SWG question for Florida folks....

[Frank in FL]

Since I live in Fl I’m looking to get some feed back from other Floridians who have a SWG on their pool.

My gunite pool is 16500 gallons. It gets direct sunlight for about 7-8 hours a day. During the summer last year I had to run my pump for 18 hours and my swg at 90% just to maintain around 5ppm of chlorine. My CYA is 70, PH is maintained around 7.4-7.8, Alkalinity is 70 and my salt is 3500.

I have a Jandy TruClear swg.
From what I’ve read this swg is good for a 35k gallon pool which I doubt..
According to Jandy, this unit produces 6.7 PPM of chlorine in 24 hours at 100% out put. Based on my calculations below,
6.7 X .90 (cell out put) = 6.03 of chlorine in 24 hours. 6.03/ 24 hours = .25 ppm of chlorine in 1 hour.
.25 x 18 hours = 4.5 of chlorine in 18 hours at 90% out put.
Seeing as how I need to run this cell at such a high % output, how much am I reducing it lifespan? Everyone I’ve talked with that has different brands of SWGs claim to run them at 20-50% and can easily maintain 4-6 ppm of FC.

With that being said, do any of you folks with a similar setup add liquid chlorine to your pool to help maintain proper FC levels?
Are you needing to run your SWG at a high % rate and also extend the run time of your pump?
If so, what’s the real purpose of having a SWG if you need to add chlorine? This brings me back to I’m guessing the SWG is undersized for my pool and Jandys claim on this TruClear being rated for 35k gal is far fetched.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Frank,

I am not from Florida, but we get sun in Texas also...

Your numbers look good to me so something is not correct...

1. Your CYA reading could be off from the actual CYA..
2. Your cell may not be producing the amount of chlorine as it should.
3. You may have an algae bloom that you can't see yet and it is consuming all the chlorine your cell can produce.

Your first action should be to perform an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test or OCLT.. Overnight Chlorine Loss Test If chlorine is being used when it is dark, that means there is something in your water consuming the FC..

"Assuming" you pass the OCLT, with zero loss.. Then you can do what I call an Overnight Chlorine Gain Test.. Basically the OCLT is done with the cell off and the Gain test is done with the Cell on.. So, in theory, the FC in your pool should go up about .25 ppm per hour if the cell is producing chlorine like it should. This test is invalid unless you can easily pass the OCLT.

I would also double check how you are doing the CYA test. Maybe have another member, or friend, do the test and make sure it really is 70 ppm.

I don't check my CYA as often as I should and when my FC demand goes up it is almost always because I have let my CYA levels fall too low.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ajw22]

You know what puffery is? Jandy can claim whatever they want. But the science does not lie.

Jandy says the TruClear produces 18 grams per hour, that is 432 grams in 24 hours or .95 /lbs.

Compare that to the Aquapure 1400 that produces 1.25 lbs/24 hours and is rated for a 40,000 gallon pool.

If you need 1.25 lbs for 40,000 gallons then .95 lbs is suitable for 30,000 gallons. Jandy can claim what they want but the math does not work for 35,000 gallons.

And consider that the Pentair IC40 rated for 40,000 gallons puts out 1.4 lbs in 24 hours. Beware of Jandys marketing claims.

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You get what you pay for. The Truclear is less cost then the AquaPure and you get less chlorine output for your money. The Truclear is not the bargain people think. The AquaPure is a better SWG for the money. And Jandys marketing claims are more aggressive then other manufacturers.

 

[Frank in FL]

Just did a OCLT. Currently at 5.5 for FC.
I’ll test it again tomorrow morning before sunrise and report back.

I’ve had my wife confirm my CYA black dot readings and she has been on par with what I’ve seen.

 

[ajw22]

Pick Hayward or Pentair and as your Jandy stuff needs replacement move towards a different manufacturer. Quite a few of us here are slowly replacing our Jandy stuff with other manufacturers.

 

[Frank in FL]

Pick Hayward or Pentair and as your Jandy stuff needs replacement move towards a different manufacturer. Quite a few of us here are slowly replacing our Jandy stuff with other manufacturers.

The whole Dang thing needs replacement at under 3 years

 

[Newdude]

Welcome back Man !!! So sorry the saga continues, you can't catch a break. One of these days though, you are long overdue.

