Varying Salt Tests + SWG

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fitchspencer

Member
Jun 2, 2024
5
Massachusetts
Recently bought a house with a fiberglass pool with an SWG. My previous house had a pool but this is my first time with salt. The previous owners never tested the salt and only relied on the SWG’s salt reading. The SWG is a Hayward TCELL940 (extended life T15) with a 12,000 gal fiberglass pool. There are no errors with the SWG indicating low or high salt levels and seems to be functioning correctly. It is about 4.5 years old and the cell has never been replaced. I dont know about cleanings.

I am finding wildly varying salt levels depending on the testing method. Can anyone explain and tell me what I should be following?

The readings are as follows:
-SWG instant salt ranges from 1900-2300ppm
-Drop test is 5400ppm using Taylor salt test
-Salt test strips is 4400ppm
-Cheap digital tester is 4150ppm

What am I missing?
 
Hi Fitch.
If you don't have a Taylor K1566 Salt Test Kit, I suggest you get one. If you want a real salt level of the water, this kit is it.

Its certainly possible for the SWG system to report one level, and the test kit to report another. Slight differences are OK and expected, but if there is a big difference in the two, then something weird is going on.

The manufacturer states their recommended salt levels and thats what you should go by, but generally it will range from 2800 to 3500 ppm.
 
fitchspencer said:
I am finding wildly varying salt levels depending on the testing method. Can anyone explain and tell me what I should be following?

The readings are as follows:
-SWG instant salt ranges from 1900-2300ppm
-Drop test is 5400ppm using Taylor salt test
-Salt test strips is 4400ppm
-Cheap digital tester is 4150ppm

What am I missing?
Click to expand...

K-1766 Taylor test tells you what actual salt level is.

Hayward Aquarite cell calculates salt level. It does not measure it.

To get the performance of the cell, divide the instant salinity by the actual salinity. If the ratio is less than 75%, it's time for a new cell. For example, 2,000 (instant salinity) ÷ 3,600 (measured salinity with a test kit)=56%. Check the cell and clean it if necessary. If that doesn't work, it's time for a new cell.

Trash your salt test strips and cheap meter.

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