Anyone with long term Circupool experience?

[djdonte]

I got an RJ-30+ in 2020 and have been mostly happy with it. DSP has been pretty good on warranty stuff, however since the last pool season, the cell consistently reads about 1000 ppm or more low on salt. I think I have a small leak underground leak somewhere because I lose CYA too over time, but what really dilutes my pool is heavy rain that makes the pool drain from an overflow. Anyway, this causes the SWG to read low salt and stop producing FC. I tried cleaning the cell like they said and then sent it in one time, to which they said everything was functioning normally. I am not sure if they actually verify the accuracy of the salt sensor or just hook it and make sure its producing amps/volts. I have to keep the salt around 5000, because if it dips under 4000ish, the SWG readout will hover around 2800-3000 and thats around when it will start with the low salt light. I am using the reagent test not strips to verify salt.

Is my cell just nearing the end of its life already? Is there anything else I can tell them to help troubleshoot this problem? It's my understanding there is no actual salinity sensor in the cell, it just goes off resistance or something of the sort between the plates, and them wearing down can cause the readings to be thrown off. DSP did also tell me that as the water gets colder the sensor will for sure read wrong, but most of the year it is pretty warm here. They seem a little resistant to warranty the cell. When I first got the cell it had to be sent back for not producing much FC, but only after we exhausted every possible option to blame something else. I was told more or less that if the cell had amps and volts there was zero was it couldn't be producing FC. This included me getting test results from Leslie's and using chemicals to get rid of phosphates. Of course they didn't believe or care about CYA/FC ratios and insisted that 1-3 ppm FC was good no matter what but that is pretty typical.

 

[Texas Splash]

You may not be imagining things. I installed my RJ-45 in Apr 2020 and have questioned its performance from time to time. After reviewing various aspects of the cell, module, and my water chemistry, I eventually determined my cell was functioning. Perhaps I was not seeing "pristine" FC production as advertised (which is questionable in itself), but it has been working. Yes, my salt levels also tend to be lower than my K-1766. My water temp is still quite chilly, certainly well below 60, so that will definitely impact FC production and salt readings. I wouldn't get too wrapped-up in module numbers while the water is cold.

I would encourage you to look at my experience linked below. Its a long thread, so you can skip right to Post #54 for a summary if you like.

Circupool RJ-45 Production Test

@JamesW, is there ANY reference, image, or shortcut you don't already have on your phone or laptop? :poke: :)

www.troublefreepool.com

While I didn't mention it specifically, post 40 is where I made better progress. Why? I experimented with a high quality phosphate remover. That seemed to help for some reason. If you read my thread you'll see there was no algae or chemistry issues, but there was no doubt the PR helped the cell to work a bit more efficiently. It was a last-ditch attempt and it seemed to help. If you elect to try one, be sure it's a high quality product (i.e Orenda) and I would wait until the water temps increase. Also be sure to do an OCTL first to ensure you have no excessive organic issue.

Hope that helps.

 

[djdonte]

FC production is not the problem here. When it runs, it does produce, but its the low salt reading that kills me. I haven't done a OCLT in a while but I have no reason to suspect algae. I will say one time at the beginning they made me remove all the phosphates and it did up the output. However, nearly every time I've noticed the FC not keeping up, its my CYA that has drifted down to 50ish and bumping it back up to 70-80 fixes the problem in the summer. I have a single speed pump so I only run the SWG at 100 for 6-8 hours. I cant comment on the output at lesser rates. When I questioned the output in the past, I used a very crude test of testing water away from a return, then testing FC in water directly from a return. Obviously a higher reading from the return water means the cell is working. This is problably more sophistcated than the testing DSP seems to do. It either works or it doesnt in their eyes and they arent interested in getting into much more detail than that.

I do agree that the FC production they quote is probably theoretical and best case laboratory numbers. Also the posts stating these guys are just importing Chinese knock offs with little to no technical knowledge is accurate as well. The only thing that sets them apart IMO is the longer(prorated) warranty, as well as them honoring DIY installs.

I suspect my real problem is a leak, which I am too scared to dive into since my pool is surrounded by flagstone which makes a skimmer repair pretty intrusive. I dont seem to have to add water a ton when its not summer, but I do need to add salt and CYA more than I'd like.

