I'm sorry, but until someone shows me some scientific evidence of this I am calling hogwash on the whole thing.
Not generating Chlorine due to high phosphates
- Thread starter JoeGolan
- Start date
It is the excuse they use when you have very high CYA and then "shouldn't" keep the FC above 3ppm ... must be the phosphates feeding the algae and not the fact that the FC/ CYA ratio is off 
Meadow
0
Interesting...and how's your swcg behaving?
Last season our 20k gal pool was completely refilled with city water and at the same time, a brand new swcg with T-15 cell was installed. Bleach, stabilizer and MA was initially used. 2 days later Leslie said that phosphate level is at 2500 and attempted to sell me some phosphate remover from which I declined. A month later, I took another sample to Leslie and again, they claimed phosphate level is at 2500.
I have done nothing about phosphate and our swcg is working flawlessly except when the water temp drops below 63F (in my case). Whereby, the output is scaled to 20% by default per JamesW and I couldn't agree more.
@Meadow
Well for years I disregarded the phosphate issue as our city wasn't adding it. They started a year ago. Never had a problem with the swcg. This year has been a nightmare and I can only go by what Hayward has been saying since they claim they have had a big increase in customers with this issue. I personally prefer our previous Zodiac system in which you could see the chlorine being generated. The Aqua Rite has really limited diagnostics and I could replace the cell, the pcb board, etc... and still not know if it will work. Am looking for alternatives as I am just not confident in that system.
The chlorine level is still basically at zero ( as measured by two different store - one using a digital method and the other a Taylor kit).
The short answer is it is not working.
Well for years I disregarded the phosphate issue as our city wasn't adding it. They started a year ago. Never had a problem with the swcg. This year has been a nightmare and I can only go by what Hayward has been saying since they claim they have had a big increase in customers with this issue. I personally prefer our previous Zodiac system in which you could see the chlorine being generated. The Aqua Rite has really limited diagnostics and I could replace the cell, the pcb board, etc... and still not know if it will work. Am looking for alternatives as I am just not confident in that system.
The chlorine level is still basically at zero ( as measured by two different store - one using a digital method and the other a Taylor kit).
The short answer is it is not working.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,716
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
The only possible, and I mean "possible", interaction between phosphates and an SWG would be calcium phosphate scaling. BUT, that can only happen when CH and pH are very high and phosphate levels are well above 25,000ppb. It's just something that really doesn't happen in reality.
But that's not what the SWG manufacturers are referring to. They are simply parroting the APSP and other industry organization that consider phosphates to be a contributing factor to algae growth, which is not really disputed. But, in a properly chlorinated pool, phosphates can be ignored as the kill rates far exceed the growth/reproduction rates of algae.
But that's not what the SWG manufacturers are referring to. They are simply parroting the APSP and other industry organization that consider phosphates to be a contributing factor to algae growth, which is not really disputed. But, in a properly chlorinated pool, phosphates can be ignored as the kill rates far exceed the growth/reproduction rates of algae.
Maybe. I hope you are right. Scientific evidence ( basically replicated results under identical conditions or the use of randomization to compensate for possibly non identical conditions) is rare and impossible for so many situations. Mind you, water conditions should be one area where properly designed experiments are possible so it shouldn't be a matter of speculation.
In any case, I was only reporting what Hayward's tech support has told me.
Hogwash or not, the fact does remain that after successfully reducing the phosphates measured to <100 my Hayward t-cell-3 appears to be working fine now for the last 10 days.
I did not add any chlorine, I did not empty (yet) and refill the spa
Levels have been perfect and SWG has been set (%) back to my "normal" summer setting.
What is wrong with reducing/removing phosphates or maybe you just enjoy using more chlorine to counteract it? Seems more like "what came first the chicken or the egg" theory.
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Oh and BTW I am happy to see so many here contribute to this thread (both sides) it has made for an interesting subject.
I did not add any chlorine, I did not empty (yet) and refill the spa
Levels have been perfect and SWG has been set (%) back to my "normal" summer setting.
What is wrong with reducing/removing phosphates or maybe you just enjoy using more chlorine to counteract it? Seems more like "what came first the chicken or the egg" theory.
- - - Updated - - -
Oh and BTW I am happy to see so many here contribute to this thread (both sides) it has made for an interesting subject.
I'm wondering if this is an isolated Hayward issue.
I wonder what other SWG manufacturers would say on the matter?
I still would like to see the data either way.
I wonder what other SWG manufacturers would say on the matter?
I still would like to see the data either way.