Question about SWGs

[azmarine]

New to this forum with a question about SWGs. I live in Tucson so the sun shines daily and you can see the chlorine leaving the pool on it's way to the sky My pool service guy is pretty strongly against Swgs. says every on he services is a bear to keep balanced. I am thinking of a Hayward since I have a Hayward controller on my solar heat system. My pool is a little over 12,000 gals, in ground, and uncovered during the summer (April - November).
Also would be interested in thoughts about Solaxx . There does not seem be a lot of reviews on their site.

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
A Hayward Aquarite T15 would be perfect in your pool.
My SWCG maintains our pool great. Due to fill water TA I add acid every few days. Otherwise the FC is very stable.

I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.

 

[Donldson]

Welcome to TFP!

Also would be interested in thoughts about Solaxx

If you mean their SWG units, they are likely as good as any other. Several people here use the Saltron Mini for spa chlorination. If you mean any of their UV systems, skip them. The supplemental sanitation offered by a UV system are wasted in a residential pool, there's just not enough people to justify it. The eradication of combined chloromines is another use, but in an outdoor pool the UV-A and B are plenty to remove these. There's just no benefit to UV systems in outdoor residential pools.

As for SWG, it might be slightly more difficult to dial in the balance but once it is dialed in it can be a very easy system to maintain. The issue the service guy references is likely due to their steadfast adherence to the old and somewhat outdated "ideal levels". A higher CYA helps the pool hold the chlorine made by the SWG better, and following our FC/CYA Levels it alleviates the lowered chlorine effectiveness that the higher CYA causes. Another area is TA. When using highly acidic trichlor the TA needs to be kept in the 100+ range to keep the pH stable. However when using liquid chlorine or an SWG (the most recommended sources of chlorine here) the TA needs to be kept lower to keep pH stable. Trying to keep it high means an endless cycle of acid and baking soda, allowing it to drop to a lower level (say 60) keeps things more stable without the constant attempt to balance. Sadly, the industry is almost designed to create maintenance problems. Whether that's due to ignorance or malice (sells more products) is up for debate, but the truth is that things can run much more smoothly when we look at why things happen and what levels affect other levels.

 

[mguzzy]

Welcome to the Forum!

New to this forum with a question about SWGs. I live in Tucson so the sun shines daily and you can see the chlorine leaving the pool on it's way to the sky My pool service guy is pretty strongly against Swgs. says every on he services is a bear to keep balanced. I am thinking of a Hayward since I have a Hayward controller on my solar heat system. My pool is a little over 12,000 gals, in ground, and uncovered during the summer (April - November).
Also would be interested in thoughts about Solaxx . There does not seem be a lot of reviews on their site.

In all honesty, you can save the money you spend on a pool guy once your SWG is running. That is the biggest protest pool guys have with SWG's, they are not needed anymore. Most of the pool guys in my area that have clients with SWG's love them.. mostly because all they get paid for is scooping leaves out of the pool once a week. Anyway...

If you are thinking automation to tie all your components together then, yeah, stick with a Hayward SWG. You will need one that is rated twice the volume of your pool. So with a 12K pool your need a T-Cell-9 that supports a 25K gallon pool. but if its in your budget a T-15 that supports 40K wouldn't be unreasonable either. They rate the cells as if they are running 24/7 at 100% so by at least doubling the rating for your pool you get some wiggle room to adjust them for the conditions instead of running them full bore all the time. A T-15 would allow you to run it at a lower output and theoretically would last longer.

 

[Newdude]

Welcome AZ !!

My pool service guy is pretty strongly against Swgs. says every on he services is a bear to keep balanced

Your pool guy is lying through his teeth. Once people go SWG, They see the pool guy barely lift a finger each week and he loses the account.

 

[wireform]

Welcome Azmarine,
As others have chimed in and I just couldn't resist the urge. Most pool guys know little about pool chemicals and get by because the people they service know less the them. Once they get questioned they are basically letting you know they haven't the foggiest idea let alone SWCG. As it has been said here time and again take the pool into your own hands and in your region more so a SWCG make lots of sense from all angles. Lots of info here on the site known as pool school. Come back with your questions as we're here to help. As for SWCG, once you get all the chems level per TFP you'll be amazed how simple it gets. SWCG will give you back the freedom from pool care to enjoy what you have.If followed correctly you may never see a green pool ever again.

 

[ping]

Welcome to TFP!

Get a TF-100 test kit, a T-15 sized AquaRite, and keep reading in Pool School. Soon you will get rid of the pool service as you will learn that keeping a pool balanced with a SWG is very simple.

 

[azmarine]

Thanks guys. I should say that I am 80 years old with legs crippled by neuropothy so I get around only on my good days. That is why I need someone to do the maintenance for me. The engineer in me thinks that swg is the way to go. I just wonder why the pool install company ( Patio Pools) did not recommend it??

