How many salt cells do I need

[RPSwat]

Hey All,

I am new to this site and in the process of constructing our pool. I intend to install (already purchased) a Hayward Aqua Plus with 40k salt cell. I will have ~ 38k gal. I believe I can turn the entire pool over in ~ 8 hours. My question is will this one cell be enough to handle the entire pool only running for 8 hours per day, or do I need to install additional cells? Any advice would be much apperciated.

Thanks,

Rick

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

We recommend sizing the SWG for 1.5-3 times the size of your pool. I do not think that 40k SWG will produce enough FC for you in 8 hours. BTW, there is no reason to worry about turn-over. See: Determine Pump Run Time

You might want to look at some of the bigger SWGs like Autopilot, Circupool (although there is some question about the quality here recently), or Pentair.

Oh shoot, I see you have Hayward AQL-Plus already. Well, you can try with just the one 40k cell, but it may not keep up in the middle of summer without longer run times or bleach supplement. You can always add another one later.

 

[RPSwat]

Thank you! Are there instructions on here somewhere that talk about installing two SWGs? I apperciate your help and time in advance.

 

[jblizzle]

No instructions. I think AQL-plus can somehow be hooked up to control 2 SWG, you still need the control box for the 2nd one, but I think it becomes a slave to the automation system. This might be covered in the manuals.

I think ideally you want to put the SWG cells in series so that your flow rate requirements do not go up.

 

[JamesW]

Instead of buying an expensive second cell and power supply, you would probably do better just running longer since you have a VSP. At low speed, the power required is pretty low.

 

[jblizzle]

Instead of buying an expensive second cell and power supply, you would probably do better just running longer since you have a VSP. At low speed, the power required is pretty low.

Agreed. I would certainly wait at least a year and see how the single one works before adding a 2nd one.

 

[JamesW]

If it's not too late, you might want to consider a large cartridge filter instead of a sand filter. A cartridge filter has less resistance to flow than a sand filter. That means that you can run at lower rpm for the same flow rate. Lower rpm means less power and lower cost to run.

In fact, head loss will probably be so low that the needle on the pressure gauge might not even move.

 

[pooldv]

True, I run my Intelliflo at 1100 rpm for skimming and making chlorine, it uses 150 watts and the pressure gauge on the cartridge filter is 0. At 10.25c/kWh I can run my pump 24x7 for less than 12 bucks a month.

 

[RPSwat]

Thanks for the advice!

 

[ping]

Just to let you know, the AquaRite can add about 4.5 ppm of FC in your pool in 24 hours if the output is set to 100%. Each pool is different on how much chlorine it uses, but it is not uncommon to need around 4 ppm of chlorine during the summer.