Just setup and turned on Intex SWG

Jump to latest Follow Reply
S

spdrcr5

0
Jul 11, 2012
16
Long Island, NY
I have an 18' x 48" Intex Easy Set pool which is approx 5,500 gal. I put in 135#'s of salt as stated by Intex. I ran my pump for 24 hours then turned on the Intex SWG. Within 5 min it threw a Code 91. I turned off the SWG then back on and 15 min later is blew the Code 91 again.

I can't provide any testing numbers as I have not gotten a kit as of yet. I am a complete newb when it comes to pools, just got this and honestly didn't think I needed to worry about getting one. I thought this would be a simple "Plug and Play" kind of thing. Now after finding this site yesterday and doing some reading I am seeing how much I truly need to learn. Going to order the TF100 kit tonight and take water sample to the local Leslie's Pool for testing for now.

Anyway, getting back to my current issue... If I keep running the SWG with the Code 91 will it try and create Chlorine or am I wasting my time? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. Any more info I can provide will come as quickly as possible.

Thanks

Larry
 
If you pool is 18X4 then it is typically filled to 3.5 feet for a volume of 6423 (that is from intex documentation).

So 135 lbs would have only brought you up to ~2500 ppm salt and the intex swg will likely give the 91 code at that low salt concentration since their range is 2500-3500 ppm.
 
spdrcr5 said:
Linen, I have the Easy Set Pool which is 5,455 gallons. The 6,423 is for the Circular Metal Frame Pool.
Click to expand...
Sorry about that :oops: Yes, with that pool I get 135 pounds should raise you to 2950, which should be right.

Do you have a salt test that you can confirm your concentration with?

Another thought...were you using 40 lb bags instead of 50 lb bags (and assumed they were 50)? I have done that. That would give you about 2500 ppm salt.

You may just have to give it another day and see if there is just a little more salt that needs to dissolve to make the swg happy. Also, I run my intex just a little higher at 3400, per the pool school recommendation. I wouldn't add any more yet until you get a test result for salt.
 
I double checked and the bags are 40. I bought 4 of them. Walked around the pool and poured the salt in for each bag. Then I weighed out 15lb from the 4th bag and poured that in. The only thing I didn't do was weigh the bags before pouring then in. Maybe they aren't actually 40?

Al I have are those test strips that came with the pool. I tried one last night and none of the colors looked right... But that could just me doing it wrong.

I poured in another 5lb last night "just to see" if that would do anything. This morning I have a lie salt light on the swg. I switched the pump on instead of using the timer and restarted the swg to run 8 hours. I will see what's going on when I get home from work in 13 hours.

Going to call Intex today to see what they tell me.

How much salt do you think I should have started with? Figure at this point I have put in 140 and still have a code 91. I still have approx 20lb left.

Going to bring the water to the pool store just so I have some numbers.

Thanks

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2
 
I wonder if not having any CYA in the water would cause the SWG to code? Larry didn't say he put any in, so I'm assuming he didn't.

Larry, you'll need to add Cyanuric Acid, enough to raise it to 70-80ppm. So while you're at the pool store, get some. If it's more than 15 bucks though, pass and pick it up at Lowes or Walmart. Last I checked pool store CYA price, it was $30. I passed.

Also, I think it would be prudent to not rely on the SWG at first and to dose your pool with bleach up to 6ppm (once the CYA is in) till you get this figured out. If you don't chlorinate soon, you'll have a green swamp. Switch gears and read Pool School and consider this pool a true BBB pool for now. It will mean of course chlorinating daily with bleach, and as always, even with a SWG a good test kit on order or in your hands.

See if the pool store will give you a salt reading and let us know. I'd put some bleach in the pool today, before you leave if possible. 2-3ppm only since you have no CYA (use Pool Calculator).
 
I was already on the train when I replied to the thread before. Just got to the office...

I can't do anything until I get home tonight. I guess I will not be having a pool party tomorrow at my house. :(

I will get the water from 2' down and bring it for testing. I can stop at Home Depot and see if they have Cyanuric Acid, is that what it is actually called or is there a company name or something that I need to look for? What part of the store would I find it? How much would I need to add to 5,500 gallons?

Which Pool Calculator should I be getting? I have an Android phone and see several different ones.

Thanks.
 
One more question. Before I get the salt figured out and can get the Cyanuric Acid level up. Would it be alright to swim in the pool tomorrow? The water is crystal clear, looks exactly as it looked when I first filed it Tues/Wed. We have about a dozen people coming over for a lunch pool party.

