I've spent some time reading the Pool School as well as the general opinion of ozone on this board, and it makes me think that converting to an SWG might be a good idea. Our pool was built in 2009, and for the first four years we had very few problems. The water was great because our kids never had the "scaly" skin often associated with chlorine pools, and I didn't have to spend as much money on chlorine/salt as my friends. However, this summer has been a nightmare with algae. I've spent hundreds on YellowOut, shock, and even phosphate killers (which after reading on here I now realize is a waste).
Our builder has always stressed the importance of high alkalinity (around 240) and low chlorine (.5). I use 8oz of NoMorProblems every couple of weeks. Also, our pressure is always around 25-30. He says at 30, the filter needs to be cleaned. Again, this concept was successful until this summer. I suspect that our ozone generator has a leak, and that this combined with low chlorine levels is what has made the algae bloom out of control. I have to brush every day to avoid it getting completely out of control. And I mean getting in the water with a handheld wire brush scrubbing it.
I suppose the first question is should I have the ozone generator removed and have an SWG installed? What kind of ballpark costs could I expect? Can a successful balance be maintained if I keep the ozone generator?
I realize this only scratches the surface of questions, but it's a good start...
The Woodlands, TX (near Houston)
Pool size: 15000gal in-ground plaster
Ozone
Pentair WF-30 2.5hp pump
Pentair Clean & Clear Plus cartridge filter
Intermatic T104R Timer
The PoolCleaner
Our builder has always stressed the importance of high alkalinity (around 240) and low chlorine (.5). I use 8oz of NoMorProblems every couple of weeks. Also, our pressure is always around 25-30. He says at 30, the filter needs to be cleaned. Again, this concept was successful until this summer. I suspect that our ozone generator has a leak, and that this combined with low chlorine levels is what has made the algae bloom out of control. I have to brush every day to avoid it getting completely out of control. And I mean getting in the water with a handheld wire brush scrubbing it.
I suppose the first question is should I have the ozone generator removed and have an SWG installed? What kind of ballpark costs could I expect? Can a successful balance be maintained if I keep the ozone generator?
I realize this only scratches the surface of questions, but it's a good start...
The Woodlands, TX (near Houston)
Pool size: 15000gal in-ground plaster
Ozone
Pentair WF-30 2.5hp pump
Pentair Clean & Clear Plus cartridge filter
Intermatic T104R Timer
The PoolCleaner