Hey Yall,
Well it happens to be exactly a year since I took over the pool maintenance from my pool guy using the TFP method. It’s gone swimmingly.
No algae in the last year which is about 364 days longer algae free than the pool guy could do. I appreciate all the info here to help educate newbies and give us the confidence to maintain pools.
After a year of testing the the pool nearly daily and adding chlorine nearly daily I’m thinking about switching to a SWCG. I’ve done a bunch of reading and it all looks pretty straight forward to install the equipment and prep CYA / salt levels.
A couple of questions I have for a sanity check-
I’m looking at getting the Pentair IC60 and 520556 Intellichlor Power Center. I don’t currently have any automation but am considering that for a future upgrade so I was thinking sticking with Pentair products may be the best route for me. Looking the SWCG runtime tool it looks like I should be able to keep similar run times during peak demand (1.5-2ppm FC) with this setup. Anything wrong with that thinking?
I currently run the pool about 5hrs per day at 1800 RPMs. Plus occasional additional time to run the vacuum and operate the spa. I’m thinking for my use the best setup would be to put the SWCG on a timer, either an Intermatic style (already exists at pad from old equipment) or smart timer (will need to upgrade). Does this setup seem reasonable?
The install manual for the IC60 says-
Install SWCG 3’ from heater. Is this distance necessary?
Install SWCG with 12-18” of straight pipe before SWCG for flow sensing. Is that length necessary?
Install check valve before SWCG recommended. Is a check valve necessary?
Am I missing anything?
Thanks in advance for any insights.
Edit- Here's a photo of the heater and return. I would like to put the SWCG just before the return valve. Distance from the valve to the 90° fitting is 24"
Well it happens to be exactly a year since I took over the pool maintenance from my pool guy using the TFP method. It’s gone swimmingly.
No algae in the last year which is about 364 days longer algae free than the pool guy could do. I appreciate all the info here to help educate newbies and give us the confidence to maintain pools.After a year of testing the the pool nearly daily and adding chlorine nearly daily I’m thinking about switching to a SWCG. I’ve done a bunch of reading and it all looks pretty straight forward to install the equipment and prep CYA / salt levels.
A couple of questions I have for a sanity check-
I’m looking at getting the Pentair IC60 and 520556 Intellichlor Power Center. I don’t currently have any automation but am considering that for a future upgrade so I was thinking sticking with Pentair products may be the best route for me. Looking the SWCG runtime tool it looks like I should be able to keep similar run times during peak demand (1.5-2ppm FC) with this setup. Anything wrong with that thinking?
I currently run the pool about 5hrs per day at 1800 RPMs. Plus occasional additional time to run the vacuum and operate the spa. I’m thinking for my use the best setup would be to put the SWCG on a timer, either an Intermatic style (already exists at pad from old equipment) or smart timer (will need to upgrade). Does this setup seem reasonable?
The install manual for the IC60 says-
Install SWCG 3’ from heater. Is this distance necessary?
Install SWCG with 12-18” of straight pipe before SWCG for flow sensing. Is that length necessary?
Install check valve before SWCG recommended. Is a check valve necessary?
Am I missing anything?
Thanks in advance for any insights.
Edit- Here's a photo of the heater and return. I would like to put the SWCG just before the return valve. Distance from the valve to the 90° fitting is 24"
Last edited:
