In the process of switching over to a SWG (Hayward Aqualplus 40K). Decided to drain the pool totally as the CYA and CH were both too high. Have added the salt and am in the process of balancing everything else. My question is should I be putting in some liquid chlorine to be bring the starting level up?
New SWG install on existing pool
- Thread starter Mushki
- Start date
Yes, use liquid chlorine to raise the FC to the proper level. SWG's are great at maintaining FC but no so great at raising the FC when it is low in a pool that is your size.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,309
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
You also need to add CYA to get in the 70 -80 range.
Be aware that draining a plaster pool in the summer in the desert is a recipe to damage your plaster. It is not a good idea to leave plaster dry and in the summer sun.
Take care -- thanks for posting.
Be aware that draining a plaster pool in the summer in the desert is a recipe to damage your plaster. It is not a good idea to leave plaster dry and in the summer sun.
Take care -- thanks for posting.
Thanks for the feedback. We had the water in and out pretty quickly. Quite frankly the pool needs to be replastered/pebble tec or whatever in the near future but no $$$ for that right now. I'm working on getting the CYA up right now and will have to get the calcium level up again as well.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,309
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
You have to add calcium? I would have thought your water would be from the Colorado River, same as mine. And you would not have to add calcium as ours out of the tap is CH 260ppm.
Take care.
Take care.
elwood58
LifeTime Supporter
Go easy on the calcium additions, if any. You have a mature finish, and your fill water likely has a fair amount. Get it between 150-200 and let nature do the rest if you can. We had a commercial quartz finish installed in early June. At startup they were only concerned with getting the CH to 150, even with fill water at 90. It is now at 264. Keep an eye on your CSI, so as not to let your water get too aggressive.
I am loathe to add calcium as I know it does creep up pretty quickly. I'm at 120 right now freshly filled. Mknauss while the Colorado river feeds the agricultural land around here. The drinking water in the Coachella valley comes from an underground aquifer. Still hard but not quite so hard. What is the lowest CH I could start with in your opinion(s)? The level of CH seems to need to be higher with a SWCG.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,309
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Level of CH has nothing to do with a SWCG. Excluding high CH can allow scaling, if CSI is above 0.3.
Work out your CSI using Poolmath. Depends on TA, CYA, CH, pH, and temperature. With our evaporation rates, your CH will rise quickly. But you might add a bit if you want peace of mind.
Again - use CSI. It is calculate in PoolMath, link at top of page, or with the new Pool Math app.
Take care.
Work out your CSI using Poolmath. Depends on TA, CYA, CH, pH, and temperature. With our evaporation rates, your CH will rise quickly. But you might add a bit if you want peace of mind.
Again - use CSI. It is calculate in PoolMath, link at top of page, or with the new Pool Math app.
Take care.
I've been using the PoolMath calculator and no matter what levels I plug in I get "potential to become corrosive to plaster".
What is the Ch of your fill water? I'm assuming that it is around 120 based on your fresh fill. If your fill water is 120, I suggest that you get your CH at least up to the minimum recommended level of 250 which is the level needed for a bleach pool. SWG have a higher minimum recommended CH of 350, but when you do switch over to a SWG, target around 300 and wait and see if the levels increase up to 350.
Pool School - Recommended Levels
Pool School - Recommended Levels
- May 3, 2014
- 58,309
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
What numbers are you entering? I just did a test run. pH 7.5, TA 100, CH 120; CYA 30; Temp 84, CSI -0.25.
Those numbers close?
Those numbers close?
In pool math, see the options at the bottom panel called "Suggested Goal Levels", select TFP guidelines, SWG and plaster. Now enter your latest results and you can compare them to the "Goal Levels" in each section to help figure out what needs to be adjusted to get you to a better balanced CSI.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,309
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
The issue is his fill water is high in CH and adding calcium on top of that he gets to drain even quicker. So we manage that here in the SW desert.
We can easily evaporate over 1 inch of water a day from our pools.
Take care.
Post all of your test results from the pool and tap water results for CH.
My best guess advice without seeing all the test results are the following:
Keeping the pH and TA higher will help keep the CSI in range.