 

[Frank in FL]

OCLT is 5.5

 

[Jimrahbe]

Frank,

I assume you had the SWCG off when running the OCLT???

Since you lost nothing at night during your OCLT, then tonight do the same test with the SWCG on at 100%.. Check your FC at sundown and again just before sunrise and see how much chlorine your cell is producing... This test should tell you how much FC your cell is producing per hour..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Frank in FL]

Frank,

I assume you had the SWCG off when running the OCLT???

Since you lost nothing at night during your OCLT, then tonight do the same test with the SWCG on at 100%.. Check your FC at sundown and again just before sunrise and see how much chlorine your cell is producing... This test should tell you how much FC your cell is producing per hour..

Thanks,

Jim R.

Yes, the cell was off last night. I had the pump come on this morning for an hour to circulate the water before I tested it at 7:30. The RPM was low enough to not trigger the cell switch.

Ill check the FC again after sundown. You mention put the cell at 100%. Does it need to be at 100% or can I keep it lower? Also, my pool has been covered the last few days, so I know I am not losing that much FC to the sun and what not.

 

[wireform]

Use 100% so we can see 100% of what is or isn't happening

 

[Frank in FL]

Use 100% so we can see 100% of what is or isn't happening

will do!

 

[Frank in FL]

Im at 5.5 of FC again. Pump is on, and cell is pushing 100%. Ill check it tomorrow morning at 7:30.
If my math is correct, I should be at 8.5-9 ppm of FC..

 

[Frank in FL]

Just went to test the water and the swg box said low temp .
It’s about 58deg now. Not sure how long the swg was not producing chlorine over night for.
Anyways, the FC reading was at 7.5 after “running” for 12 hours.
Guess I need to run the test again tonight

 

[Newdude]

So if the cell shut down for half the night then everything is about right. If it ran almost all of the 12 hours then it’s on Jandy overestimating their output. Might have to wait another week or so to guarantee the water is warm enough for the test. We won’t know for sure until then.

But the good news is that based on your test you should at the very least be able to pick up 4PPM a day of running 24/7. I remember that your system was costing you a bit more than mine was to run full time. You would have to weigh the costs to see if you preferred running all the time with a higher electric bill, or biting the bullet to change the equipment.

As is, 4PPM would be enough for a good chunk of the season. In the peak season you would need to supplement the SWG with some bleach to accommodate the high UV / bather load / etc.

But maybe we will finally have an answer as to why it’s given you such a hard time. Having a system that can’t produce enough FC is the most expensive answer you could have gotten, but at this point of your 3 year frustration level, you can decide how you want to proceed and have a much easier time with that knowledge.

 

[Frank in FL]

Finally warm weather. Pump was ran last night from 2030-0830 today. FC last night was 6. This morning it was 9.5. So the swg is putting out the correct chlorine it’s rated for.

 

[Jason245]

Since I live in Fl I’m looking to get some feed back from other Floridians who have a SWG on their pool.

My gunite pool is 16500 gallons. It gets direct sunlight for about 7-8 hours a day. During the summer last year I had to run my pump for 18 hours and my swg at 90% just to maintain around 5ppm of chlorine. My CYA is 70, PH is maintained around 7.4-7.8, Alkalinity is 70 and my salt is 3500.

I have a Jandy TruClear swg.
From what I’ve read this swg is good for a 35k gallon pool which I doubt..
According to Jandy, this unit produces 6.7 PPM of chlorine in 24 hours at 100% out put. Based on my calculations below,
6.7 X .90 (cell out put) = 6.03 of chlorine in 24 hours. 6.03/ 24 hours = .25 ppm of chlorine in 1 hour.
.25 x 18 hours = 4.5 of chlorine in 18 hours at 90% out put.
Seeing as how I need to run this cell at such a high % output, how much am I reducing it lifespan? Everyone I’ve talked with that has different brands of SWGs claim to run them at 20-50% and can easily maintain 4-6 ppm of FC.