Thanks again.
 
Bama Rambler said:
Cyanuric acid is stabilizer or conditioner. It's in the pool section.

As long as there's FC in there it's fine to swim.
Click to expand...

Thanks, any ideas how much I should purchase? I can have my wife get it today and pour it in while the pump is running. Should I turn off the SWG or leave it running as I currently have it?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Before adding anymore salt, I would at least get a reading at a pool store, but even better would be dedicated salt test strips. These are the ones I use: http://tftestkits.net/Salt-Test-Strips-Aqua-Chek-p28.html.
Salt can only be lowered by a partial drain/refill.

frogabog said:
I wonder if not having any CYA in the water would cause the SWG to code? Larry didn't say he put any in, so I'm assuming he didn't.
Click to expand...
CYA does not affect salt readings.
 
Since you are saying I need 3lbs, is it a powder or a liquid? If liquid does it need to be weighed? I checked the pool stores site and they show it in gallon jugs as well as smaller sizes but it is all liquid.

I just want to make certain my wife gets the right stuff before pouring it into the pool. Also, I look on the Home Depot website and they don't list this as being available. Do they carry it or should I have her try WalMart, Target or somewhere else?

linen said:
Before adding anymore salt, I would at least get a reading at a pool store, but even better would be dedicated salt test strips. These are the ones I use: http://tftestkits.net/Salt-Test-Strips- ... k-p28.html.
Salt can only be lowered by a partial drain/refill.
Click to expand...

I plan on ordering a test kit from tfttestkits but I need to try getting this under control and getting the SWG operating if possible. Didn't realize that too much salt would require partially draining the pool. That would not be good.

Thanks for the info.
 
The granular stuff is usually much cheaper and can be bought at walmart, most home improvement stores, and many hardware stores. Pool calculator calculates weight and volume for you.

Pool stores should have the aquacheck salt test strips.

If you get the liquid stuff you will need about a gallon (128 ounces).
 
Larry,

Sounds like you may have a problem with your Intex SWG. I have the same model and it gave me the same error about 3 weeks after installing it. If you search in this forum or google the Code 91 error you will find it to be a pretty common problem with their units. Lukily you stopped where you were and did not throw in any more salt which is what a lot of people do and end up with very high salt levels and it still showing a Code 91. I am pretty sure I read that the unit is not supposed to give that error until it is below 2000ppm and we know there is no way you are close to that. I called Intex customer support which is of course in a foreign country and got the run around a bit but got them to send a replacement unit and cell. I did a lot of research on the error and there was no deffinitive answer on what the error comes from in regards to a faulty cell or unit. The customer support employee first tried to only send me a cell cell then changed to only a unit but I argued until they decided to send me both. It arrived pretty fast though, less than a week so that was good. Have not had any problems yet with the replacement besides it not generating enough chlorine to stay around 3-4ppm but I think that is a problem with not enough CYA as I only have 60 currently. Currently I have it set at 7 hours and book says 4-5.

As far as the party I would just stick to the BBB method and add bleach to get ready for the party and make sure not to throw in any more salt, your pool will be crystal clear and ready to go in no time! Good Luck.
 
AGP_Spokane said:
Have not had any problems yet with the replacement besides it not generating enough chlorine to stay around 3-4ppm but I think that is a problem with not enough CYA as I only have 60 currently. Currently I have it set at 7 hours and book says 4-5.
Click to expand...
Cya should help, but why haven't you turned up the hours to get a higher FC level?
 
When my salt level drops too low and I get the 91 code it seems to take awhile for it to go away completely after adding salt. Seems the water needs to get good and mixed. Swimming works great for mixing it. It also seems the unit starts better when there's already a good level of FC. After I get to these specs I no longer get errors. Worth a try. Looks like your pool is new, if everything you try fails can you bring the SWG back to where you got it and tell them it's bad so you can get another?
 
linen said:
AGP_Spokane said:
Have not had any problems yet with the replacement besides it not generating enough chlorine to stay around 3-4ppm but I think that is a problem with not enough CYA as I only have 60 currently. Currently I have it set at 7 hours and book says 4-5.
Click to expand...
Cya should help, but why haven't you turned up the hours to get a higher FC level?
Click to expand...

I hope the CYA will help, added some earlier this week so waiting till next week to test. I have slowly been rising the time and testing, started at 4 as per the manual and been at 7 last 2 weeks. 7 Hours had me consistenly at 1.5 ppm.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply