Has anyone switched from SWG back to manual?

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Sailracer

0
Jul 3, 2014
51
Hopkinton, MA
Pool Size
28000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
My Circupool RJ-45 just died after 6 years of service. The cell probably still has some life left, but the controller died- I can see a burned out power transistor on the circuit inside. Last year the keypad died on it and the Circupool warranty only prorated a replacement, and not by much. At the start of this season, the LCD started going out in places so I couldn't change any settings. If I do replace the system, it won't be with another Circupool- their stuff isn't designed to last.

Other things I have learned-
  • An RJ-45 designed for 45K gallon pool assumes you are running it 24/7. In my area with expensive electricity I don't want to run my pump that long, but I needed at least 12 hours of runtime a day to keep my chlorine stable in 28k gallons [extra cost]
  • CYA is expensive. I typically go through $40 a year in CYA [extra cost]
  • SWG seems to cause PH to drift up. I go through several gallons of acid a season [extra cost]
  • Salt cost can add up and the bags are heavy [extra cost]
Doing out the math, I think the SWG ended up being significantly more expensive than liquid chorine and tablets would have been over the past 6 years. I'm not sure it saved that much work, either. So, I am leaning towards not replacing it and going back to manual chlorination with liquid and tabs. Has anyone else done the same?
 
1. The bigger cell (3lbs/day chlorine gas production) would have worked better with your pool size and run time constraints.
2. I'm assuming you go through that much CYA because you have a lot of rain and overflow dilution?? You can always use trichlor tabs in addition the SWG to keep CYA stable.
3. SWG's are pH neutral in their chemistry. Aeration drives pH rise as does TA. Many pool owners keep their TA way too high and so they fight a needless battle against rising pH. As well, many pool owners attempt to keep pH too low, which also drives excessive acid use. Fill water also matters and so one must consider it's impact on chemistry as well.
4. Again, salt is only lost through rain dilution and overflow and/or seasonal draining when closing a pool. I suppose carrying salt around can be a pain but most SWGs have a very wide operating range for salinity and so, if done right, you shouldn't have to add salt too often. Water softener salt from the big box hardware store is perfectly fine for using in a pool and generally costs $6-$7 per 40lbs bag.

There's nothing wrong with switching back to manual dosing. You could even install a Stenner pump to automate the liquid chlorine injection. The biggest problem nowadays with LC is that you really can't use bleach from the supermarket anymore. Almost all the branded bleaches use additives (Clorox CloroMax Technology) that pool, owners have found can cause foaminess in their water. This leaves the pool owner getting 10% LC from a place like Walmart or the pool store. Walmart's tend to stop stocking up on "pool shock" (10% LC) starting as early as July and pool stores generally mark up liquid chlorine by quite a bit. If you have a farm supply store near you or a janitorial supply store, you might be able to get 12.5% LC in bulk, but that's not the norm for most. As long as you understand the chemistry of trichlor and bleach and the effect it has on your pool (and you test regularly), then there's no issue.
 
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JoyfulNoise said:
1. The bigger cell (3lbs/day chlorine gas production) would have worked better with your pool size and run time constraints.
2. I'm assuming you go through that much CYA because you have a lot of rain and overflow dilution?? You can always use trichlor tabs in addition the SWG to keep CYA stable.
3. SWG's are pH neutral in their chemistry. Aeration drives pH rise as does TA. Many pool owners keep their TA way too high and so they fight a needless battle against rising pH. As well, many pool owners attempt to keep pH too low, which also drives excessive acid use. Fill water also matters and so one must consider it's impact on chemistry as well.
4. Again, salt is only lost through rain dilution and overflow and/or seasonal draining when closing a pool. I suppose carrying salt around can be a pain but most SWGs have a very wide operating range for salinity and so, if done right, you shouldn't have to add salt too often. Water softener salt from the big box hardware store is perfectly fine for using in a pool and generally costs $6-$7 per 40lbs bag.

