Complexity of changing to salt

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K

kermit7012

0
May 4, 2015
31
Knoxville TN
Pool Size
35000
Surface
Plaster
SWG Type
CircuPool SJ-40
35,000 pool. 1 hp pump. Sand filter. 1 1/2" tubing. A waterfall, so aeration should be decent.
A friend has a swg system in what is probably a 20,000 gallon pool at a home she purchased a little over a year ago. She almost passed on the house because of the pool because she has seen how much time/money I spend on my pool. In brief, she loves the salt system. Says it's a piece of cake to use and way less than half the time and expense I spend on mine.
I asked at the pool store what it would cost to do a conversion: $1,800 to $2,200. Ouch.
I'm a fair handyman and have a good plumber on stand-by. Could we make this conversion ourselves? If so, can someone tell me exactly what equipment (size/brand) I would need? What I have seen on-line leading me to believe equipment prices would be around $1,000, but I have read on this thread it's best to use a 40,000 gallon system for a 20,000 gallon pool.
My pool is green at the moment. Apparently at this point, I have killed the algae and the green is coming from metals (mostly copper?) in the pool. Looks like I'm going to have to drain, refill, and start over so now would be a good time to install the swg.
Thanks for any guidance
 
If you are sure it's metals and it may be...you can try lowering the pH a little and see if it helps. But you may be in for sequestrants, I don't know.

You can do this, and cheaper than what they are saying I think. Others can weigh in on this better than I can for sure. It isn't complex from a chemical standpoint though at all. And likely a very good plan for your larger pool.

Welcome to the forum BTW! :cheers:
 
Yes, we recommend sizing the unit for twice the size of your pool.

I'm not understanding the "expense" you are incurring? Are you using TFP methods or still pool store methods?

If you are a fair handyman then the installation should be fairly easy. As for the plumber, you only really need to cut your return pipe to insert the cell.

But, I'm going to cut to the chase - before you look to a SWCG as your savior you really need to get control of you pool. In your other thread you talk of algae and copper. I recommend you drain/refill and get control of your pool using our methods manually before you worry about a SWCG.
 
Buying a SWG and installing it yourself should be under $1000, possibly quite a bit under depending on what brand you end up selecting. If you have any PVC plumbing experience and any home AC wiring experience it is a very simple install.
 
tim5055 said:
Yes, we recommend sizing the unit for twice the size of your pool.

I'm not understanding the "expense" you are incurring? Are you using TFP methods or still pool store methods?

If you are a fair handyman then the installation should be fairly easy. As for the plumber, you only really need to cut your return pipe to insert the cell.

But, I'm going to cut to the chase - before you look to a SWCG as your savior you really need to get control of you pool. In your other thread you talk of algae and copper. I recommend you drain/refill and get control of your pool using our methods manually before you worry about a SWCG.
Click to expand...

+1

If using the methods taught here, a SWCG isn't going to save you any money. The main reason for getting a SWCG is convenience.
 
I've been using the TFP (or at least trying to) method for a little less than 4 years and getting the bleach from Sam's/Costco. Heavy boxes and typically purchasing 10 at a time. When all is in sync, lasts well less than a month. Definitely less than what I was spending at the pool store, but still, if there is a cheaper (time/money) alternative, I would like to take advantage of it. I have owned the pool 9+ years, and while I have had an algae problem maybe 3-4 times in that period, taking care of it was relatively easy.
I wish I could re-enact the series of events that led up to a reading from the calculator indicating I should add 64 gallons of muriatic acid (again, thankfully, a 34 gallon purchase at Home Depot wiped out their supply) but at this point, it's water under the bridge. I did not dream the reading and have no idea what happened. Not trying to deny culpability and an error on my part. Since Spring, I was getting TA readings off the chart and adding 4 gallons of muriatic acid had not touched it up to that point.
Certainly getting control of the pool is the major issue for me. But even in this thread, there is disagreement on how to do just that: Lowering Ph and adding sequestrants, or draining and starting over. And while I would most definitely like to avoid a drain and refill, double the dosage of sequestrants has not worked,
 
The suggestion to drain and start over is based on something you posted elsewhere. Only a few of us read every post on the forum. Most go by what you have posted in the current topic. If you give us incomplete information we can't properly answer your questions. So if you see any disagreement, it is because you are giving inconsistent information.
 

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Adding a SWCG will take away the extra work and expense of buying bleach. Especially for a pool as large as yours. You will need a SWCG with a capacity of 60k gallons. I love my SWCG and would never have another pool without one.

If you get a suspicious result or suggestion from Poolmath, or anyone else for that matter, you should double check the information. At the bottom of Poolmath there is a tool to see what the impact is for adding an amount of chemical to your pool. Yes, I believe that you should be familiar enough with your pool to know that 64 or even 34 gallons of muriatic acid does not seem right. You have owned the pool for 9 years. How many times have you put 34 gallons of acid in it?

There will be little, if any, disagreement from experts and mods on this site as to how to get your pool into balance. And Pool School always says the same thing. It is the re-asking of questions with differing amounts of information that yields inconsistent results.

Post a set of test results and we can get your chlorine, CYA, PH and TA in balance in a matter of days.

Here are some of my fave Pool School articles in case you missed any of them.
TFPC for Beginners
ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

Here are the Recommended Levels for your pool.
Here is the Water Balance for a saltwater pool.
Here are the Recommended Pool Chemicals and how to add them.
Use PoolMath to figure out how much to add.
 
Pooldv,
Agreed.
Out of town emergency and have to walk out the door right now. Should be back tomorrow. I will put up the results as soon as I get back. Any chance of avoiding a drain and refill?
 
Hi Kermit,
we can help get your water clean and balanced if you have one of the recommended test kits and can test the water and post the results. It will take some time. It didnt get this way instantly and there isnt an instant cure for it.

Regarding the copper, that can be sequestered with something like Metalmagic or Jacks magic. You may need to use sequestrant for a while though, until its all finally gone.

Like pooldv and your friend, I love my SWG. It is convenient for sure. With 35K gallons, you will need a 60K salt system.
 
Good luck with your emergency. At this point the only reason that I am aware of that might require a partial drain is if your CYA is over 80 or 90. Post some test results when you can and we will get to work on it.
 
Emergency resolved, pooldv. Wife was stranded at airport 225 miles away and all flights to final destination were cancelled.
Test results as follows:
Ph: Too high to read. Guessing at 9
FC: 9.5
CC: .5
TA: 130
CH: 600 (!!!!)
CYA: 23

I have started draining
 
JasonLion said:
Buying a SWG and installing it yourself should be under $1000, possibly quite a bit under depending on what brand you end up selecting. If you have any PVC plumbing experience and any home AC wiring experience it is a very simple install.
Click to expand...
Found a Pentair IC40 with power supply on Ebay for $729.00 last month... Best pool decision I have made so far. Chose the Pentair due to space restrictions / unit contains the flow switch. Also like the idea when the SWG needs replaced the control circuitry is replaced at the same time.
 
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