IceShadow - SWCG Thread

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IceShadow

IceShadow

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TFP Guide
Jun 8, 2019
4,581
Milwaukee, WI
Pool Size
20000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Hey all! I finally didn't get an eyeroll from the wife when bringing up a SWCG for the first time, and instead was being asked questions about cost, longevity, ease of install, salt to add, etc. So it sounds like she's giving me approval to investigate adding a SWCG. :D

My current pad looks like this (some minor changes since this photo from 2-3 years ago, but nothing substantial):

962ab2e2-2109-4e7a-9e1e-fc7075fed20d-jpeg.144236


The run between the heater and the returns is the logical place for it, but I'm concerned it might be difficult to fit around the filter.

My understanding is that SWCG consist of two components - a controller that goes on the wall, and the salt cell that goes in the plumbing. The brick you see right behind the pad is my chimney. Any issues with putting the controller on that? I could install right above the switches on the right side, probably. The switches are for my heater and my pump, which are on separate circuits, though my heater also has some exterior lights on the same circuit. Should I just put it on my pump circuit? I can get more information (amperage of line, etc.) if that would help.

This might be a time to think about some sort of automation, too. Pretty sure both my heater and pump could be on a box that would be connected to the wifi and controllable via app. Or is that overkill when you don't have a spa and would just have the heater/pump/SWCG on the controller?
 
Put your SWG on the pump circuit. Amps will be about 2 amps @ 240V.

You can mount the control panel above the switches.

Was your Superflo VS pump manufactured after 11/20/2020 with RS-485 communication in which case it can digitally communicate with IntelliCenter, IntelliSync, EasyTouch, and IntelliTouch systems?

Pentair Superflo VS Pumps - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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IceShadow said:
but I'm concerned it might be difficult to fit around the filter.
Click to expand...
Bump it a couple inches forward. Some 90s won't matter in a short, uncomplicated system. (Forgive the elementary school drawing abilities :ROFLMAO:)

Screenshot_20230410_170513_Chrome.jpg



IceShadow said:
My understanding is that SWCG consist of two components - a controller that goes on the wall, and the salt cell that goes in the plumbing.
Click to expand...
You got it.
IceShadow said:
The brick you see right behind the pad is my chimney. Any issues with putting the controller on that?
Click to expand...
Does it get warm when used (in the fall?). You could always mount a 2X8 (?) Between the wall and unit for a buffer. Or stick it on a post next to the pump.
IceShadow said:
Or is that overkill when you don't have a spa and would just have the heater/pump/SWCG on the controller
Click to expand...
It would be overkill to me, but plenty of people like having their toys.
 
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ajw22 said:
Put your SWG on the pump circuit. Amps will be about 2 amps @ 240V.

You can mount the control panel above the switches.

Was your Superflo VS pump manufactured after 11/20/2020 with RS-485 communication in which case it can digitally communicate with IntelliCenter, IntelliSync, EasyTouch, and IntelliTouch systems?

Pentair Superflo VS Pumps - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...
Manufacture date is 12/2019. So the pump probably can't be controlled anyway. Ah well :)
 
Newdude said:
Bump it a couple inches forward. Some 90s won't matter in a short, uncomplicated system. (Forgive the elementary school drawing abilities :ROFLMAO:)

View attachment 481536
Click to expand...
I'll see what the dimensions are when it comes in, but I can replace everything from the heater to the union right before the returns pretty easily. It might fit just fine - not sure quite how tight it is there or what the dimensions of the cell would be. Just need to make sure I still have access to the plug at the bottom of the filter to drain it in the fall, though I could always take apart a couple of unions to access the plug too, since I typically only need to drain the filter once a year.
Newdude said:
Does it get warm when used (in the fall?). You could always mount a 2X8 (?) Between the wall and unit for a buffer. Or stick it on a post next to the pump.
Click to expand...
I've never really checked, but the two switches on the far side don't show any sort of damage from the heat I can see. I think if I mount it to the far edge above the switches it should be safe.
Newdude said:
It would be overkill to me, but plenty of people like having their toys.
Click to expand...
It's gonna be a hard sell to the wife anyway. The only real question at this point is if I go with a Pentair SWCG with the idea of making it more friendly for automation to be added later or the cheaper Circupool units. :)
 
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Mdragger88 said:
View attachment 481539
This would drive me nuts, although there’s not much you can do about it unless you wanna dig it up.
to add insult to injury they put their sticker on it!
Click to expand...
It may have been pushed to the side over the years. Who knows? It still works so I'm not planning to dig it up.