There's nothing wrong with switching back to manual dosing. You could even install a Stenner pump to automate the liquid chlorine injection. The biggest problem nowadays with LC is that you really can't use bleach from the supermarket anymore. Almost all the branded bleaches use additives (Clorox CloroMax Technology) that pool, owners have found can cause foaminess in their water. This leaves the pool owner getting 10% LC from a place like Walmart or the pool store. Walmart's tend to stop stocking up on "pool shock" (10% LC) starting as early as July and pool stores generally mark up liquid chlorine by quite a bit. If you have a farm supply store near you or a janitorial supply store, you might be able to get 12.5% LC in bulk, but that's not the norm for most. As long as you understand the chemistry of trichlor and bleach and the effect it has on your pool (and you test regularly), then there's no issue.
Click to expand...

Seasonal draining to get the level low enough for Winter freezing and multiple additional drainings for rain/snow throughout the Winter are responsible for most of my dilutions. Backwashing loss during the season contributes some, and this year has been so rainy I had to do an extra long backwash a couple times to drop the level back down. I also just had the tile redone and the pool replastered this year, so I had to add all the CYA and salt starting from 0 this time. I wish I'd known the SWG was going to Crud out- I could have saved a lot of money and effort!

I have been letting my PH drift up to 8 or so and then adding acid to knock it back down to 7.6 and wait for it to drift up again which takes about 10 days. TA is 80-90. I have been assuming it is the hydrogen bubbles from the SWG causing the airation. I don't know if it needs to be "air" for the airation though. I also don't remember if the PH used to drift up before I had the SWG either.

I have a nearby discount store that always stocks the 12.5% chlorine @ $2.99 which seems like a pretty good deal.
 
12.5% for $3 is a good price. I would still suggest you consider installing a Stenner pump to automate the dosing. It makes life a lot easier when you can simply schedule the dose and forget about it.

If you’re willing to lower your TA, going lower 80ppm can buy you more days in between. Try 60ppm TA and see how that works. Aeration doesn’t require “air” per se. It’s simply any mechanical agitation of the water. Donut could be a wavy surface, kids splashing in the pool or a waterfall/spillover. A better term, although less likely understood by the layman, would be “outgassing”. Pool water is like soda-pop - it’s overcarbonated relative to atmospheric CO2 levels so CO2 always wants to leave the pool water. And it’s that process of CO2 leaving the pool water that causes pH to increase.
 
I didn't necessarily switch back... But after a few years hiatus, got a new pool and didn't go with the SWCG. I have an SWCG, but I don't use it. The salt and messing with it was a whole 'nother thing, and I'm ok with a few minutes a day adding bleach. I think it could be detrimental to the metal since I only got one season out of it before the pool disintegrated, although the general consensus is that it's fine as long as water chemistry is in check (mine was). Shrug... If I was away from home more I would love it, but so far I'm available and haven't had the need for automation.

If I had an inground, I'd probably go with an automated LC dispenser. Or SWCG... maybe. I don't have that so there's no use in speculating.
 
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I could not live without a SWG. I have to buy and haul 40lbs bags of salt every several months (I leave a few in the garage in the summer rainy season since salt does not degrade). I buy a 25lb of CYA from Amazon almost every year for about $50 and keep it in the garage and add as necessary. I buy 4 or 5 boxes of acid from Home Depot a couple of times a year and store them in a box outside. Another consumable that does not degrade. I could not imaging having to buy liquid chlorine every week or storing that much chlorine. I also travel a whole bunch and I can trust that the SWG is making chlorine every day. I could not imagine having to dose every day or every other day.

I also in Florida and have some of the cheapest liquid chlorine prices in the country and still not interested. I keep about 5 gallons of 10.5 outside in a separate box far away from the acid box. I use it to bump every now and then, and know that it is degrading but dont really care since I have a SWG.

About every two years a capacitor blows on board of the Hayward SWG. They are a couple of bucks each and I keep some in stock and takes about a half hour to solder out and replace. Annoying but I am used to it. I have done 3 of those in total.
 
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