Capped line w/valve

[Motozoic]

Guys, I understand you need CYA, just not at the astronomic levels I have in my pool right now, which is clearly the result of using tabs. I'm thinking of draining the pool, partially, in Jan/Feb to reestablish the chemistry and install all of that Pentair paraphernalia. If the CYA is at a good level then what's wrong with running the IntelliChem? The nice thing about it is that it reports the pH and ORP - which if the CYA is in check, which I will manually still check, is reasonably accurate, right?

 

[mknauss]

ORP works at a CYA level of 20 or less, sometimes. That will not work in an outdoor pool. Do not get the intellichem.

 

[tim5055]

As Marty points out, ORP works when the CYA is very low. In Arizona with that low of a CYA the FC will be burned off in the pool almost as fast as it's created.

When it comes down to it, it is your pool and you can do what you think best. I can only point you back to what you said in your very first post here:

I know very little about the chemical aspect of pool maintenance, so looking forward to learning all about that. I'm also very interested in automation and telemetry of sensors, so looking forward to computerizing my pool setup, if and when it makes sense.

I will just close by quoting Dave (duraleigh) here at TFP:

Throughout TFP, you will read that we suggest certain levels that good science and practical experience has taught us fall within safe ranges.

Further reading of posts here will draw you to the inescapable conclusion that these guidelines work.......in thousands and thousands of pools worldwide.

You may or may not choose to use these methods and guidelines or you may use some and not others. Our goal is to teach you what has been proven time and time again and then let you use that information to your benefit.

 

[Motozoic]

Gotcha... sounds great, I'll save $1000 right there! I looked up some chlorine testers and found this Extech unit... will it be useful? I've got an Oakton pHTestr 5 device that works very well for pH measurement.

 

[mknauss]

Sorry - but there is no present substitute for the drop based testing for FC/CC using a FAS-DPD test kit.

 

[Motozoic]

Alright, well I've got a TF-100 kit. See, the thing is that I would like the ability to monitor pH, Cl, temperature of both the pool and the hot tub, the filter pressure reading, and other monitorable items with my computer remotely. I don't mind building a custom circuit, but it's almost always cheaper to find something already in existence. I don't see why measuring Cl content in fluid has to be such an expensive proposition, accurately.

 

[mknauss]

To my knowledge, all the chlorine meters use ORP. And thus, the CYA content in pool water, renders them useless.

Also, again to my knowledge, the meters only measure total chlorine, not free chlorine.

 

[Motozoic]

Yes, I had noticed that too... that the Extech was measuring TC, not FC. Oh well, strips it is. I could probably devise a microcontroller board to automatically assess FC using drops, like the strip test, but at that point unless you're color blind, it's likely not worth the effort to have a computer make the assessment.

 

[mknauss]

As you should be aware - test strips are not a reliable or repeatable method of testing.

Your pool.

Good luck.

 

[jonpcar]

Alright, well I've got a TF-100 kit. See, the thing is that I would like the ability to monitor pH, Cl, temperature of both the pool and the hot tub, the filter pressure reading, and other monitorable items with my computer remotely. I don't mind building a custom circuit, but it's almost always cheaper to find something already in existence. I don't see why measuring Cl content in fluid has to be such an expensive proposition, accurately.

Hey Motozoic...DIY automation/monitoring can be cheaper, but a LOT more time consuming (which can make it much more expensive unless you are retired, haha). I'm getting my inspiration from a couple sites:

Automated Pool Controller - Projects Stories - SmartThings Community
Pool Fill Control - Hackster.io


From your earlier post...

I don't think storing large quantities of liquid chlorine works for me since I reside in Tucson, AZ - the heat will waste it quickly. So I suppose that brings me back around to SWCG, as has been suggested.

I've looked at the Pentair IntelliChlor units a fair bit, but going that route requires a substantial investment in Pentair electronics.

1. Pentair 521247 Compool to EasyTouch upgrade kit with transformer, about $650. This is required to interface with the IntelliChem unit listed below.
2. Pentair 521357 IntelliChem Chemical Controller without pumps, around $1000.
3. Pentair IntelliChlor unit, IC20 is $750, IC40 is $850 - not sure which one is best for a 13,000 gal pool, although I've been told you want to run the larger unit because you're able to run it at 50% duty cycle and it will last longer that way or something, no idea if this is true or not.
4. Pentair 520500 ScreenLogic2 interface, about $420. Not a requirement, but allows control and status reporting over your phone and laptop.
5. Need a CO2 injection system, no idea how much that is or what device I could use yet.

So we're looking at about $3000 in parts and I'm probably going to sub out some of the work which will be another $500-1000 in labor. Sound about right? Anyone else in this boat before?

Your plan doesn't include pump updates and/or valve automation. If you are trying to automate as much as possible, you should consider those since they probably should be done in parallel or at least "planned for" in parallel.

 

[Motozoic]

Thanks for the links, I'll check them out.

I'm not planning to update any of the pumps at this point because they're functional. As each unit starts to fail I'll replace it with updated 2-speed or variable speed hardware, depending on need. Most of the valves in my system are already automatic Jandy valves, not sure what valves I should consider automating.