SWCG settings

[Foonly]

I have a Pentair intelliflow pump and also have it set to run 24 hours per day at a low speed (750 RPM) that keeps the SWG happy. When the rooftop solar system decides that it is worthwhile turning on, it commands the pump to a higher speed, currently set to about 2300 RPM and then it movies the valve allowing water to go up to the roof. (Without speeding up first, there would not be enough pressure ot get the water up there and still satisfy the SWG). In the summertime, the water gets to between 90 and 95 degreees F. At night it goes down to the middle 80s.

My question is, where do I set the SWG controller percentage control? The controller automatically adjusts for temperature, so it fluctuates up and down every day, but I am afraid with it running 24hrs/day it will be on a lot more than is really necessary. So I figure I can compensate for the 24 hr operation by decreasing the percentage factor. And is the percentage the controller displays (Autopilot Digital Nano) also for the "current" temperature?

(The reason for wanting the pump on 24 hours per day is that the "freeze protection" feature of the solar heater can come on in the middle of the night to protect the panels from freezing, and it needs the pump to be running so it can command it to high-speed.)

My water test kit, the kind with numbered chemicals and a plastic test tube. is awfully hard to read precisely for Chlorine levels, since all you get is various shades of yellow.

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

First, I would point out that the optimum pump speed for that pump is around 1000rpm when you take the power usage and flow rate into account. There is also not likely a need to run it 24/7. There is no chance of freezing in the summer, so your reason does not make sense Do you actually keep running the solar in the winter? Here in AZ I dont. I turn off the solar and allow them to drain so there is no chance of freezing in the few nights where it actually gets that cold.

Second, now that I have kept reading, I don't know how to answer I am not familiar with how to adjust the % output of the SWG, but I am kind of surprised it is not obvious.

Sounds like you have the wrong test kit if you are matching colors. Order up one of the Recommended Test Kits I suggest the TF-100.

 

[Foonly]

I have ordered a new Taylor 2006 test kit, plus the kit for testing salt levels, which should arrive next week. The house roofline does not run East-West, but North-South. To get sufficient exposure and make up for cosine losses, they had to put panels on both the east and west facing parts of the roof. The panels are connected over the roof ridge, which means that the panels on the "far" side can never drain back into the pool by gravity. Therefore the pump and solar system must be energized in the winter, so that the "freeze-protect" feature that is built into the solar controller can work. It activates when the rooftop temperature sensor reports a temperature below 42 degrees.

I do know how to change the SWG percentage setting. My question is about determining the proper setting value.

 

[jblizzle]

My previous house had the panels over the ridge as well. There was a hose bib at the low point I would open every fall to drain the panels. Then leave the solar turned off.

Trial and error to set the SWG output.

 

[Foonly]

I have just reprogrammed the Intelliflow to operate at 850 RPM only between the hours of 8am and 6pm, at least for the summer. The SWG will shut itself automatically when the flow stops, so that is OK. The solar controller (a Pentair Solartouch) also always has power applied. When it sees an opportunity to heat the pool, it can command the pump to its higher "heating" speed of 2250 RPM. Now I do not need to tweak the SWG to correct for a longer run-time.

I know that the Solartouch can put the pump into External Program 2 (heating) if the pump was already running in Manual mode. What is not clear from the manuals is whether, with the pump having a scheduled mode active, but not running (because the schedule told it to stop), will a command coming in from the Solartouch to go to External Program 3 (freeeze-protect) be acted on?

 

[jblizzle]

Fyi, The highest efficiency for your pump if you take into account power usage and water movement is up around 1,000 RPM.

 

[Griswald]

Your CYA level dictates the amount of chlorine you need in your pool.

What is your CYA level?

 

[mknauss]

This can help you dial in your SWCG - SWG Run Time Calculator

In your area I would start with a 3 ppm FC loss per day.

Take care.

 

[Foonly]

Taylor K-2006 is supposed to arrive 31-May and I will test the CYA then. (Amazon was out of the TF-100)
Thanks for the run-time chart - that should help me zero in the settings as I wean myself from depending
on Pinch-a-penny.