 

[Newdude]

OCLTs are free. Start there.

but what really dilutes my pool is heavy rain that makes the pool drain from an overflow. Anyway, this causes the SWG to read low salt and stop producing FC

I caught my SWG off 7 or 8 times after/during heavy rains last year. It takes a while for it all to mix and if the cell runs its self test at an inopportune time, it will read low salt. I run 24/7 and can only imagine how many times it would have happened if I ran a schedule. It's one of the many reasons I am hardcore #teamrunhot, because one needs at least a full day of safety net FC to buy them more time to catch any issues. Cuz let's be honest, those of us with SWGs aren't paying close attention once we know how to use the system.

I reset mine for 3pm (immediately after work) so when I come home in a storm it was only off for a little while when I get there. If I wake up in a storm at 5AM, I check it then too as mine does a self check every 12 hours.

 

[Texas Splash]

I suspect my real problem is a leak

That would be unfortunate. I dealt with that last year as well. If you are adding salt and stabilizer on a consistent basis, that will need to be resolved. But in general, my module readings have varied from the K-1766 testing by anywhere from 200 - 1100 ppm. Quite a variance. Like tossing hand grenades when relying on the module salt reading, but since it impacts cell generation it's kind of important.

 

[Bperry]

FC production is not the problem here. When it runs, it does produce, but its the low salt reading that kills me. I haven't done a OCLT in a while but I have no reason to suspect algae. I will say one time at the beginning they made me remove all the phosphates and it did up the output. However, nearly every time I've noticed the FC not keeping up, its my CYA that has drifted down to 50ish and bumping it back up to 70-80 fixes the problem in the summer. I have a single speed pump so I only run the SWG at 100 for 6-8 hours. I cant comment on the output at lesser rates. When I questioned the output in the past, I used a very crude test of testing water away from a return, then testing FC in water directly from a return. Obviously a higher reading from the return water means the cell is working. This is problably more sophistcated than the testing DSP seems to do. It either works or it doesnt in their eyes and they arent interested in getting into much more detail than that.

I do agree that the FC production they quote is probably theoretical and best case laboratory numbers. Also the posts stating these guys are just importing Chinese knock offs with little to no technical knowledge is accurate as well. The only thing that sets them apart IMO is the longer(prorated) warranty, as well as them honoring DIY installs.

I suspect my real problem is a leak, which I am too scared to dive into since my pool is surrounded by flagstone which makes a skimmer repair pretty intrusive. I dont seem to have to add water a ton when its not summer, but I do need to add salt and CYA more than I'd like.

If you really do have a leak in a skimmer you should be more afraid of what’s happening to the soil underneath, your pool structure and plaster, and your decking. $$$$$ You can peruse my renovation thread to find out what a long term leak can do.

Go get it fixed soon or the intrusiveness will be even more severe to your wallet than it is to any flagstones.

 

[djdonte]

If you really do have a leak in a skimmer you should be more afraid of what’s happening to the soil underneath, your pool structure and plaster, and your decking. $$$$$ You can peruse my renovation thread to find out what a long term leak can do.

Go get it fixed soon or the intrusiveness will be even more severe to your wallet than it is to any flagstones.

Is there a good DIY way to detect leaks?

 

[Texas Splash]

The TFP article below is a good starting point. After that, each pool is a bit different. I had a leak in a return jet, so I'll place my experiences below as well in case it helps.

Leak Detection

A number of things can cause leaks in your pool. You can learn tricks for leak detection and how to pinpoint where your pool is losing water.

www.troublefreepool.com

Leak Detection (Pressure Side), Results, and Frankenplug

After 9 years it finally happened – the dreaded leak. Here is my story. In the San Antonio area we have black clay soil that is horrible for structural support of any kind and often causes problems for home foundations, fencing, asphalt, pools, etc. When we observed excessive water loss, I...

www.troublefreepool.com

Plumbing Assessment & Repairs

After several months of debate and testing that has confirmed I have plumbing leak on both the pressure and suction sides, I've finally decided to go in. My priority is the suction line right now since I have a Frakenplug installed in my cracked return jet, but since I had to rent a concrete...

www.troublefreepool.com