SWCG next steps

[acacia1602]

Following my successful plumbing installation of the cell for my Circupool RJ45 Plus, and the receipt of my current sensing relay, I think I am ready for next steps. Tomorrow, I intend to install the electrical for the unit, and start adding salt.
I currently have all the wiring going through the mld Intermatic T104R Timer box (see picture below). That timers guts were gone before I bought the house, so now it’s simply a convenient place to tie in the electrical.

Can/should I simply drill a hole on the side and put in a strain relief and silicone sealant for the CIrcupool cord? Or should I put some flex conduit between the timer box and the Circupool unit and run it through?
My most recent test levels were:

PH: 7.8
Alkalinity: 78
CYA: 34
FC:3.4
TAC:3.4
CH:236




Any red flags here? I typically keep my CYA levels low, but I have a bag of CYA to bring this up, as do I have Alkalinity up, if necessary.

Thoughts?

 

[Mdragger88]

What do your tf100 kit results say?
Go with those. Post those.
If the cya & fc are accurate you’re riding minimum with fc so bump that up
Target fc for a cya of 40 is 5-7ppm.
Any ta above 50 is fine but you need to know the actual ta to properly adjust ph not the adjusted ta that Leslies uses.
Test your salt level before adding any.
You need the k1766 salt kit.
Add about 3/4 of the salt that
PoolMath calls for then let it circulate 24 hours & retest. Add the remainder then circulate 24 more hours.
Leave the cell off during this time.
About the cya - be sure to do an
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test before increasing it to the recommended 70/80 range.

A strain relief fitting is fine to use for the cable that comes with the unit unless you think you want more protection for the cable from a dog or uv etc- in which case a pvc sleeve might also be a good choice. Up to you really & how you want it to look. So long as it’s secure in the box.
It sounds like you will be depending upon this relay to operate the swcg when only when the pump is running in lieu of a timer, correct?

 

[Newdude]

Any red flags here?

Just one.

I typically keep my CYA levels low

For a AZ swg, you'll likely end up at 80 or 90, but road test each level on your way up to see where your pool wants to be.

Can/should I simply drill a hole on the side and put in a strain relief and silicone sealant for the CIrcupool cord? Or should I put some flex conduit between the timer box and the Circupool unit and run it through?

Up to you and both work.

as do I have Alkalinity up, if necessary.

You'llikely want a lower TA once the SWG is up amd running. The pool store 80-120 TA is to account for tabs and shock that constantly lower PH.

Once people switch, most see a PH rise and then want a lower TA to help keep it down.

 

[acacia1602]

What do your tf100 kit results say?
Go with those. Post those.

It sounds like you will be depending upon this relay to operate the swcg when only when the pump is running in lieu of a timer, correct?

I will do so later today; it was late and I was lazy.
To their credit, my Leslies tests almost exactly mirror my TF-100, and are ostensibly more precise than my TF-100.

You are correct to say I’m using the Relay, not a timer, to control SWCG. The Intelliflow timer is good, and I’d prefer to ensure the SWCG only runs when the pump is running via the most reliable method possible.

 

[Mdragger88]

and are ostensibly more precise than my TF-100.

Do not be fooled by what seems like more precise figures- that doesn’t necessarily make them more accurate.

 

[Newdude]

+1. Here's one from just yesterday that the poolstore had 71 and OP couldn't register any when the Talor kit came.

Intro/Outside Advice

Hello everyone, New here, but not new to pools. I worked at a Leslies some time ago for a couple years and had a manager who actually understood water, so I had a good teacher. I purchased my first home here in Arizona last year, and it has a large pool with a diving board. Specs are down...

www.troublefreepool.com

Stop trying to justify your #s based upon theirs. Whether they are right or wrong doesn't matter in the slightest, all that matters is what the Taylor tests say.

Even that's not 100% but it's WAY close enough for what we are doing.

 

[acacia1602]

+1. Here's one from just yesterday that the poolstore had 71 and OP couldn't register any when the Talor kit came.

Intro/Outside Advice

Hello everyone, New here, but not new to pools. I worked at a Leslies some time ago for a couple years and had a manager who actually understood water, so I had a good teacher. I purchased my first home here in Arizona last year, and it has a large pool with a diving board. Specs are down...

www.troublefreepool.com

Stop trying to justify your #s based upon theirs. Whether they are right or wrong doesn't matter in the slightest, all that matters is what the Taylor tests say.