 

[wireform]

Thanks guys. I should say that I am 80 years old with legs crippled by neuropothy so I get around only on my good days. That is why I need someone to do the maintenance for me. The engineer in me thinks that swg is the way to go. I just wonder why the pool install company ( Patio Pools) did not recommend it??

Because it means less business for them not having to visit as often and many times they don't know enough about it either.

 

[azmarine]

PS: No thoughts on the Solaxx?? I only looked at it for the ease of installation. A Hayward T-15 sounds good. As a retired NASA Engineer, a 50% oversize sounds like an exact fit!

Thanks again,
Hal

 

[mguzzy]

A Hayward T-15 sounds good. As a retired NASA Engineer, a 50% oversize sounds like an exact fit!

As a retired engineer you are going to love SWG tech.. It's really cool to think you can generate usable chlorine gas from electrolysis. I'm sure you have read the other benefits of salt water pools, the different feel and less harsh water conditions. Those are really nice. Which Solaxx product were you considering? They have a number of things on their site. I've not seen any of them discussed on the forum before. In all honesty I don't know why your pool guy is adverse to a SWG. They really do make pool water maintannce easier, they are not harder to balance. If he is going to be your regular pool guy even after the conversion he should be all for it. It will make is life easier.

 

[mknauss]

In Tucson the pool guy may have issues in keeping things balanced. During the summer, it is likely acid needs to be added more often than once a week. The weekly 'service' is really hard to keep chemistry in a good place.

 

[setsailsoon]

Welcome to TFP!

I had a TFP liquid chlorine pool for 5 years then changed to salt a little over a year ago. Much easier to care for now! Rarely do anything now other than add some acid once per week and salt and CYA after our monsoon-like rains (guess you don't have that much in AZ). As Marty indicates balancing any pool with just once per week check must be difficult to stay in range. But if anything, my experience with salt is easier not harder. My guess is your pool guy just doesn't know much about salt and anything that changes is scary to him.

Chris

 

[azmarine]

As a retired engineer you are going to love SWG tech.. It's really cool to think you can generate usable chlorine gas from electrolysis. I'm sure you have read the other benefits of salt water pools, the different feel and less harsh water conditions. Those are really nice. Which Solaxx product were you considering? They have a number of things on their site. I've not seen any of them discussed on the forum before. In all honesty I don't know why your pool guy is adverse to a SWG. They really do make pool water maintannce easier, they are not harder to balance. If he is going to be your regular pool guy even after the conversion he should be all for it. It will make is life easier.

I was looking at the Solaxx Saltron Retro only because of the advertised ease of installation. But I am sure that I can get a plumber for the Hayward unit for a few hundred dollars. It's just that when you have been self sufficient for 80 years it is very hard to get the work done by someone who may not be as particular as you.My experiendce with the "craftsmen" of today would make my grandpa roll over in his grave!

 

[mguzzy]

My experiendce with the "craftsmen" of today would make my grandpa roll over in his grave!

Oh don't get me started about the Craftsmen of the day.. they are out there but hard to find. Too many journeyman are into the quick buck these days... And if your going to drag Grandpas into the convo, mine was an EE for GE back in the 50's. The stuff he built back then is still around today.

 

[phonedave]

Just to add to the people who love their SWCG. I ran my pool with chemicals for 5 years or so. It was pretty much an everyday thing. At least basic tests every day, and adding bleach if not other chemicals as well every day.

The SWCG has created some bad habits in me. Once I got it dialed in (took about a week or so) it keeps my pool where it needs to be, all by itself. I do check and test every so often, but not ever day. I can go on vacation for a week, and when I come back the pool is exactly the same as when I left it.

 

[jark87]

I agree that SWCG makes for easy maintenance. I’ve never had anything else, so I don’t have a basis for comparison, but my only real water balancing task is adding a little muratic acid roughly 1x per week. I’m often asked by non-pool owners about the hassle of pool maintenance and they’re surprised by how little I have to do.

 

[Newdude]

I’ve never had anything else, so I don’t have a basis for comparison

I had to lug jugs at opening this year for the 1st time ever in 8 years. It lasted 4 whopping days and I was utterly sick or it in that time. We are spoiled rotten.

Same as you I am often trying to explain how I rarely have to lift a finger and then I am forced to listen to 57 reasons why salt is the worst thing ever. I never want to ruin the fun times that we are enjoying that day so I just smile and let them think they won the argument. ‘Haha, stupid me, how’s your burger ? Good ? Cool’.

 

[azmarine]

A sincere mahalo for all your replies. Now can you help an old man make up his mind. I think most of you agree that a Hayward is appropriate for my system and I agree with that....however....Several seem to be behind SaltSolutions as a supplier of systems. Now..if I can get a 20K Hayward( 2 times volume) from them for X dollars and a 25K for $50 more why shouldn't I buy the 25 K since both will fit my budget nicely?

 

[Newdude]

You should always get bigger if the budget allows it. At 3X it probably starts to become a wash. Plus, a 20k unit isn’t really 2X your 12k gallons, It’s 1.66X. The 25k unit will be perfect for you.