After reviewing all the posts and manuals I could find on all of the SWG systems, I have concluded that the Goldline Aqua Plus is better for me than the Pool Pilot Digital because:
1. I have space to mount the Aqua Plus before the pool/spa return valve. The Aqua Plus allows you to set separate SWG rates for pool vs. spa mode. The Pool Pilot does not have this capability so it needs to be installed after the valve, which would require extensive repiping in my case.
2. For about the same price, the Aqua Plus provides a complete pool automation system plus a SWG. I can use it to control all of my equipment including the 3-way valves (with the additional purchase of two valve actuators), which gives me a one-button solution for switching between pool and spa mode.
3. Finally, compared with the other pool automation/SWG systems like Jandy and Pentair, I found the user interface of the Goldline Aqua Plus to be the most intuitive. Also, I was not interested in controlling the unit remotely, so the user interface at the control panel was important to me. (Note that both wired and wireless remote options are available for the Aqua Plus.)
Having said all this, I am still wondering about the one feature that the Pool Pilot Digital has that the other SWGs do not, namely the capability to automatically adjust chlorine generation to changes in the water temperature. How big a deal is this? I live in N. Virginia where the water temperature starts out in the 60s when I open the pool at the end of April to 80+ during the peak of summer, but the water temperature typically does not change much on a day-to-day basis. There will usually be one big spike in June when the water temperature will jump up from the low to high 70s and then pretty much stay there until the end of August.
For anyone who owns a non-Pool Pilot SWG, how often do you adjust your chlorine output level during the season to account for water temperature changes?
1. I have space to mount the Aqua Plus before the pool/spa return valve. The Aqua Plus allows you to set separate SWG rates for pool vs. spa mode. The Pool Pilot does not have this capability so it needs to be installed after the valve, which would require extensive repiping in my case.
2. For about the same price, the Aqua Plus provides a complete pool automation system plus a SWG. I can use it to control all of my equipment including the 3-way valves (with the additional purchase of two valve actuators), which gives me a one-button solution for switching between pool and spa mode.
3. Finally, compared with the other pool automation/SWG systems like Jandy and Pentair, I found the user interface of the Goldline Aqua Plus to be the most intuitive. Also, I was not interested in controlling the unit remotely, so the user interface at the control panel was important to me. (Note that both wired and wireless remote options are available for the Aqua Plus.)
Having said all this, I am still wondering about the one feature that the Pool Pilot Digital has that the other SWGs do not, namely the capability to automatically adjust chlorine generation to changes in the water temperature. How big a deal is this? I live in N. Virginia where the water temperature starts out in the 60s when I open the pool at the end of April to 80+ during the peak of summer, but the water temperature typically does not change much on a day-to-day basis. There will usually be one big spike in June when the water temperature will jump up from the low to high 70s and then pretty much stay there until the end of August.
For anyone who owns a non-Pool Pilot SWG, how often do you adjust your chlorine output level during the season to account for water temperature changes?