For various reasons I was unable to install an SWG last year, however my goal for this spring was to “get’er doneâ€. I had posted several questions about a year ago regarding location alternatives of the manifold/cell assembly in my pool set-up. Poolsean, Strannik, JasonLion and others responded with some good advice.
A link to that old thread is here
I ended up putting the manifold where the old puck chlorinator was located. PoolSean had suggested (if space was tight) I could install the manifold at a 90 degree angle to the horizontal and still be golden, but something about that looked ‘funky’ to me. So, I went with a traditional horizontal install -- it required I sacrifice one of my 18 year old Jandy valves, but I think I would have had to do that anyway. On the plus side -- I put in one of the black Jandy Never-Lube valves. No more grease cap!
I’d like to thank Sean, Jason and others for their insight and a big thanks to Josh at SaltPoolGuys.com for getting me the TFP Supporter price on a Pool Pilot and fast turn around (3 days to my front doorstep). I’m sure I’ll have more questions as time goes by -- so it’s nice to know there is a place to come to for support.
Also, if anyone out there is thinking of doing a DIY install – it’s not that hard. The best advice I can give is visualize where your final PVC/plumbing connection is going to be and how it’s going to connect. Remember, 1.5-2 inch pvc doesn’t “give†very much (hint, hint) -- so it’s possible to back yourself into a corner if you don’t think it through. Oh, and if you’re a novice to PVC and gluing it all up, take a look at this sites video – it has a good step-by-step using PVC adhesive
One issue that I have right now with the Pool Pilot is an occasional ‘check system’ light. It comes on (infrequently) when the cell is in the ‘On’ state. It occurs at the beginning of the cell energized cycle for 15 to 20 seconds. The message is
Warning! Low Amps – Cell?
I’ve only seen the message appear briefly twice -- the second time I was able to read the voltage and current. They were: 13v and 2.8 amps.
Purification level is currently at Power Level 1 and 10%. This has been holding my Cl in the 5-6 ppm range for the past week with little/no bather load.
During normal operation (no Check System light) in Test Pool Pilot mode in the service menu my voltage and current are 17v 5.0 amps (sometimes 4.9 amps) whether the cell is ‘On’ or ‘Off’. I did a Force Reverse and the display indicated that polarity reversed properly. voltage and current were the same as above – 17v and 5 amps (sometimes 4.9 amps).
I have the Pool Pilot connected to an external timer and I verified with a meter that the Load connections to my pool pump motor were definitely 220v prior to installing everything. I didn’t change any jumpers on the control box prior to install as the Pool Pilot manual states it comes from the factory supporting 220v.
One thing that is a little high is my salt content (4000 ppm) -- I added too much salt when I first brought the pool online with the new SWG.
My current numbers are as follows (using a Taylor K2006):
FC: 5
CC: 0
pH: 7.5
TA: 80
CH: 400
CYA: 70
Temp: 77
Salt: 4000
I have two questions (Finally! -- he says :-D ):
1) is it normal for the voltage and current to be the same when the cell is energized and when it’s not energized? Off hand, I would expect these to change when the cell is ‘On’ vs ‘Off’
2) since the ‘Check System’ light only comes on (when it does come on) right at the beginning of the ‘On’ cycle, is this indicating that the cell voltage and current are ‘ramping’ up over the course of 15 – 20 seconds? If so, why don’t I get a light every time the cell is activated? Is the high salt content a factor?
A link to that old thread is here
I ended up putting the manifold where the old puck chlorinator was located. PoolSean had suggested (if space was tight) I could install the manifold at a 90 degree angle to the horizontal and still be golden, but something about that looked ‘funky’ to me. So, I went with a traditional horizontal install -- it required I sacrifice one of my 18 year old Jandy valves, but I think I would have had to do that anyway. On the plus side -- I put in one of the black Jandy Never-Lube valves. No more grease cap!
I’d like to thank Sean, Jason and others for their insight and a big thanks to Josh at SaltPoolGuys.com for getting me the TFP Supporter price on a Pool Pilot and fast turn around (3 days to my front doorstep). I’m sure I’ll have more questions as time goes by -- so it’s nice to know there is a place to come to for support.
Also, if anyone out there is thinking of doing a DIY install – it’s not that hard. The best advice I can give is visualize where your final PVC/plumbing connection is going to be and how it’s going to connect. Remember, 1.5-2 inch pvc doesn’t “give†very much (hint, hint) -- so it’s possible to back yourself into a corner if you don’t think it through. Oh, and if you’re a novice to PVC and gluing it all up, take a look at this sites video – it has a good step-by-step using PVC adhesive
One issue that I have right now with the Pool Pilot is an occasional ‘check system’ light. It comes on (infrequently) when the cell is in the ‘On’ state. It occurs at the beginning of the cell energized cycle for 15 to 20 seconds. The message is
Warning! Low Amps – Cell?
I’ve only seen the message appear briefly twice -- the second time I was able to read the voltage and current. They were: 13v and 2.8 amps.
Purification level is currently at Power Level 1 and 10%. This has been holding my Cl in the 5-6 ppm range for the past week with little/no bather load.
During normal operation (no Check System light) in Test Pool Pilot mode in the service menu my voltage and current are 17v 5.0 amps (sometimes 4.9 amps) whether the cell is ‘On’ or ‘Off’. I did a Force Reverse and the display indicated that polarity reversed properly. voltage and current were the same as above – 17v and 5 amps (sometimes 4.9 amps).
I have the Pool Pilot connected to an external timer and I verified with a meter that the Load connections to my pool pump motor were definitely 220v prior to installing everything. I didn’t change any jumpers on the control box prior to install as the Pool Pilot manual states it comes from the factory supporting 220v.
One thing that is a little high is my salt content (4000 ppm) -- I added too much salt when I first brought the pool online with the new SWG.
My current numbers are as follows (using a Taylor K2006):
FC: 5
CC: 0
pH: 7.5
TA: 80
CH: 400
CYA: 70
Temp: 77
Salt: 4000
I have two questions (Finally! -- he says :-D ):
1) is it normal for the voltage and current to be the same when the cell is energized and when it’s not energized? Off hand, I would expect these to change when the cell is ‘On’ vs ‘Off’
2) since the ‘Check System’ light only comes on (when it does come on) right at the beginning of the ‘On’ cycle, is this indicating that the cell voltage and current are ‘ramping’ up over the course of 15 – 20 seconds? If so, why don’t I get a light every time the cell is activated? Is the high salt content a factor?
on the install! Looks like a Pro did it! Good link on the PVC, too!