Time To Replace SWG. Suggestions?

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LynnOnTheWeb

LynnOnTheWeb

LifeTime Supporter
Jun 16, 2013
144
Austin, TX
Pool Size
16000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Hi All,

I think it's time to bite the bullet and replace my current SWG.

I have a Jandy1400, been on the system for about 10 years now. It stopped generating chlorine so I replaced the cell. Still not working. Getting error codes, testing the board the way the service manual says, and can't really come up with any answers.

My question to the forum, what systems are people recommending right now?

I have a small pool, about 12000 gallons, Texas summers keep the water at about 94 degrees, pebble-tech finish, a cottonwood overhead, and crepe myrtles lining the side. For the last few years I've been supplementing with a cup or two of bleach regularly to keep things in check. I would love to not have to do that.

Lynn
 
Check out this link here: Full Market Comparison of Salt Water Chlorine Generators for Swimming Pools

The guidelines here at TFP recommend oversizing your SWG for a pool twice the size of your actual volume. This allows lesser SWG run time and as a result, shorter pump run times.

How long and at what % were you usually running your AP 1400? Do you have a VS or two speed pump?

I would look at replacing with an SWG capable of around 1.4 pounds per day.
 
I don't have a recommendation on brand, but this forum recommends that your SWG should be 2 to 3 times larger than your pool.... this would keep you from having to add chlorine every day and you might be able to cut down the pump run time. So, for your size pool you should get a cell that is rated for 24,000 to 36,000 gallons.

I just installed a CircuPool RJ-60 and am happy with it so far.
 
Thanks for the link. Looks like a couple of brands stand out, including CircuPool. I've seen several people saying they like them on the forums too.

I have a VS pump. We replaced our two speed pump last year with it. I think I had it running for 8 hours per day in the summer, if I recall correctly. I haven't looked at that since the VS pump was installed.
 
Not sure who's responsible for the link...but some of the Jandy information seems old/incorrect. The Jandy products have a 3-year warranty (except the Ei which is two years).

Right or wrong I went with the PLC1400 (Jandy) since I had an iAqualink but more importantly because it was the major brand that had the least minimum salt required. Jan (my better half) is very sensitive to salt, so I wanted a system that would work with as small of an amount as possible. While it's hooked up to the iAqualink...I'm not sure that's necessary...since it's not hard to check it outside.

There are a lot of Hayward/Goldline fans on this forum and it sounds like the T-15 is a solid model as well. Also seen a few happy Pentair IC40 fans as well. Since you have a VS pump, when you're down to your top three, check them to see what the minimum flow rate required is. If I recall, the Jandy is 20gpm which is fine for my DS pump that puts out 26gpm on low.

Sounds like you are done troubleshooting...although this link has some great troubleshooting on the AquaPure: http://images.inyopools.com/cloud/documents/jandy-aqua-pure-error-codes.pdf

Whatever you decide...good luck!
 
More great info, thanks!

Maybe this weekend I will hunker down and re-troubleshoot, posting results as I go here. I hate to throw in the towel and replace the entire thing if it's not needed.
 
It would be best to let us in on the error codes to see if anyone could point you in the right direction.

Make sure you have plenty of flow when testing to rule out flow issues.

A majority of the time when Jandy's are not working it is a faulty sensor. Your system being 10 years old might not follow that though.
 
Interesting about the flow. So I should test with the pump on a higher speed? I haven't done that and it may be part of the issue. After replacing the cell I got new codes, but sometimes it would work for a while and then go away. It might just be a problem with my SWG only working when the pump is on high then?

I'll test that first.
 

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The newer jandy flow sensor is much better than the earlier versions and has a box on it that has leds showing flow and which of two programs are being used to send a signal to the control box. I used the troubleshooting guide but it doesnt really pinpoint the issues. You may get lucky by just replacing the sensor. However, if your cell is more than 3 years old, you maymjust want to,spend a few more $ and buy the complete unit. BTY they finally got rid of that poorly designed plastic box in favor of a real metal enclosure with a weatherproof door. Looking insode, most of,the parts,seem redesigned as well.

one consideration is to go to one of the other brands that are similar in price but have warranties up to 7 years. They also have much higher chlorine output on a few models so you can shorten the runtime of the pool. I probably would have done that except my pool equipment is in full sun all day and the plastic housings that the highest rated one have may not last long and I like the ability to control the SWG from my phone using the iaqualink system.
 
Hayward AQR15 is what I'm going to go with when I replace my system. I have a Compupool system currently, the latest revision, which is the Titanium Edition, same housing as Circupool RJ-G series, but different internals. With the Hayward system you have a much larger company backing the product. There are known issues that have been addressed from what I've read. (It's typically a $3 part that goes.)
That's my 2 cents.

Here's a link with NSF rated cell output: Listing Category Search Page | NSF International
 
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