New SWG Question

[CheryleB]

Hi. I have a 29,000 gallon inground and installed a SWG yesterday (Circupool RJ 45). According to the installation instructions, I needed to add 30 lbs of salt per 1000 gallons of water and let the pump run for 16 hours before turning on the SWG. I added 840 lbs of salt late yesterday afternoon and installed the equipment. I had an electrician wire it into the pump switch this morning.

I took in a water sample with the following results:
FC 0
Total Chlorine 0
pH 7.7
Alkalinity 124
CYA 20
Salt 2600 ppm

The water temperature was only 64F when tested.

The unit is supposed to run at 3200 ppm. I turned on the heater and an hour or so later, the high salt indicator came on. Could this be because the heater is turned on and the water is warmer when passing through the cell? We were told that the reading of 2600 was low due to the low temp of the water but that it should be in the correct range when it was warmer.

Should I be concerned or just let it run?

Thanks very much for any assistance or advice.

 

[Strannik]

you should get yourself testing strips and double check

as far as chlorine goes, put some bleach in a water to get it started, it will make it much easier for your chlorinator to keep it up. You will also need more CYA, bring it up to 70. As far as the water being warmer - yes it will increase conductivity and SWG might think the salt level is higher, however it won't increase the salt reading by 1000ppm (and high salt indicator probably comes in around 3500-4000)

so best would be to retest to find out whether your salt level is really high.

See The pool calculator for how much CYA you need to add.

 

[JasonLion]

Keep in mind that the SWG is averaging the salt level over the last day or two, so it may take it another day to fully realize that you have added salt. It will also read lower than actual because the water is cold. Further, pool store salt readings are not to be trusted. There are some pool stores that test salt levels just fine and many others that give results that are wildly off.

You added enough salt to raise the salt level by about 3450, and you are sure to have had some salt in the pool to begin with. Your current salt level is probably over 4000 by now.

Leave the pump running for another 24 hours to finish mixing everything in and then see what the SWG says. Also, as Strannik said, you really need more CYA.

 

[CheryleB]

Thanks for the advice. I took another sample to the same location. This time I was told the salt was 3900 as compared to 2600 yesterday. I was also told to reduce alkanity. They did my initial water test about a week and a half ago and told me to add 8 kg of alka boost. I was told today that the CYA was 0 and yesterday it was fine.

I decided to take a sample to another store that is known for water testing. They had the CYA at 30, the alkanity at just over 150 and the salt at 4800. I've added 2 kg of CYA and vacuumed to waste with the hose running. I'll keep adding a few inches of water at a time until it gets down a bit. I also got the temp up to 80F. I had a bit of cloudiness so I put in a bit of clarifier.

I'm hoping it will be clear in the morning and I can just vacuum off the bottom part that the Kreepy missed.

Based on the size of my pool and the amount of salt I added, it should have been at about 3200 ppm if I had started with no salt. I find it hard to believe the salt level before I added any was 1600. Is that not ridiculously high for a chlorine pool that was just topped up a foot to open?

 

[JasonLion]

Salt levels over 1,000 are common. 1,600 is starting to get up there for a pool that has never had salt added, but you do see that, and higher, sometimes. Remember that chlorine turns into salt when it gets used up.

Reliable water testing is critical. You should think about getting your own top quality test kit. It will save you money in the long run.

 

[CheryleB]

Yesterday I had company over to swim. The water was very slightly cloudy in the morning but was looking a bit green at the end of the evening. I decided to take in another water sample for testing today. I took it to another location since I am now quite skeptical about their accuracy. The results were as follows:

FC 2.0
CC 4.2
Alk 150
pH 6.8
CYA 20 (I added 2kg on Saturday)
Salt 6800 ???

I know I may have added a bit too much salt but I think this is impossible. I dropped the water at least 14-16" for winter and only opened the pool two weeks ago so there is almost a foot and a half of fresh water added. Two years ago, my son drained the pool in the fall but fell asleep and I ended up with only water in the deep end so it was almost all fresh water last spring. I bought the aqua check strips but I really can't believe my salt level went from 2600 on Friday morning to 3900 on Saturday morning to 4800 on Saturday afternoon to 6800 on Monday morning.

I am also concerned about the pH level now. Three of four tests had it at normal but today it was at 6.8. I bought pH up as well as more CYA and 5 liters of 10.5% bleach. I hit the superchlorinate button last night but thought the bleach would help it out. I'll put that in when I get home and then vacuum to waste, add more water, increase the pH and CYA and test the salt with the Aqua check strips.

I looked at the link for ordering chemical test kits but they don't ship to Canada. I could have it sent to Pembina, ND and pick it up but I doubt I'll be there for another few weeks and I'm getting concerned about my equipment being damaged by the fluctuating chemical levels.

Does my plan seem sound? Or do I need to take more drastic action?

Thanks very much for all the advice and assistance so far.

 

[JasonLion]

Those results are not plausible. One set of test results or the other is way off. That makes any treatment plan somewhat speculative.

Apollo Pools carries the Taylor K-2006 in Canada.

Your plan sounds good for now. Longer term, you really need more reliable testing.