I'm in the process of running the CYA up to the 70-80 range and my personal expectations are to operate in the 70% range or higher with 12 hrs of pump time and a slightly higher CL (because of the higher Cya). Of course, the run time and percents are a real variable from pool to pool based on many conditions (sunlight, usage, pumptime, chemcial balance, etc.).
 
Update:

I did go ahead and buy the RJ-45. They took extra long to deliver, but installation was not difficult. What I did find surprising was that the SWG reported that the salt level was ok at 2800 ppm. ( I used a taylor salt test kit)

So that led me to the question:
Is it better to operate the SWG at the lowest level of salt (2800 ppm)
or at the optimal level of 3500 ppm?
 
I must report a less than favorable experience with my Circupool RJ-30. I have used the unit for 3.5 years in a 20,000 gal SWP, PebbleTech, in AZ. I bought it to replace the original one, of different manufacture, that failed over time.

Several small issues came up over these few years; the Circupool tech were available to speak with live, were helpful and when I needed a small electrical part, it was supplied as a warranty item.

Trouble is the following:

1. The unit has never produced enough Cl to prevent a persistent light case of green algae, requiring the usual sweeping & shocking. I would set the Circupool to "Superchlorinate;" what I came to learn, though, is that the unit can only chlorinate to 100% of its range. There is no effective "supershock" setting or capability. I had to buy pound bags of Li or other shock to supplement what was really only a baseline chlorination by the Circupool unit. I never got past a 4.0 FC--and my target was 5.5-6. The tech explained to me that the plates create an instantaneous FC--which, in turn, oxidizes instantaneously. Whatever, the chlorination never got to the pool to a level that could kill the algae at the sidewalls, pipes, etc.

A few weeks ago the electrodes serving the plates began to short-circuit & melt, boring a hole in the plate base. A total loss.
The company offered the prorated portion of the warranty, another $330 to get the unit back on line. I declined; I won't throw more money into this. (They told me that the plates had eroded from improperly balanced water, that my LSI score was out of range. But, my LSI was 0.16--solidly within range. They responded that it must have been out of range previously. I call B.S., because I am meticulous in my pool maintenance).

Final takeaway thought? I paid $850 for a machine that uses my electricity to create very expensive household bleach. I have switched to the TFP (BBB) system, and the pool has been totally free of algae, water is crystalline and keeping it balanced is a piece of cake, using a few bucks' worth of Walmart bleach & muriatic acid per week.

My initial laziness cost me $$$ and unnecessary effort.

Your mileage may vary but my Circupool experience was a bust.
 
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