New Pool Startup - Chemistry

[mknauss]

I see I have a lot of junk in the pump basket.

Clean it out. Put the system in Service Mode and remove the pump basket lid. I assume your pump is above the pool. If you can, close the valve on the suction side if you have one to keep the material from being pulled back down the suction line.

 

[Newdude]

+1. That's not normal debris that just happened to make it past the skimmer baskets. That's took the skimmer basket out and sucked a bunch of crud straight to the pump.

Get a vac plate or an inline hose filter at your earliest convenience.

 

[BDY]

+1. That's not normal debris that just happened to make it past the skimmer baskets. That's took the skimmer basket out and sucked a bunch of crud straight to the pump.

Get a vac plate or an inline hose filter at your earliest convenience.

Yeah they took the basket out. Ok I’ll add the clean out to my weekend list

I’m getting them to plumb the auction line and then I’ll get an in-line basket

 

[BDY]

got the basket cleaned out - lots of junk

Another question please - if I understand from reading the SWGC will contribute to ph rising on a natural basis but PoolMath says adding chlorine gas (salt cell) will reduce pH. Can i use PoolMath that way to determine the setting on the Ic40 (rated at 1.4 lbs gas per 24 hrs) vis a vis pump run time to approximate Fc addition?

 

[BDY]

If I overlap schedules in IntelliCenter so as to run low rpm mostly but then raise it to skim 1x or 2x a day is the program smart enough to raise rpm and then lower it back down and keep going or do i need to create multiple schedules that start and stop and same time? Eg set the pool circuit to 24/7 and then have a feature circuit that kicks on over it 2x a day?

Also, is there a way to say “run 24/7” as I can only find that i can say run 800am to 759am and then it turns off for a minute?

 

[ajw22]

if I understand from reading the SWGC will contribute to ph rising on a natural basis but PoolMath says adding chlorine gas (salt cell) will reduce pH.

Chlorine gas is not the same as a SWG.

SWG does not generate chlorine gas. It directly creates chlorine.

Can i use PoolMath that way to determine the setting on the Ic40 (rated at 1.4 lbs gas per 24 hrs) vis a vis pump run time to approximate Fc addition?

I do not understand what you are trying to figure out.

PoolMath shows SWG only effects FC.

 

[ajw22]

Eg set the pool circuit to 24/7 and then have a feature circuit that kicks on over it 2x a day?

Correct. Have your lowest RPM run all the times you want the pump running. Then have higher RPM circuts override it at scheduled times.

Also, is there a way to say “run 24/7” as I can only find that i can say run 800am to 759am and then it turns off for a minute?

You can say run 8AM to 8AM.

 

[BDY]

Chlorine gas is not the same as a SWG.

SWG does not generate chlorine gas. It directly create chlorine.



I do not understand what you are trying to figure out.

PoolMath shows SWG only effects FC.

I must have misunderstood what i was reading I thought the SWGC generated chlorine gas at a rating for the size cell. I will go back and read again thanks!

 

[BDY]

Sorry one more salt cell startup question - my Taylor kit says 4000ppm and the cell says 3120ppm. I know it only tests twice a day and I assume it would have tested already. Is it normal to be that far off or it needs time to adjust as it was literally just plugged in and I shouldn’t worry until tomorrow?

Thanks
B

 

[Jimrahbe]

my Taylor kit says 4000ppm and the cell says 3120ppm.

BDY,

Do you have the speed-stir?

This time of year cold water will effect the cell's ability to have an accurate reading.

That said, I suspect your Taylor salt test is off.. You don't keep adding drops until the color stops changing (Like other tests) but the first change that does not change back is where you stop. It is not the color, but the change that counts.

In my opinion 4000 is too high. Not too high for the cell, too high for your taste buds. I try to run where the actual salt level is 3000 to 3400.

