In your opinion who makes the best SWG?

[Tanner M]

If this thread is already covered somewhere I could not find it. I am new to the whole SWG thing and want to purchase in the next week or so. I found this and it seems to be a good deal by a well known company. Any opinion's are appreciated!

http://www.poolsupplyworld.com/Hayward- ... AQRITE.htm

 

[Cloudbusting]

have the aquarite, very happy with it. was set at 25% for a covered16k pool and just measured 8ppm fcl so dialed back to 15%

 

[jblizzle]

Some have more bells and whistles than others. Seems that all can have their problems.

Aquarite is a good upper-middle of the road unit. I had one at previous house and installed one at current house.

 

[ping]

The best SWG depends on many factors so there isn't one the should be considered the best SWG. If a pool has automation, you want one that incorporates the automation seamlessly. You want to take into consideration of your water flow, GPM, that you want to run at. Some cells require only 15 GPM to work such as an autopilot, and others will need 40 GPM. If you want to run at low speeds, if you have a 2-speed or variable speed pump, you need to make sure you have the proper flow. These are just a couple of things that influence which SWG is best.

SWG's are not a set it and forget it type of system. If your water parameters are not ideal then all cells will have problems. Many people have no problems and get many years of trouble free service, while others like myself have had many electrical problems with their SWG's. Even with my problems I would not switch over to manually chlorinating the pool.

Aquarite, compupool, autopilot are all respected SWG's on this forum. Make sure you get one rated for at least 40k gallons for your pool size.

 

[Tanner M]

Will do guys, thank you for your input. I will take all of this into consideration. Thanks again!

 

[Tanner M]

One other question. Is there anything else that I need to purchase besides what is listed in the link in my original post to make the switch over to salt easier? Thanks for the advice!

 

[ping]

You will need some pvc, primer, and glue for the plumbing connections. You will also need wire, wire conduit, and maybe a couple ends for the wire conduit. If you are having someone else install it then they should supply these items. All of these items are cheap at Home Depot.

 

[Tanner M]

Sounds good. I had read another post where they had wired it in with timer. Is this the best way to go about it? I guess you want to make sure the swg is off when the pump is not running?

 

[ping]

I have my SWG and pump wired to a timer and that insures that the SWG can not be on without the pump on. If you have a variable speed pump then it can get more complicated.

 

[flyweed]

and if interested in saving a few bucks.I have a GOOD used unit advertised in the "Coffee Bar"...I switched over to a stenner dosing pump...so my SWG is up for sale.

 

[Tanner M]

flyweed - why did you decide to go back over to chlorine from swg? Just curious!

 

[peterdaly]

Sounds good. I had read another post where they had wired it in with timer. Is this the best way to go about it? I guess you want to make sure the swg is off when the pump is not running?

My AutoPilot is installed in "Manual Timer" mode. I control my pump using a Hayward OnCommand; essentially it's a fancy timer. The AutoPilot is wired on the same relay as the pump, so when the pump turns on, so does the AutoPilot. This is a specific configuration the AutoPilot is designed to work with.

The AutoPilot can also be a timer, controlling the pump/heater, and that's probably how many (most?) people install it. In my case, I need a controller with solar logic/control, which the AutoPilot can not handle, so I use the OnCommand as the timer/controller since it can handle solar.

If you just need automation control for the pump, there is no reason not to use the AutoPilot as your pump timer, and eliminate a piece of equipment in your setup.

If the inclusion of a timer/controller matters to you, take that into account when considering the AutoPilot.

 

[flyweed]

Tanner, it seemed I was ALWAYS adding salt to our LARGE pool 25,6000 gallons. After winter, when we'd refill to top off..or when it rained alot...salt PPM would always go down and need to be adjusted. It was just TOO much lugging salt bags..and I got sick of it....the SWG worked great, otherwise....but the Stenner is SO easy.....I fill up a 15 gallon barrel now and have the pump dialed in, so I maintain a constant 4ppm..and all I gotta do is top up the barrel once every 2 weeks. EASY.

So the SWG must go!!

Dan

 

[Tanner M]

Ok so I was reading installation manuals on swg installations. What is the reasoning for have the swg installed after the filter? My chlorinator is installed before the filter, why can't the swg be installed in place of it before the filter??

 

[jblizzle]

Because SWG release hydrogen gas ... while there is not really an ignition source, I still would not want explosive gas building up in my filter.

Your chlorinator should not be before the filter either to reduce the corrosive effects.

 

[Tanner M]

Hmm... Learn something new on here as always! Here is a pic of the way my equipment is set up. I will do an after pic this weekend.

 

[jblizzle]

Well you certainly have PLENTY of pipe to work with after the filter :lol:

 

[Tanner M]

True, I guess I should just cut out the chlorinater and then add the SWG vertically?

 

[Tanner M]

Well here is the finished product. I ran into one problem which was not having enough pipe to be able to plumb the flow switch where the directions wanted me to. (past the filter). My plumbing is all 1 1/2" so by the time I added the couplers to bring it up to 2" there was no way I would have enough room for the the flow switch and the cell. It still works just fine but I wonder if I will run into problems down the road? Any advice is appreciated!

 

[jblizzle]

Does not look like you left the recommended straight pipe before the flow switch. Although if it is working, you should be good.