But I agree, it does bother me. I have to just let my eyes slide past it.
 
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Not rolling her eyes :rolleyes: and asking you questions about it is pretty much permission to buy I would think. :kim::whoot::kim:
Don't forget to slip in the higher price of liquid chlorine into the conversation.

How many months is your swim season?
How many of those months does the heater run?
How many hours per day is the pump running?

If you're considering Circupool, the RJ45+ or RJ60+ would work well.
A Pentair IC40 or IC60 if you're set on future automation (higher cost plus automation cost).
 
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proavia said:
Not rolling her eyes :rolleyes: and asking you questions about it is pretty much permission to buy I would think. :kim::whoot::kim:
Don't forget to slip in the higher price of liquid chlorine into the conversation.

How many months is your swim season?
Click to expand...
About April to about Sept/Oct, extended with heater, so 5-6 months or so.
proavia said:
How many of those months does the heater run?
Click to expand...
Pretty much all of them. It’s rare for a nighttime temperatures here to be above 85 to 90° even during the hottest days of the year, and the kids don’t like swimming in less than 82 to 83° water.
proavia said:
How many hours per day is the pump running?
Click to expand...
I typically run it at a low speed most of the time all day, and then a faster speed for an hour or so before I would use it after work for skimming and testing.
proavia said:
If you're considering Circupool, the RJ45+ or RJ60+ would work well.
A Pentair IC40 or IC60 if you're set on future automation (higher cost plus automation cost).
Click to expand...
 

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I was wondering about the heater use in WI. If you didn't use it much, a heater bypass would be beneficial to have as you could run the pump as a lower RPM and still satisfy the SWG flow switch. But since the heater is a big part of your pool enjoyment, a heater bypass would be good in case the heater broke as you could isolate the heater and still run the pump. You may still consider the heater bypass, it will add about $150 in parts for the 3-way Jandy valve and Jandy check valve.

The Pentair SWG is more easily controlled with Pentair automation.
 
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Congrats!!! After 1 month of adding Liquid Chlorine to the pool the SWCG was the best thing ever. I have the IC40 with the Pentair wifi automation the best feature you have with that system is you can dial in the cell a little more can have it run at 12% or 27% where the buttons only allow 10-20% increments (but probably not worth the extra 1000's). I think the cell the control panel and the wifi setup cost me around $3500 but that was a year and half ago so probably 50% more today. Also remember they are rated for about 10K hours of use so I would get the biggest one you can so it last the longest and also allows you to more quickly bump up chlorine quicker. You should be able to look at the lb/day of chlorine they are rated for so you can do some calcs for your pool based on your historic chlorine usage.

Also recommend 3 ft from heater exit, installed vertically with 12" of straight pipe before inlet.
 
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It's hard to see the clearance in the picture. There's no need for much of an air gap. "A miss is as good as a mile," I think. (Mine is against a wall with about an inch of clearance. No issues.)

An elbow up and back arrangement to bring it forward would drive me crazy, same as @Mdragger88 . Probably nothing terribly bad about it. Just looks like a kludge. Forever...
 
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generessler said:
It's hard to see the clearance in the picture. There's no need for much of an air gap. "A miss is as good as a mile," I think. (Mine is against a wall with about an inch of clearance. No issues.)

An elbow up and back arrangement to bring it forward would drive me crazy, same as @Mdragger88 . Probably nothing terribly bad about it. Just looks like a kludge. Forever...
Click to expand...
Here, this should help. I think it’ll be plenty.

C33255B6-0051-462C-A4E5-F77FB6C4845C.jpeg
 
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50% more lifespan for 16% more cost. It's like buying an IC20 for 74% off at today's price of $929 (cell only) for the IC20. The maths work in your favor BIGTIME. Think of future you. Future you will LOVE it. :)
 
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