SWG-Is it time to turn it on?

[JasonLion]

Your TA range can be 60 to 90 or 60 to 80. I tend to use 60 to 80 these days, but 60 to 90 is also fine.

In the US, baking soda most commonly comes in 1 pound boxes. 5 Kg is about 11 pounds, so 11 of those boxes. I don't know what size box baking soda comes in where you are.

The idea on the target FC level is to have the FC level be between 3 and 5 at all times during normal operation. You never want FC to be below 3, and you shouldn't have any reason to have FC above 5 unless you are shocking. That is all separate from the ideal of when to shock. Normally you shock if you see algae, if the water is cloudy or murky, or if FC falls to zero.

To get my Pool Calculator to show a FC goal of 6 to 11 you must have set CYA to 80 and source of chlorine to bleach. Since you have a SWG that is not correct for your situation. You should set the source of chlorine to SWG.

The way to manage the FC level is somewhat different if you are using the SWG, from when you are using bleach. With a SWG the FC level will be much more uniform and can be lower than with bleach. Several things in your message imply that you are using bleach. I assume you are using the SWG, or rather will be using the SWG once the FC level falls a little bit. If you are using bleach, you aren't being clear about what you are trying to do, so those parts don't make sense to me.

 

[oletrout]

Sorry for the confusing way I tried to explain what i am trying to do.


To get my Pool Calculator to show a FC goal of 6 to 11 you must have set CYA to 80 and source of chlorine to bleach. Since you have a SWG that is not correct for your situation. You should set the source of chlorine to SWG.

At the bottom of the calculator in Suggested Goal Level the primary source is set to SWG. When I scroll to the top in the yellow FC section it says GOAL:3-11. My current level is 9 and my SWG is OFF.

You never want FC to be below 3, and you shouldn't have any reason to have FC above 5 unless you are shocking.

I understand not letting it drop below 3. What I am trying to determine is how far do I let the current level drop before turning on the SWG? Do I let it drop below 5

 

[JasonLion]

It doesn't make a huge difference when you turn on the SWG, as long as you turn it on by the time the FC level gets down to 3. It is best not to cut it too close though, so I would turn it on somewhere around 5.

 

[oletrout]

Thanks Jason

 

[CUTiger78]

Oletrout - Check your inbox for a PM.

Hank

 

[oletrout]

This AM my FC is down to 5.5 and it was at 8 yesterday. Gonna be very cool the next couple of days. I turned on my SWG this AM at 60% output to see what happens over the course of 24 HRS. If the FC rises I can change it to lower or higher. Is this the right course of action OR better to set it lower today to see if there is a drop by tomorrow AM and if so I can boost it up? I do have to top up my water.

PH is 7.2-7.5. From reading other posts my understanding is now that I have turned on my SWG the PH will rise a bit. Did I read that right??

TA is 70.

Added 2K stabilizer yesterday to get CYA up a bit from 70. CYA is at 80. I understand that # will/can change in a few days when all stabilizer is fully dissolved.

Am I missing anything?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

This AM my FC is down to 5.5 and it was at 8 yesterday. Gonna be very cool the next couple of days. I turned on my SWG this AM at 60% output to see what happens over the course of 24 HRS. If the FC rises I can change it to lower or higher. Is this the right course of action OR better to set it lower today to see if there is a drop by tomorrow AM and if so I can boost it up? I do have to top up my water.

PH is 7.2-7.5. From reading other posts my understanding is now that I have turned on my SWG the PH will rise a bit. Did I read that right??

TA is 70.

Added 2K stabilizer yesterday to get CYA up a bit from 70. CYA is at 80. I understand that # will/can change in a few days when all stabilizer is fully dissolved.

Am I missing anything?

Your plan for FC sounds good. Your PH usually only rises if the TA is high and your's is perfect, so you should see the PH be stable. You might see the occasional rise and need acid, just play it by ear.

 

[oletrout]

I think I'm getting there. Can someone have a look and let me know.

Water temp-- 62
Salt--3350
FC--6
CC--0
TC--6
PH--7.2-7.5
TA--60
CYA--80
CAL--80

Looking at the PC i can see the PH is off a bit. SWG is still OFF.

Do I do anything at this point?

Cheers

 

[Butterfly]

I think I'm getting there. Can someone have a look and let me know.

Water temp-- 62
Salt--3350
FC--6
CC--0
TC--6
PH--7.2-7.5
TA--60
CYA--80
CAL--80

Looking at the PC i can see the PH is off a bit. SWG is still OFF.
When you say the SWG is still OFF, do you mean you have yet to turn it on after the shocking & the FC has just drifted down to 6? Either way, when FC gets to 5, I'd turn it on.

Do I do anything at this point?
Well, what about the pH? The Pool School article on "Water Balance for SWGs" strongly suggests pH not be below 7.5. So, can you get a little closer with the test? :-D

btw, your buddy Joe just joined the TFP folks. Thanks for sending him over


Cheers

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

I think your FC will be there tomorrow, and you can turn the SWG on. And I think when you do, the SWG will raise the PH up where it needs to be. If it doesn't, just add a little Borax and you should be good to go!