Even that's not 100% but it's WAY close enough for what we are doing.

Lol I’m not trying to justify anything; it’s my observation that my Leslie’s tests closely match my TF-100. They have for years now. That’s a good thing, imo.

WRT alkalinity, yes, I have for several years now kept my Alkalinity on the lower end and in line with PoolMath’s recommendation. I find the recommended is too high and results in me burning way too much acid vs if I keep
It on the lower end.

 

[acacia1602]

------------------------------------------
Test Results 07-08-2023 @ 02:50 PM
------------------------------------------
Free Chlorine: 4.5
Combined Chlorine: 0.0
pH: 7.6
Total Alkalinity: 90
Calcium Hardness: 340
CYA: 25
Salt: 1000

 

[acacia1602]

Wrapping up:
The SWCG is up and running! The Circupool RJ45 Plus display is reading 2560-2590 salt, though my Taylor salt test consistently says it’s 3200.

==========================================
Scottsdale Home
------------------------------------------
Build Type: Plaster
Volume: 18900 gallons
------------------------------------------
Latest Test Result Summary:
FC: 2.5 (36 minutes ago)
CC: 0.0 (36 minutes ago)
pH: 7.5 (36 minutes ago)
TA: 90 (36 minutes ago)
CH: 340 (7 days ago)
CYA: 35 (36 minutes ago)
SALT: 3200 (36 minutes ago)
TEMPERATURE: 98° (36 minutes ago)
==========================================

 

[Newdude]

FC: 2.5

Never flirt with minimum. Minimum sounds too OK for me. It should be renamed 'bullet train to Swampville'

CYA: 35 (36 minutes ago)

We round CYA up to the next 10.

31 to 39 = 40.

 

[acacia1602]

View attachment 513958

Never flirt with minimum. Minimum sounds too OK for me. It should be renamed 'bullet train to Swampville'

We round CYA up to the next 10.

31 to 39 = 40.

Ok, a 40 pound bag of salt should do the trick. That should bring me to 3000. Anything else concerning?

 

[Mdragger88]

Ok, a 40 pound bag of salt should do the trick. That should bring me to 3000. Anything else concerning?

He was referring to your FC - You need liquid chlorine to get in target range for your cya then set the swcg to maintain that.
FC/CYA Levels

 

[acacia1602]

View attachment 513958

Never flirt with minimum. Minimum sounds too OK for me. It should be renamed 'bullet train to Swampville'

We round CYA up to the next 10.

31 to 39 = 40.

Also, I know there are few fans of Leslie’s here, but here’s their numbers.

 

[acacia1602]

He was referring to your FC - You need liquid chlorine to get in target range for your cya then set the swcg to maintain that.
FC/CYA Levels

Ok, I’ve been under the impression that above 50 CYA makes it harder to sanitize; in seven hours of continuous operation at 90% I’ve doubled my chlorine to 5ppm per FF100. I’m thinking I will dial that back to 75% and see where it sits after it runs its normal 7:30- 3 and 8:30-10:30 schedule the next couple of days.

Why is the tool recommending such high CYA for salt water?

 

[wireform]

You need higher CYA to protect the chlorine being constantly produced which should be at minimum 70ppm and even 80 ppm. Now @50 CYA your target is 6-8 which I wouldn't go lower then 8 for insurance against a slip in chemistry and dealing with algae. At CYA of 80 ppm the target is 8-10 which I'd recommend stay @ the 10 level for reasons mentioned above.

 

[Mdragger88]

Higher cya doesn’t make it harder to chlorinate it just increases the necessary fc level. As Wireform mentioned higher cya actually helps your swcg to not have to work so hard in your high uv locale.
Before increasing cya it’s best to do an
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to ensure you’re algae free.
Here’s what running the rj45 for 10.5 hours looks like in your pool

The average fc loss in an algae free residential pool is around 2-5ppm per day give or take depending upon conditions.
You live in a very high uv place & it is the peak of summer so the higher side is most likely.
In general - when lacking fc, you always want to dose with liquid chlorine then adjust your swcg to maintain that - not wait on the swcg as it produces fc slowly over time & things can grow in the meantime.