Best SWG to purchase

[Philo]

I really like the PureLine CrystalPure Salt Chlorine Generator it is very similar to the Hayward AquaRite but at much better price. We have had great success with this unit.

My neighbor got one recently and it's working as expected. Inyopools is VERY reputable..

 

[chiefwej]

I've been using the AquaRite for 12 years. My experience is the opposite. It has been a very reliable unit. As far as the salt range, it seems to work well beyond the specified range (from about 2300, up well over 4000). If you can't keep your salt within that range, you must be doing something wrong. I add salt once when I first fill the pool, and bring it up toward the top of the range. A year or so later, I might have to add a bag due to backwashing and splash out, other than that, salt level is never a problem.

I don't understand why you want a unit that runs with higher salt levels, and how you end up with too much salt in the pool.

 

[kcindc]

Which salt system allows for a higher concentration of salt? Some will warn you at 4500 ppm while others, such as my Hayward Aqua Rite, stops producing chlorine. I find it really finicky when it comes to that. Been battling it all summer, first with phosphates and now salt. Really at the end of my wits and looking for a more flexible system. My previous Zodiac Clearwater system went over 10 years with no hassles or worries. The AquaRite, and we have all Hayward products and like them, has been less than optimal.

Phosphates will not impact the ability for your SWG to generate chlorine. Phosphate removers are pushed by pool stores in an attempt to get $$$ from you. Phosephates are algae food, who cares what algae eats as long as you keep your FC/CYA ratio in check. This will kill algae and keep them from reproducing in your pool. If you don't have algae, you don't need to worry if they have food.

I suggest that you read a little bit of the articles in Pool School. Do you have a recommended test kit? Do you test your own water? If so, post up some results. Make sure that your FC/CYA are within the guidelines: Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

Pool School - Recommended Levels

 

[pmcd]

Phosphates will not impact the ability for your SWG to generate chlorine. Phosphate removers are pushed by pool stores in an attempt to get $$$ from you. Phosephates are algae food, who cares what algae eats as long as you keep your FC/CYA ratio in check. This will kill algae and keep them from reproducing in your pool. If you don't have algae, you don't need to worry if they have food.

I suggest that you read a little bit of the articles in Pool School. Do you have a recommended test kit? Do you test your own water? If so, post up some results. Make sure that your FC/CYA are within the guidelines: Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

Pool School - Recommended Levels

I was focusing on the flexibility of some brands of chlorine generators to continue working despite higher salt concentrations. The phosphates' issue has been discussed in an earlier thread which you might want to read. I would like to point out that I was not alone in finding that reducing phosphate levels brought back my AquaRite. It was not a pool shop that recommended I do that but rather Hayward tech support.

 

[pmcd]

I've been using the AquaRite for 12 years. My experience is the opposite. It has been a very reliable unit. As far as the salt range, it seems to work well beyond the specified range (from about 2300, up well over 4000). If you can't keep your salt within that range, you must be doing something wrong. I add salt once when I first fill the pool, and bring it up toward the top of the range. A year or so later, I might have to add a bag due to backwashing and splash out, other than that, salt level is never a problem.

I don't understand why you want a unit that runs with higher salt levels, and how you end up with too much salt in the pool.

Why I want a unit that can run at higher salt levels is a personal preference. As I said I had a Zodiac system that ran for over 10 years with no issue and virtually no maintenance.

The ending up with too much salt issue was my mistake in relying on the AquaRite's instant reading. I usually kept the salt around 3800, but the AquaRite had issues due to phosphates ( Hayward's diagnosis, not mine) and the readings were off. I added the salt and the salt level went too high (around 5000).

I realize that a lot of people love the AquaRite system. I just happen to not be one of them. Mine has been very finicky with respect to flow rates, salt concentrations, phosphates (I know many dispute that). I also prefer having the ability to see the chlorine being generated as was the case with the Zodiac product. The diagnostic tools are not that useful when it comes to deciding if a problem is due to a faulty cell or something else.

I really like Hayward products. I am not launching a campaign against the AquaRite. Was just looking for options.

 

[ride525]

2. Among the lowest cost for replacement cells. My cells have been lasting about 5.5 years on average and cost $429 for OEM Hayward replacement cell. Makes my chlorine cost for a year round 19 k pool about $75 per year.

Not a SWG owner ....yet...but isn't there a cost of adding salt periodically?

 

[chiefwej]

Not a SWG owner ....yet...but isn't there a cost of adding salt periodically?

No, salt doe not evaporate, nor is consumed by the SWG process. The salt is broken down releasing free chlorine, then is recombined back into salt in the pool. You only lose salt when you lose water, from backwashing, splash out, or a leak.

 

[Chemnut]

Hayward is recommending phosphate removers for two reasons. 1) if you Cell is undersized and you remove phosphates you can maintain lower chlorine levels. We all know 7.5% of cya keeps a pool crystal clear with zero algae issues. 2) it's a cop out, plain and simple. By pointing to chemistry issues they can say it's not our fault.

Oddly enough they picked up on a study in a trade magazine which reported removing phosphates allowed a cell to last longer, yet they ignored the most recent one that showed the relationship between cya and appropriate levels of chlorine.

go figure...