 

[oletrout]

I think I'm getting there. Can someone have a look and let me know.

Water temp-- 62
Salt--3350
FC--6
CC--0
TC--6
PH--7.2-7.5
TA--60
CYA--80
CAL--80

Looking at the PC i can see the PH is off a bit. SWG is still OFF.
When you say the SWG is still OFF, do you mean you have yet to turn it on after the shocking & the FC has just drifted down to 6? Either way, when FC gets to 5, I'd turn it on.

Remember the post in SWG thread where I asked if I screwed up .
"Have I gone backward again?In the process of shocking I was using a shock level target of 10 when my CYA was 20. Tested FC this evening and it was 8.5 so using the PCAL, I added 3.5 L of 12% to raise it to ten."

At that time I turned off the SWG and the CL level has been dropping. We've had some lousy weather and lots of rain. I had turned it back on,set at 60% output, but that was too much and the cl level moved back up so I shut it off again.Still waiting for it to get down to 5 at which time I will start it up at the lowest output and work it from there..

Do I do anything at this point?
Well, what about the pH? The Pool School article on "Water Balance for SWGs" strongly suggests pH not be below 7.5. So, can you get a little closer with the test? :-D
I re-did it and now conclude it's 7.2, so I'm gonna aim for 7.6 which requires 3.9 K or 1.8 x76 oz box of Borax . I'll get that in tomorrow if this rain stops.

btw, your buddy Joe just joined the TFP folks. Thanks for sending him over

 

[oletrout]

I think your FC will be there tomorrow, and you can turn the SWG on. And I think when you do, the SWG will raise the PH up where it needs to be. If it doesn't, just add a little Borax and you should be good to go!

OOPS-Sorry mom--Just saw your post after replying to Butterfly's.

OK.I will put in half the PC recommended amt of Borax tomorrow morning . I will test again after the cl level drops to 5 and the SWG has been running for a day at 20%
Cheers

 

[Butterfly]

....................... We've had some lousy weather and lots of rain. I had turned it back on,set at 60% output, but that was too much and the cl level moved back up so I shut it off again.Still waiting for it to get down to 5 at which time I will start it up at the lowest output and work it from there..

Sounds like a plan!

The only negative in your numbers (to me) is the water temperature! :lol:

 

[oletrout]

The only negative in your numbers (to me) is the water temperature! :lol:

Unlike the ' tropics' of SC ,us folks in the frozen North have short seasons. :lol:

 

[oletrout]

I'll soon be done bugging y'all- I THINK

It's been 6 days since I did a complete test .
Pump running 8 hrs a day and SWG set at 20% output.

Here are my readings from this AM and my thinking as to what I should do

CL--4.5. Using FC Target of 6 , I added 1.8 L of 12% liq CL.
PH-7.8
CYA-80
TA-50. Recommended is 60-80 I'm thinking to raise it to 70 figuring it will be easier to raise it more in the future than trying to lower it. To get to 70 my calculation says I should add 5.1 K of B.Soda.

Would I be doing the right thing by adding the BS at this point?

 

[grumpy]

This isn't an answer to your baking soda question. I'll admit that I have not read all of your thread so I won't step into that conversation but I do have a question for you.

Is your CH still at 80 ppm? I know that you have a painted pool and that you don't need to worry about low calcium hardness but Pentair does recommend CH at a minimum of 200 ppm for their intellichlor SWG. I'm not sure why but it may be a consideration for your warranty.

Also, if I put all of your numbers into the Pool Calculator correctly you have a CSI of -0.99 which is really close to being a problem no mater what your pool surface is.

Sorry to interrupt but I mention it as something else to consider.

Edit-- Ok, I went back and read the whole post. I see that you have been struggling with FC. and are still adding liquid chlorine even though your SWG is running. You shouldn't have to add the liquid unless you are trying to shock. Remember that you have two ways to adjust your SWG, the % on-time buttons on the unit AND the pump run time. If 20% on the IC-40 is not enough, boost your pump run time from 8 to maybe 10 hours.

My pH stays pretty stable with TA at 70ppm. You may want to shoot for that when you add the baking soda. There's no reason not to go ahead and add that now. --End Edit

 

[JasonLion]

Yes, add baking soda as you said now.

With a SWG and a CYA of 80 you always want the FC level to be 3 or higher. This is best measured in the early evening, which is when the FC level is typically lowest.

If the paint is fully intact, there isn't any point in worrying about CH being low or CSI being negative.

 

[oletrout]

Thank you for the speedy response. Ok-i got the B Soda. Question--How do I add the 5 K? In a sock, skimmer or dump it in. I searched all over here but can't find the answer. Closest i saw was dump it in the deep end and let the water circulate??

 

[JasonLion]

Baking soda is fairly forgiving and can be added in several ways. I like to pre-dissolve it in a bucket and then pour that into the pool.

 

[oletrout]

Good stuff. Thanks