IC-40 Dead???

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Well dang.
Another question - when I stand by the SWG I hear “bubbles” going through the system and I think there is a tiny leak on the pool side of the SWG. Not even enough to make the ground wet below it but there’s usually a drip sitting there if I run my finger under it. On the bottom of the pipe where the union glues to it the pipe seems rough. Any chance this is an issue? Is hearing bubbles normal? There are still bubbles coming out of one of the returns when the SWG is on.
 
Gnarbrah said:
Well dang.
Another question - when I stand by the SWG I hear “bubbles” going through the system and I think there is a tiny leak on the pool side of the SWG. Not even enough to make the ground wet below it but there’s usually a drip sitting there if I run my finger under it. On the bottom of the pipe where the union glues to it the pipe seems rough. Any chance this is an issue? Is hearing bubbles normal? There are still bubbles coming out of one of the returns when the SWG is on.
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Bubbles are normal and are a byproduct of chlorine production. You are still getting limited production so this is probably what you’re seeing. The drip may be an o-ring not quite sealed. You can pull the unions apart, lube the rings with Magic Lube II and reassemble to see if the drip stops. You might also try tightening that union a bit more. Only tighten by hand, you can risk cracking the unions using tools.
 
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I did pull the union apart and lubed the o-rings a month or two ago when I cleaned the SWG. I know it sounds weird but it seems like the leak is at the glue side of the union.
So bubbles are normal - is it normal to hear them at the SWG bouncing around in there?

On that note - I was informed on TFP to not use muriatic acid the clean the salt cells. How are you supposed to clean them? I don't want to mess up my new one once I get it!
 
Gnarbrah said:
How are you supposed to clean them?
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By properly balancing the water so they never need to be soaked in harmful acid. An ounce of prevention whoops a pound of cure.

Gnarbrah said:
So bubbles are normal - is it normal to hear them at the SWG bouncing around in there?
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Champagne bubbles or glug glugs ?
 
Inspect the unions closely. I’ve seen them crack due to over tightening or age. It could be the glue joint is aged and failing, however that’s not super likely.
 
Check the o-rings to see if they have flattened out. Over time in compression they can lose their roundness and not seal correctly.
 
Gnarbrah said:
The o rings seemed good a month or so ago when I lubed them.
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When did the bubbles start ?

Does it sound like big and/or single bubbles or a bazillion little bubbles ?

Gnarbrah said:
It’s at 7 with the SWG running at 100% all day…
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So you got through the days FC loss with lots of leeway above minimum FC. Well done. (y)
 

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The bubbles almost sound like air trapped in the SWG - almost raspy sounding maybe? Really hard to describe. I’ll try to get a video tomorrow. That’s a great question as to when they started. I started another thread about them thinking I had a leak but can’t for the life of me remember if I pulled the SWG to clean it before or after.
And I guess I’m happy I made it through the day. But I think I started at 9 and ended at 7 with it running at 100%.
Guess tomorrow I’ll be checking CYA and getting it to around 60 (?) and using LC till I get my hands on a new unit.
 
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Gnarbrah said:
And I guess I’m happy I made it through the day. But I think I started at 9 and ended at 7 with it running at 100%.
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The cell is on its last legs either way. You could have a bad cell *and* a swamp. So you have that going for you, which is nice.
Gnarbrah said:
Guess tomorrow I’ll be checking CYA and getting it to around 60
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Report back first. With LC the higher CYA usually isnt needed because you spike the FC and let it drift down all day. With the SWG you are limited to what it can produce over the day so every bit of protection is important.

Gnarbrah said:
get my hands on a new unit.
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Marina pools and spa in Denver is always competitive and sometimes fabulous. You have to call for the best deals and full warranty, but definitely give them a try when shopping around. At least 2 people got good deals this week and last, or last week and the one before.
 
You’re right for sure! At least the pool looks great and it actually hit the perfect temp today (87° in case anyone was wondering) and is swimmable for the weekend. I had to get trees cut down this week (yay more money gone) and I have a ton of yard clean up and fence repair (yay even more money) so I’ll be sweating my (insert noun here) off all weekend. Pool will come in handy!
Will check in first thing in the morning with FC and CYA numbers and go from there. I have a friend who owns a pool business and he’s checking on a new SWG for me but if that falls through I’ll be working with Marina for sure.
 
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