Changing to the salty side...

[perryperson]

[attachment=1]RIMG0002.JPG[/attachment]Hi Everyone,

We've decided that a SWG is for us, and I have some questions:

Let me start with the numbers, which are... not so good:

TC 9
PH 7.8
TA 230
CH 780
CYA 125
temperature 76

I suspect we have algae. We had a copper system for 2 years, but we were part-time residents and the pool guys who took care of it... didn't! We removed the system, and I'm trying to balance using bleach and muratic acid. I don't know for certain if it's copper staining or algae, since it's just a grayish-green cast over the entire pool, but the FC levels drop, significantly overnight, sometimes as much as 3.0 - 5.0.

We've decided that we're going to drain the pool and start fresh with the SWG.

We are having a new solar heater installed next week.

The SWG contractor is coming out to give us the $$ on Friday, but I don't yet know when the install date will be.

I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the components of this. Any advice on what to do first, or what not to do, in order to have a successful changeover to SWG?

Thanks!
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[tphaggerty]

I convinced my neighbor to switch to salt 2 years ago. She had a trichlor feeder for about 7 years. Everything went great until year 8, then no matter what she did, green pool. I tested her CYA and it was well over 100.

Anyway, there was NO WAY she was going to drain & refill. We get a lot of rain here, so she just added the SWG and salt, kept the CL on the high side, stopped using copper algaecide (unfortunately I can't get her to stop letting the folks that open the pool add that stuff) and waited. Her CYA is still high but on its way down. Her pool is clear and she is happy.

My advice, try the SWG before draining. The combination of salt and "constant shocking" that the SWG provides may keep your pool clear even with the high CYA. Nothing prevents you from draining later if you need to (maybe the cost of the salt...), but it seems to me that adding the SWG without draining is a whole lot easier. Good luck, you will love the SWG one way or the other.

 

[JasonLion]

Overnight FC loss means you have algae. I suppose that it is possible that you also have metal stains, but it seems more likely that the algae accounts for everything.

You are going to need to do a substantial water replacement to get both CH and CYA levels down, but you don't have to do a complete drain and refill. Completely draining the pool can be risky if you have a high water table in the area. Before your start replacing water, I suggest you test your fill waters TA and CH levels. That will help give you some idea of how much water you will need to replace.

 

[perryperson]

Thanks for the advice...

The fresh water numbers:

TA 120
CH 10