With that being said, do any of you folks with a similar setup add liquid chlorine to your pool to help maintain proper FC levels?
Are you needing to run your SWG at a high % rate and also extend the run time of your pump?
If so, what’s the real purpose of having a SWG if you need to add chlorine? This brings me back to I’m guessing the SWG is undersized for my pool and Jandys claim on this TruClear being rated for 35k gal is far fetched.

I don't know where in florida you live, but I have a 10k gallon pool with a digital nano Auto pilot. It produces a little under 10PPM FC a day if run 24 hours. I am lose upwards of 7PPM FC a day (around 0.8LBS a day) even with chems right due to UV and Rain here in south florida during the summer. My cell life is ~10k hours, so running it 24 hours a day for 1 month takes up almost 10% of its life cycle. I have been supplementing for the last few years with liquid chlorine and Tri Chlor tabs depending on CYA situation. System was installed about 10 years ago, I have owned the house for 8 years, and been supplementing every year since I started managing it (2 ago), pool guy was supplementing too when he remembered (and it was going green when he didn't).

 

[Frank in FL]

I don't know where in florida you live, but I have a 10k gallon pool with a digital nano Auto pilot. It produces a little under 10PPM FC a day if run 24 hours. I am lose upwards of 7PPM FC a day (around 0.8LBS a day) even with chems right due to UV and Rain here in south florida during the summer. My cell life is ~10k hours, so running it 24 hours a day for 1 month takes up almost 10% of its life cycle. I have been supplementing for the last few years with liquid chlorine and Tri Chlor tabs depending on CYA situation. System was installed about 10 years ago, I have owned the house for 8 years, and been supplementing every year since I started managing it (2 ago), pool guy was supplementing too when he remembered (and it was going green when he didn't).

I am just north of you in Ocala. Looks like your cell produces about 3ppm of FC more than mine. WOW, cant believe you loose 7ppm during the summer

Not sure what the life expectancy is my cell. How much are you supplementing your pool with chlorine? What is your FC target?

 

[Jason245]

I am just north of you in Ocala. Looks like your cell produces about 3ppm of FC more than mine. WOW, cant believe you loose 7ppm during the summer

Not sure what the life expectancy is my cell. How much are you supplementing your pool with chlorine? What is your FC target?

It rains a lot, and becomes super hot, which in turn makes my pool heat to a nice warm temperature... higher temp combined with rain and UV = lots of FC loss. On top of that I get a lot of splash out from kids use.

I am usually targeting to have FC between 4 and 5 PPM.

 

[drichitt]

Since I live in Fl I’m looking to get some feed back from other Floridians who have a SWG on their pool.

My gunite pool is 16500 gallons. It gets direct sunlight for about 7-8 hours a day. During the summer last year I had to run my pump for 18 hours and my swg at 90% just to maintain around 5ppm of chlorine. My CYA is 70, PH is maintained around 7.4-7.8, Alkalinity is 70 and my salt is 3500.

I have a Jandy TruClear swg.
From what I’ve read this swg is good for a 35k gallon pool which I doubt..
According to Jandy, this unit produces 6.7 PPM of chlorine in 24 hours at 100% out put. Based on my calculations below,
6.7 X .90 (cell out put) = 6.03 of chlorine in 24 hours. 6.03/ 24 hours = .25 ppm of chlorine in 1 hour.
.25 x 18 hours = 4.5 of chlorine in 18 hours at 90% out put.
Seeing as how I need to run this cell at such a high % output, how much am I reducing it lifespan? Everyone I’ve talked with that has different brands of SWGs claim to run them at 20-50% and can easily maintain 4-6 ppm of FC.

With that being said, do any of you folks with a similar setup add liquid chlorine to your pool to help maintain proper FC levels?
Are you needing to run your SWG at a high % rate and also extend the run time of your pump?
If so, what’s the real purpose of having a SWG if you need to add chlorine? This brings me back to I’m guessing the SWG is undersized for my pool and Jandys claim on this TruClear being rated for 35k gal is far fetched.

I live in the Fla Keys and HAD a Tru-Clear SWG. My pool is only 7000 Gals and my chemistry #s are similar to yours. The Tru-Clear swg could not keep up w my chlorine needs. My local Jandy rep was able to get me upgraded to Jandy's AQUA PURE system at no charge under warranty. Since the upgrade almost 2 years ago I have had no problems. The Aqua Pure system works great.