Miles' Pool Care - PH and CYA

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Miles,

Yes, this is something that you should be able to fix.

In "theory" power should come from the SWCG circuit breaker and go to the Pump/Filter relay input side. The output side of the relay should go directly to the SWCG's transformer leads. Which leads are used depends on if the SWCG is being powered by 120 volts or 220 volts..

The whole purpose for this is so that the SWCG will not operate when the pump is not running. Although the pump/filter relay does not control the Intelliflo, the relay only comes on when the pump is running. In rare cases SWCG's have exploded because they were making chlorine gas when the pump was not running. Rare, but can happen. The Flow Switch also keeps the SWCG off when the pump is not running, but this is a secondary safety device and should never be uses as the primary safety device.

If this is not clear let me know and we'll figure it out. If you need to ask any questions, a picture of the inside of your ET would be best.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Thanks Jim R. Unfortunately, it's not as straight forward (to me). I will take off front panel of my ET4 tomorrow in daylight and take photos. Would you like me to upload them directly to this thread?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
pooldv said:
Sounds like a good plan to me. Aim for the low end on the recommended salt range for the cell, or even a little under because there is already some salt in the pool. Brush it around and wait 24-48 hours and turn on the cell. If the low salt light is on add another bag and wait another 24 hours.
Click to expand...

New IC60. I added salt and it's currently at 3200 ppm, toward the low "Optimum Salt Level" as reported by the SWG (showing green in ScreenLogic). There was 500 ppm in water before I started adding any salt. The IC60 has a range of 2800-4500 ppm. I have output on the SWG set to 0% for now.

Please advise of next step. Thanks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Miles,

One good thing about ScreenLogic is that is shows two low salt readings.. "Very low salt" where the SWCG will not work, and "Low Salt" where it is a warning, but the SWCG still works.

Anytime you do not have the "Very Low Salt" condition, you can crank it up....

If you just want to experiment, you can set your system to run from sundown to sunup with the SWCG set at say 25%. Test your FC just after sundown and then again just before sunup. The difference should be that amount of chlorine the SWCG generated overnight. Kind of like a reverse OCLT... :cool:

Based upon that info, you can then adjust your pump's run time and SWCG% to suit how you want to chlorinate your pool.

I have a theory, based upon absolutely zero facts... that it is better for me to generate a little chlorine 24/7 than it is to generate a lot of chlorine a few hours a day.

With ScreenLogic it is so easy to change pump speeds, run times, and SWCG output, that it just makes sense to play with it and see what works best for you.. there is no one right answer.

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.
 
I also subscribe to Jim's non-fact based theory that putting chlorine into the pool low and slow is better, like BBQ. Although, that is the reason why the recommended FC level for SWG pools is lower than non-SWG pools. Because of the more continuous dosing of FC.
 
Started the test tonight. FC tested 3.5 at 7:00 PM. Set the pump to run at 1400 RPM and IC60 at 25% output. Will retest again tomorrow at 7:00 am. Also, I did confirm that both green lights were lit on the IC60 for both flow and salt volume (3200 ppm).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
My IC60 showed 3200ppm salt at 7:00 pm yesterday evening and FC 3.5 . Pump running at 1400 RPM was still enough to activate flow switch. Salt output 25%. Water 60F.

This morning the SWCG shows 3150ppm salt and FC level was at 5.0. Water 54F (rainy). Will heat back up into 70s today.

So +1.5 FC in 12 hrs at 25% output and 1400 RPM.

I turned output back to 0% for now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Miles,

Well, my gut said 1.5 ppm increase was too low, but my gut was wrong... Must have just been gas :cool:

An IC60 produces 2 lbs. a day at 100%, so that would be 1 lbs. in 12 hours, and 25% of that is 4 oz.

Pool math says 4 oz. of chlorine gas will bump your FC up by 1.3... So pretty close...

Thanks for the feedback,

Jim R.
 
I guess this is where the whole chlorine gas and risk of explosion comes in, correct? BTW electrician returning to correct wiring.

Would you suggest I adjust the runtime or output seeing at all?

Am traveling in a couple weeks and my wife doesn't touch the pool. Was hoping to get the IC60 working so at least the chlorine was regulated while I'm gone. Else I run risk of having no chlorine in pool for a week! [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Miles,

What you need to do is somewhat match the amount of chlorine your pool uses each day to the amount of chlorine the SWCG produces each day. How you do that is up to you...

If this were my pool, to start anyway, I'd want to produce about 4 ppm of FC per day. You can increase the % of output or the run time or both... Again, whatever works for you..

I'd run for a week and take readings about the same time each day. If you see the FC continually going up, you can dial it back or if the FC is going down you can increase it.

It will never be perfect, and I'd rather have too much FC than not enough. So, I shoot for about 7 ppm and try not to let it drop below 5 or so.. You never, ever, want your FC below 3 ppm

See this chart... https://www.troublefreepool.com/content/128-chlorine-cya-chart-slam-shock

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Thanks again Jim. I typically run 4.0-4.5 ppm FC as I've been using Pool Math with liquid chlorine. And lose between between 0.5-2.0 ppm per day right now with variations in air temp and sun.

I will now try to target 5-7 ppm and see what I can come up with.

Do you chlorinate 24x7 or overnight for 12 hrs? Just curious.

Currently I run pump:
7a-7p (12 hrs) @ 1400 rpm (30 GPM)
12p-2p @ 1800 rpm (40 GPMish)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Miles,

I like the idea that generating a small amount of chlorine on a continual basis, so I run 24/7. A lot of people here only run for a few hours a day.

I'm not saying my way is better, it is just something that I personally like to do. Of course it could not economically be done with a single speed pump, but with the Intelliflo, I can run 24/7 for less than $20 bucks a month.

I normally run at 1,200 RPM, but ramp that up to 2K off and on during the day to keep the pool skimmed.

Thanks,

Jim R
 
Typically kept my FC level consistently at 4.0 with Pool Math. Losing 0.5-1.0 per day during these Spring months since it's not yet as hot with full sun. I'm raising my CYA for first time from 0 on way to 70ish. Am at CYA 30 now.

Tested FC at 3.5 ppm yesterday at 6:00 PM. Ran 1200 RPM from 6:00 PM to 7:00 AM with SWCG at 25% output. 7:00 am today FC measured 5.5, so it generated 2.0 overnight. I tested FC again at 10:30 am still at 5.5.

Should I manually add chlorine daily to 5.0, allow the SWCG to run for 12 hrs (7:00 am - 7:00 pm) during my normal daily schedule and generate the +2.0 to get to 7.0 FC target?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
2 things:

- Lately I've been running my IC60 SWG at 35% to not fall below FC 5.0. Still working on getting my CYA up. It's only about 30 ppm so far. Is 35% running it too hard?

- pool water finally hit about 70 deg. Air temps should be high 70s low 80s this week. Would love for kids to swim this weekend. 22,500 gal with UltraTemp 120R, should I start running the heat pump now (Thurs) to have any prayer of swimming Sat or Sun?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
No, 35% isn't running too hard. Any number is fine as long as it keeps your FC above minimum before the next time the SWG turns on again.

Your heat pump will heat your pool by 1 degree in a little less than 2 hours, not counting heat loss. My heat pump is on now, it is set to run from 10a to 8p. Solar isn't helping the last few days with the rain and clouds. The heat pump thermostat is set to 87.
 
Miles,

No, 35% is just fine... I suspect that is where you will be as summer gets here... You really need to get your CYA up before summer.

I suspect if your CYA were 70 or 80 you could drop your SWCG to 10 or 15%... this time of year.

Jim R.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply