I am very interested in an SWG for my pool and understand the pros and cons.
What puzzles me is what seems to be the constant requests on the forum for help with their operation. It seems like 95% of these questions should be handled quickly and easily by the SWG's tech support.
I don't think that it is any different for CG then for any other piece of electronics, if your VCR didn't flash 12:00 all of the time, the you probably won't have any troubles using the supplied instructions to resolve any problems. Like Poolsean and Strannik, I'm sure that you can figure out a fix!
If so, then most of the manufacturer's must have very ineffective tech support or they are unresponsive. Is that the case?
I think that a lot of pool owners contact their locals, and the come here when they aren't happy with the result. By the time that a problem has been noted, and a request for help sent out, a sense of desperation develops along with the spreading green out of the pocket and into the pool. The wait for a tech rep is what lots of people try to avoid.
If you own an SWG, I'd be interesed in your take. I have no agenda.......but it is puzzling to me that a) there appears to be so many "digital" issues and/or b) the manufactureres do not provide adequate support.
Am I completely misinterpreting the issue or am I being overly aware of the amount of these posts?
As the proud owner of, and off-label user of an INTEX unit, I'm not sure what you mean by "digital" issues, but I do think that a lot of the AutoPilot questions are here because of Poolsean - people see that they can get answers, so they ask questions. I haven't seen any other manufacturer respond to a CG question besides Strannik, and most of his customers are not in the U.S.(or they don't have any questions?) So an answer to the question -
"Which CG has the best tech support?"
The clear answer on this forum would have to be - AutoPilot.
Better questions might be "Which CG requires the least amount of tech support?", or "Which is the absolute best CG?"
"Windows 7 or Snow Leopard?". Linux anyone? Oops, wrong forum! Same answers.
Doing just a little research can answer most questions, and doing it before you purchase can help you avoid a lot more down the line, and maybe even save you some green up front! If you look at all of the models, and their features, you can decide which ones you can live with-out(Super-Chlorinate?), and which you can't(XX grams/hour chlorine production.) Thankfully, most Owners Manuals (and Installation Manuals, too) are available online, so that you can get a good idea before you buy, what are you going to get.
OK, for my dime, here are some features that I don't think add value -
- Super-Chlorinate, Shock, what-ever, just pissin' in the wind.
- Salt Read-out, if you take away all of the questions about "Low/High Salt, doesn't match test" then there wouldn't be many left, and tooo many people just start adding more salt with out ever having it checked, FIRST. They should just say "CHECK SALT LEVEL" and leave it at that.
Features that do add value -
- Clear Instructions, with good pictures, diagrams
- Clear cell so that you can see if it is working(Cool!), or needs to be cleaned(Bummer!)
- Tool-less cell assembly, inclusion of any "special" parts (like a spool-piece, or acid-cleaning stand/plug((that really irritates me 'cause they tell you to clean it and then want $50 bucks for a $5 PLUG! :grrrr: ))
- Ability to remove cell plates from cell enclosure to clean ( ever try to look down to the middle of one? How about one where the ends are off-set from the center, really, what is the point in that Hayward?)
- A good timer/clock, if you need one.
Note, these are for MY basic CG features, any kind of automation/control system would obviously have more complex issues, as would different water feature requirements.
I guess I should close with -
Always consult a professional before doing anything yourself, and try not to make your last words "Watch This!"
Stepping off soap box now.