 

[jblizzle]

The tf100 is not available on Amazon. Only from tftestkits.net

 

[Foonly]

I found the source of my problem with timers. My old pump was a simple dual-speed one with no timer, so it was wired into the same mechanical switch as everything else. When the Intelliflow was put in, it was wired direct to the circuit breaker, bypassing the timer. But the SWG and solar control were left on the timer by the installer. If the timer is off at night, the solar controller can not act to protect the roof units from freezing, so I disabled the timer.

What I need to do is take the cover off the timer and move the wire for the solar control over from the "switched" side to the "hot" side so that it stays on. That way the mechanical timer will only be controlling the SWG (which is good for safety) and that timer will be set to match how the pump's own programming is set up. The solar control will be powered 24 hrs/day so it can fullfil both its heating-the-pool and protect-from-freezing responsibilities.

Then I can have the pump and SWG on a more reasonable 10 hr/day cycle, with SWG set at 50% duty cycle. That will make enough Chlorine to make up for an FC drop of 3 per day. As soon as I get my k-2006 test kit I will do both 24-hr and night-time FC tests to see what the actual load is.

 

[Foonly]

Test results pH=7.8, Acid demand says add 1.15 pt HCl.
FC=8 (because of the gallon of Cl I put in yetserday)
CYA=40 (will add some), no Combined Cl.
TA=80
CH=220, should be higher
Salt now down to 2200, buying 2 bags.

Those are all with my new Taylor test kit. Now I am off to the pool store and will compare my results with theirs, when I buy the salt and stuff.

 

[jblizzle]

Don't go to the pool store! There is no reason to have them test your water. And you can get the salt much cheaper at a hardware store by buying solar salt for water softeners.

I would not worry about raising your CH at this point either.

 

[ajw22]

Now I am off to the pool store and will compare my results with theirs, when I buy the salt and stuff.

Walmart or Lowes for pool salts depending who has it in stock - $5.50 - $6.50 for a 40 lbs bag. I like Mortons Pool Salt from Walmart.

Put an order in on the Walmart website and your local store will have it ready for pickup when you get there.

 

[kchinger]

Walmart or Lowes for pool salts depending who has it in stock - $5.50 - $6.50 for a 40 lbs bag. I like Mortons Pool Salt from Walmart.

Put an order in on the Walmart website and your local store will have it ready for pickup when you get there.

I find the Clorox salt is about a dollar cheaper and seems to be ground much finer than the Morton's (dissolves faster) but might depend on the shipment and the local pricing.

 

[jblizzle]

Home Depot offers a bulk discount on the Diamond Crystal solar salt ... $4.90 for 40 pounds if you buy at least 10 bags.

I don't want it to dessolve faster ... then the kids would not have the crystals to play with

 

[Foonly]

PoolMath (using the TFP defaults) suggested CH limits of 350-450. Pool store says 250-400. I tested it as 220, they tested as 250. Quite different opinions on what the correct range is.

I measured TA 80, they said 95. PoolMath range is 60-80, store's range is a much looser 80-120!
I measured CYA 40, they said 50. At least they are both low. They said add 1 lb stabilizer, which I did.
I measured FC 8, they said 5!
We are close on salt - I added one 40 lb bag.

Once it all mixes I will test again.

My inclination is to trust my numbers more, even though it is by counting drops on small samples, and they use mL from graduated cylinders on larger samples.

 

[jblizzle]

Yeah ... we really do not care what the pool store results are or what they recommend

What does PoolMath put your CSI at when you enter all your test results?

 

[Foonly]

Using just my numbers, which was before applying any corrective additives, I get a CSI of -0.01 which is not bad at all. I will test again in the morning after everything has mixed in. Of course, it just started raining cats and dogs so who knows...

There is a Lowe's just 4 miles from my house, so I will look into that in future.

 

[jblizzle]

So that is good ... and agrees with the no need to raise the CH suggestion.