best generator

[stevesxm]

good morning,
it is my intention to spend a fair bit of time reading all the back posts here but if i may , a first question.... i have a pool being finished up that will be , roughly 15,000 gallons. i think i want to use a salt generator system for the chlorine as opposed to the direct chlorine system. assuming a budget for just the salt system hardware of about 1500 $ max , who would you reccommend as the best manufacturer and model ? i need this thing to be as user friendly as possible and as maintainence free as possible i.e. i will gladly pay more for a better unit that i can leave alone for longer than a cheaper unit that requires more hands on attention...

thanks.

steve

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

No SWG is completely trouble free. Many of them do quite well, and might behave perfectly for you, but there are always some owners who have problems regardless of brand.

I am particularly fond of AutoPilot units, they have some nice extra features like an alpha/numeric display that says things in English, but they do cost a bit more than many other units.

 

[RobbieH]

My CompuPool CPSC48 also has an alphanumeric display. A few complained of some quality issues with the display, but I must have gotten mine after they had the issues resolved. Mine has been great. The price was part of the reason I went with this one.

 

[Dixit]

I have the Jandy Aquapure Ei. I have a complete Jandy controls setup so it talks to that find and I get all the Alphanumeric information on there like Salt level, etc. Outside on the control board it does have an LCD/Alphanumeric display which would tell you when its in CLEANING mode or if there is LOW SALT, etc.

Its very easy to install DIY as it just requires you to drill two holes in an existing PVC pipe (comes with the hole saw) so you dont need to do any replumbing as long as there is room for the SWG Cell to fit. Then you just snap on the two piece clamp, put the SWG Cell on it, wire it up, and you ready to roll.

I like it because real easy to take the cell off, and in the winter includes a cap, so you just put the Cap on it and that way you dont have to worry about the cell cracking. The cells are also cheap to replace, as of right now they are about $180 for the cell (I havent had to replace it yet). The entire system including power control and cell is about $600-650. Its good for upto 35k gallons. Mine much less than that (about 15k combined) and it works great so far, I have it trimmed down to almost 15-20% during summer time and it easily maintains 5ppm FC.

Dixit

 

[bobodaclown]

X2 on Compupool CPSC48. Can be had for $750. I've got mine on a 17K pool. Happy with it.

 

[stevesxm]

thats wonderful information, all of you, and thanks. let me do some reading and research now and ill be back. thanks again.

 

[Paul Hastings]

I second Dixit's recommendation. Our new home's pool SWG wasn't working and the controller had been damaged by rain water intrusion. My pool shop installed an Aquapure SWG and a new controller. Both have worked flawlessly for the past year. The controls are easy to understand and use; the owner's manual presents important information usefully. Best test, I check my pool chemistry regularly and the chlorine level is spot on.

 

[Oknoproblem]

One other thing you might want to consider is how the SWG will play with systems (pool control equipment) you have on your current pool system or might want to add in the future. I'm speaking of automated systems like Jandy or Hayward. So if you're thinking of upgrading your operating system in the future, the SWG you buy today will want to play well with that system.
Make Sense?

 

[stevesxm]

One other thing you might want to consider is how the SWG will play with systems (pool control equipment) you have on your current pool system or might want to add in the future. I'm speaking of automated systems like Jandy or Hayward. So if you're thinking of upgrading your operating system in the future, the SWG you buy today will want to play well with that system.
Make Sense?

yes. i understand that concept completely and am going to great pains to ensure compatibility. that is a lesson long learned and thank you.

 

[rmeden]

Another thing to consider is what is common in your area.... is there local competition for parts and service?

I have an Autopilot and have had a few problems with it. I don't know if other SWG systems wouldn't have also given me trouble, but there's only one service guy in the Dallas area that services them and I sometimes find his markups on the high side.

Next time I need to spend big bucks on it, I think I'm going to switch to a more locally popular brand.

Robert