Hayward Prologic - can I automate the SWG with an ORP probe?

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Drew80

Drew80

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Feb 26, 2013
337
Austin, TX
I've been googling and haven't found an answer to this. I have a Hayward Prologic with a SWG, and I'm constantly fiddling with the level of chlorine generation based on the season. Is there a way to close the feedback loop on that using an ORP probe?
 
Short answer is in theory, yes. You can use a Hayward Sense & Dispense system, however, because the recommendation by many(especially on this forum) is to maintain Cyanuric Acid at high levels the ORP probe may not work the way it was designed and may provide inconsistent results. There are a few on this forum who have tried it without success. I have had success using the sense and dispense system but thats because I dispense liquid Chlorine instead of using a SWG.

You can review the thread i created about the system here
 
Drew,

Not many of us are fans of the ORP process as it has varying degrees of success.

The main problem is that you can't run a very high CYA level, which is one of the things we always recommend when using a SWCG.

ORP systems are kind of like car autopilots. they work right up to the point of impact.. :mrgreen:

I guess I am somewhat biased as I like taking care of my pool.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
@Jimrahbe I enjoy the maintenance somewhat too, but I've had more than one algae bloom because I wasn't paying attention or traveling and got a ton of debris in the pool (I have a lot of trees, so change of seasons are rough). I maintain the FC at 3-4 normally, but it sometimes still gets overloaded. It would be great if I had a system that auto-corrects for fluctuations.

@joboo7777 Why would a liquid chlorine feeder be any better than a SWG if it's the ORP probe that's inconsistent?
 
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Drew,

The whole point of having a SWCG is so you can go on vacation or slack off from time to time. Really, if you, or anyone else, gets algae, it is simply because the FC was not kept high enough.

Not sure it applies in your case, but I see this all the time. The pool owner tries to keep their FC between the minimum and their target. Doing this requires the pool owner to be on top of everything all the time. Call me lazy, but for me, this is way too much effort.. :mrgreen:

I recommend that you set your SWCG to keep your FC at or above your target. And look at your minimum as a cliff that you never want to fall off, so you stay well away from it.

I only worry if my FC drops below my target. Normally this means if we have a cloudy day my FC will go up, I don't care as it will just come down a little on sunny days.

Stuff falling into your pool just does not cause algae. Rain storms do not cause algae. Keeping your FC too low will cause algae.

I have three saltwater pool that in total have been saltwater pools for almost 25 years. I have never once gotten algae. All three pools still have their original water. I am often not able to answer SLAM questions as I have never actually done one.. :shock:

In my mind you are trying to run your FC to close to the cliff.

That said, we have a few members that use the ORP system and maybe we can get some of them to chime in..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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Drew80 said:
@Jimrahbe I enjoy the maintenance somewhat too, but I've had more than one algae bloom because I wasn't paying attention or traveling and got a ton of debris in the pool (I have a lot of trees, so change of seasons are rough). I maintain the FC at 3-4 normally, but it sometimes still gets overloaded. It would be great if I had a system that auto-corrects for fluctuations.

@joboo7777 Why would a liquid chlorine feeder be any better than a SWG if it's the ORP probe that's inconsistent?
Click to expand...

When using liquid Chlorine you can minimize the amount of Cyanuric Acid so that the ORP probe is more effective.
 
@Jimrahbe I think you nailed it. I try to maintain it in the 3-4 range, but even I get lazy and go on vacation. I should just bump the SWG up a few notches.

@joboo7777 I'm curious why you're able to run with lower CYA. Why does using liquid vs a SWG make that possible? Do you find that running with liquid chlorine is cost-effective? I've thought about installing a liquid chlorine system once my salt cell craps out.
 
If you want to monitor sanitation level with ORP, you will need to run at CYA levels below about 30. The main drawback would be you need to run your SWG at a higher % and accept the shorter lifespan. I previously had CYA around 45 with ORP and the sensitivity to FC levels was not very good. I have since let it drift down to around 20-25, and ORP is pretty accurate and tracks well. This cost me about 25% additional run time on my SWG, but I'm ok with that. I oversized my SWG. I like being able to look at my phone and see my pH and sanitation level. I control the SWG manually based on what I see over a few days or a week on the ORP. If it drifts below 600mV, I bump up my SWG a little.
 
@Drew80 In my case, my Pentair IntelliChlor60 and Intellichem ORP are linked to my Intellicenter automation panel. When I see ORP has gone low and stayed there for a few days or a week (say < 600mV), I just manually adjust the IntelliChlor % run time. I normally have the % run time set to around 60%, but have headroom to to increase it by quite a bit if needed. In the winter and spring, I have it much lower and start to slowly bring it higher based on the ORP reading and maybe a monthly test. It's nice to be able to avoid having to test frequently. I just check my phone every day to see what my pH, ORP, water temperature, pump power readings are so I can keep an eye on things without going outside.

I could set it up so the Intellichem can automatically control the SWG, but this seems unnecessary for me as I don't see the need to be controlling chlorine on a hour by hour basis, or even day by day basis.
 

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Drew80 said:
@scchan1w how do you do this, technically? Does the SWG plug directly into your ORP sensor or does this all go through your automation system? I'm not even sure my equipment (Hayward) can support what I want to do.
Click to expand...
I believe the prologic you have can support the Hayward Sense & Dispense system. I believe there are soecific SWGs that are compatible as well. This is what I use and is similar to that Intellichem system referenced in previous posts

Here is a link to the manual. There is a section that talks about required hardware.

You might also read through my thread on the Sense & Dispense system.

Hope this helps
 
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