Thinking about SWG- DIY installable? Best brands/models?

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Z

zimm

0
May 6, 2013
434
Fort Lauderdale, FL
I've been taking care of my pool for a few weeks now and I'm really interested in upgrading to an SWG. Adding daily chlorine is a pain and I'd rather tinker with a cool electronic gadget that does it for me.

I'm pretty handy, can I install one myself? How does it get wired in? Do I piggy back to the pump power, or does it get full time power? I have a blank for a circuit breaker in my panel. I have 220v on the pump and booster pump. I also have an old Teledyne heater that I hope the salt doesn't eat.

Models/brands to look for? Where exactly does it go in the system? Before or after the heater/filter/pump...
 
Re: Thinking about SWG- DIY installable? Best brands/models

Well I'm still reading up on them, and it looks like autopilot gets great reviews. Right now I'm reading about the differences between the nano, nano + and the digital. I have a 17k gallon "lap pool" that's 12x45'. Looks like the nano will work for me. I also have a new mechanical pump timer next to a mechanical booster pump timer (polaris), so I don't know if it's worth it to have the digital pump timer or not. Will the SWG run automatically only when the pump is running anyway?
 
Re: Thinking about SWG- DIY installable? Best brands/models

I had a plumber do the pipe work although now that I've worked with PVC I could easily have done it myself. I did the wiring myself and it was very simple. I have an Easytouch system and I wired it directly into the pump rely so that the SWG only gets power when the pump is running. If you are handy you can easily do this yourself.
 
Re: Thinking about SWG- DIY installable? Best brands/models

Thanks. I just read the install manual. It looks like the nano+ goes up to 28,000 gallons, so I would have a nice reserve. At $650, I can afford it too. Install looks super easy- cut a section of 2" PVC out and glue in the manifold. As for wiring, I'll have to see if the nano needs constant power to retain it's settings, in which case I'll wire direct to the 220v circuit break for pump, or if it fires right up when power is added, I can wire to my mechanical timer.
 
Re: Thinking about SWG- DIY installable? Best brands/models

That unit is at the low end of output that we recommend for your pool size. How long is your daily pump run time? If you are running 10 hours a day, then that should be enough run time to handle the required chlorine during the summer. With a larger cell you could run less time and/or have a lower % output on the cell. A larger cell will last longer and you will not have to run the pump as long as you would for the smaller cell.
 
sWG's- aquarite vs autopilot 40k?

Right now I'm running 8 hours a day. Tried lower but the water wasn't as clear and I had bugs and junk on the surface. I'm about to experiment with split timing so 4 hours AM, 4 hours PM to see if that helps. I don't want to be low on chlorine. So now I'm looking at the auto pilot digital for 40k or the Hayward aquarite 40k. Both are about the same price, hayward has a high price cell. Not sure if the big auto pilot manifold is worth it or just marketing (bypass and tri-sensor). What I want is reliability and a heavy duty unit.
 
Re: Thinking about SWG- DIY installable? Best brands/models

They are very easy to install. I did mine myself. The SWG goes to your timer's output, the same one that runs the pump. That way they run at the same time.

You might look on poolnpatio.net, that's where I got mine, nobody else came close on price.
 
Re: Thinking about SWG- DIY installable? Best brands/models

Always go with the largest model you can afford. Remember recommendations are based on 24 hour run time. How long is pump running now? You may have to take that into account.
 
Re: Thinking about SWG- DIY installable? Best brands/models

Based off talking with autopilot and Josh at saltpoolguys.com, they both recommended the nano+ over the digital for my pool. It's on order, I should have it in a couple of weeks. My Taylor salt test kit gets here tomorrow so I can see how much salt to stock up on.

Currently my pump runs 4 hrs AM and 4 hrs PM, so 8 per day.
 

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Re: Thinking about SWG- DIY installable? Best brands/models

But 4 hours of run time in the morning and another 4 hours of run time in the afternoon is 8 hours of run time. I do not think he means 4AM to 4PM. I had to read it twice to :hammer: it in.
 
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