Salt cells make chlorine gas... It just does not stay in a gas form for very long.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ajw22]

Sorry one more salt cell startup question - my Taylor kit says 4000ppm and the cell says 3120ppm. I know it only tests twice a day and I assume it would have tested already. Is it normal to be that far off or it needs time to adjust as it was literally just plugged in and I shouldn’t worry until tomorrow?

Thanks
B

Yes, it is normal for different methods of determining salinity reach different values.

As long as the cell is happy and generating yiu are good.

Dont let the K-1766 salinity go above 4000.

 

[BDY]

BDY,

Do you have the speed-stir?

This time of year cold water will effect the cell's ability to have an accurate reading.

That said, I suspect your Taylor salt test is off.. You don't keep adding drops until the color stops changing (Like other tests) but the first change that does not change back is where you stop. It is not the color, but the change that counts.

In my opinion 4000 is too high. Not too high for the cell, too high for your taste buds. I try to run where the actual salt level is 3000 to 3400.

Salt cells make chlorine gas... It just does not stay in a gas form for very long.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Yes i am using speed stir. I am adding drops until it changes from milky white to milky red ( instantly with one drop) and not any more. I will look for a video online to see if it’s the same to check myself.

The water has been very very cold recently - in the 50s…
An aside - The PB dumped 240 pounds in my 9000 gallon pool without measuring so I was not surprised it was high.

 

[ajw22]

Salt cells make chlorine gas...

Salt cells do not make the chlorine gas that PoolMath Effects of Adding refers to and @BDY was asking about.

SWG chlorine generation and Chlorine Gas are two different methods of chlorination with different effects.

 

[BDY]

Can i get a sanity check on the new cell?

It’s an IC40 and a 9000 gallon pool (was going to go Ic20 but was told had to have ic40 for integrated power cell in Intellicenter).

Fc was 8.5, ran the new cell 24 hrs at 20% and FC this morning was 8.5. CC was 0. Water temp is 67F.

I was expecting to overshoot and have to dial it down… otherwise when summer comes around I will have to ramp it up substantially i think.

It could always be testing error from a newbie so I will watch it another few days.

B

 

[Newdude]

It might not be that far off. With your rig/pool 20% would be 3.8 FC. 2-4 ppm loss per day is considered normal although we usually expect a bit less this early in the season. But then again you are in Houston and your early spring is as hot as my summer.

The 0 CCs is a good sign. The CYA should be doing its thing at 70. Did you swim ? Has it been particularly sunny/warm ?

 

[Jimrahbe]

B,

Something is not right. Either your CYA is zero or the cell is not making chlorine.

With the system in the pool mode and the pump running, go look at the cell. The cell light needs to come on about 20% of the time.

An easier test is to set the cell for 50% output.. This will cause the cell light to come on for about 2.5 minutes and then it will be off for 2.5 minutes.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ajw22]

Fc was 8.5, ran the new cell 24 hrs at 20% and FC this morning was 8.5. CC was 0. Water temp is 67F.

IC40 running 20% for 24 hours will generate 3.7ppm of FC. That is not out of line with FC loss on a sunny Houston day.

Do a Overnight Chlorine Loss Test and confirm no algae has snuck in to consume some of your chlorine.

 

[BDY]

It might not be that far off. With your rig/pool 20% would be 3.8 FC. 2-4 ppm loss per day is considered normal although we usually expect a bit less this early in the season. But then again you are in Houston and your early spring is as hot as my summer.

The 0 CCs is a good sign. The CYA should be doing its thing at 70. Did you swim ? Has it been particularly sunny/warm ?

Well the pool just warmed up from 55 to 65 so no swimming yet! Soon tho.. soon

How did you calculate 3.8?

Thanks
B

 

[Jimrahbe]

B,

It is March!!! I really doubt your pool is using 3.8 ppm of FC this time of year. Maybe in the Summer, but not right now..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ajw22]

How did you calculate 3.8?

PoolMath Effects of Adding