I need help switching to Intex SWG

[T-Hick]

Hello,

I am a newbie here, so please go easy on me...

I have an approx. 20,000 gallon vinyl in-ground pool (16'x32' with an 8 foot deep-end) with a Hayward sand-filter and 3/4 horsepower pump. I have a one skimmer basket and one return/jet. I am currently using an in-line chlorinator with jumbo tabs, but I am sick of all the ups and downs with my chemical tests. For instance, 2 weeks ago, a test of my pool showed a chlorine reading of over 20 ppm, which bleached out the rest of the test readings. I turned off my chlorinator for a week to reduce this level. My latest test showed that I had a water temp of 82 degrees Fahrenheit, a chlorine reading of 12 ppm (which is still high) and a cyanuric (spelling?) acid reading of 142. Despite the high chlorine reading, I started to have an increase in algae bloom. After reading some of the posts here, I will probably have to drain a good portion of my pool to reduce this cyanuric number and thereby increasing my frustration level even higher because I just did this 2 summers ago. After topping off my chlorinator, I have used up my remaining stock of tabs and I am inclined to switch to an intex salt water chlorine generator system instead of wasting more money on chemicals. I have read several posts on this website and determined that I would need two of these generators (in parallel) to adequately provide chlorine for my pool.

What I need (from anyone that is willing to help) is a step-by-step description of everything that I need to do to make this transition happen. For instance, What Intex generator model number should I get? Should I get the ozone as well? Would it be better to use a "T" pipe or try to find a "Y" pipe? What do I use to adapt the intex fittings to fit my 1.5 inch pipes? Should I drain the pool and refill before I get the generators? Or should I wait until the generators are in place and then refill? This is just the beginning of the slew of questions that I have.

As I mentioned, I am rookie to this site and I am having a hard time deciphering some of these abbreviations. Layman's terms and pictures would really help me out!

Thanks in advance for any help!

T-Hick

 

[Azgirl71]

Welcome to TFP! I know you are asking about SWG, but I wanted to point out that you really need a recommended test kit such as the TF 100 linked in my signature or the Taylor K2006. Pool store testing is not reliable nor are test strips.
Your CYA is probably high because of the tabs you use. We just use household bleach here.

Please check out Pool School. You will find a vast assortment of information there.

 

[jeffchap]

I don't know that I can give you step by step instructions, but perhaps I can help a little. I have the Intex CS8110 SWG. I've had it 2 years, but I don't know if that particular model is still available. They seem to change their model numbers quite frequently. But you can google it to see what it is and compare it to what's available now.

My pool is only 6000 gallons, so yours is roughly 3.5 times as large. Yet with my CYA around 40, which is still low for a saltwater pool, I'm only running my SWG 2 hours per day and it's keeping my FC at 7, which is still a little high. I've been dialing my generating time back to let the FC drift down, but the pool has been mostly covered and not getting much use yet, so it's staying pretty level. My point is, with a pool a little less than 1/3 the size of yours, I'm still only generating a couple of hours per day. Simple math tells me that a single generator *might* suffice for you if you ran it 6-8 hours per day. I'm no expert on any of this, so if someone else knows why this would not hold true, then please correct me.

Since Intex connectors are a proprietary size, you'll have to fashion some sort of adapter in order to connect it into your current pool plumbing. It's not hard to make something with a few dollars worth of PVC from Home Depot, but just be aware that you won't be able to hook it right up. There are a number of threads here discussing how to make Intex adapters from PVC if you search for them. Once you have them, you can just put your SWG in place of your tab dispenser. If you do end up needing 2 SWGs, I would think you would want to hook them up in parallel rather than series. Either a "Y" or "T" should work.

Yes, you will need to drain and refill your pool to drop your CYA to manageable levels. You might as well go ahead and do that now. Your elevated CYA is why you are getting an algae bloom even with your chlorine levels. All your chlorine is being bound to the CYA and is not available to kill the algae. If you drain it now, you can start adding liquid chlorine bleach to get your algae under control before you get the SWG installed and running. You need to perform a SLAM, and you'll need accurate readings using one of the test kits Azgirl mention. And to repeat what she said, no more tabs. They'll only drive your CYA back up again.