You might want to chlorinate with Cal Hypo for a bit to raise the CH to 200. It will get there fairly quick with evaporation and the Cal Hypo.
My best guess advice without seeing all the test results are the following:
Keeping the pH and TA higher will help keep the CSI in range.
You might want to chlorinate with Cal Hypo for a bit to raise the CH to 200. It will get there fairly quick with evaporation and the Cal Hypo.
Right now CYA still negligible. TA 120 pH 7.4 FC 2 CH 120. pH easily drifts up here. 86 degrees already 
If it were my pool, I'd keep the pH 7.6/7.8 and leave the TA alone for now. If you are worried about the CH level use Cal Hypo until the CH is 200 and then switch to the SWG. Myself, I'd turn on the SWG now and not worry about the old plaster as long as the CSI is above -.6 which it should be with the pH in the higher range.
SWG has been up and running for a week now. Water looks great. Just wondering if there is anything else I should be doing to keep up with the constant pH rise? Should I be keeping the spa spillover off? Lower the TA? Just accept it and buy a large vat of muriatic acid? Right now I've got the FC at 3.8 and still working on finding the right percentage to keep it around 4.0. So far 35% seems to be working. CH is 170 CYA 80 TA 130 and pH 7.8 + Note the CH is already up to 170 from 120. pH of the fill water is pH 8.0+ so maybe nothing I can do about it but if I could just slow it down a bit
- May 3, 2014
- 58,309
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Great -- please see [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]. FC of 4 is the absolute minimum. One flock of birds flies over and you are below it. Consider raising your Target FC to at least 6 as shown on the chart.
Your TA will move down over time. If you eliminate as many sources of aeration (spillover) the pH will rise slower.
Or - you can move the TA lower by following Pool School - Lower Total Alkalinity. I get mine to about 80 and then I only add about 12 oz of acid a week during the summer primarily due to the fill water from evaporation (fill water has 130 TA).
Take care.
Your TA will move down over time. If you eliminate as many sources of aeration (spillover) the pH will rise slower.
Or - you can move the TA lower by following Pool School - Lower Total Alkalinity. I get mine to about 80 and then I only add about 12 oz of acid a week during the summer primarily due to the fill water from evaporation (fill water has 130 TA).
Take care.
SWG has been up and running for a week now. Water looks great. Just wondering if there is anything else I should be doing to keep up with the constant pH rise? Should I be keeping the spa spillover off? Lower the TA? Just accept it and buy a large vat of muriatic acid? Right now I've got the FC at 3.8 and still working on finding the right percentage to keep it around 4.0. So far 35% seems to be working. CH is 170 CYA 80 TA 130 and pH 7.8 + Note the CH is already up to 170 from 120. pH of the fill water is pH 8.0+ so maybe nothing I can do about it but if I could just slow it down a bit
Keep adding the acid to bring down the PH and the TA will follow. Eventually, the TA will get to the point where your PH will stabilize.
My TA is now at 50 and my PH has been rock solid at 7.3 all summer. I don't have a spill-over spa so that doesn't affect me.
Meadow
0
Our pool was drained and filled last year with city water that has TA=125 and CH=175. I bought a stenner pump to dose MA but knocking down the TA to 50-60 via aeration process thrashed that idea. My PH still creeps up but in a slow phase. In the summertime, our pool lose about 1/2 inch of water everyday due to evaporation.
Fast forward, my CH is now sitting at 450-475'ish ppm and slowly creeping up without me adding anything that would raise the CH. Guess, my geographical location may have play an important role in rising CH.
Having said that, I can see myself draining the pool next year due to unmanageable CH level.
OP, you live in the desert and if I were you I will not bother to raise the CH. At least not for now until you observed the trend on how fast your CH will climb up to unmanageable level.
Fast forward, my CH is now sitting at 450-475'ish ppm and slowly creeping up without me adding anything that would raise the CH. Guess, my geographical location may have play an important role in rising CH.
Having said that, I can see myself draining the pool next year due to unmanageable CH level.
OP, you live in the desert and if I were you I will not bother to raise the CH. At least not for now until you observed the trend on how fast your CH will climb up to unmanageable level.