Winterizing and the SWG cell

[PoolGuyNJ]

Split off of should i bring in the cell in the winter? with opening quote added for context. JasonLion

As long as you have properly winterized your pool (no water in the pipes) the SWG cell will be fine left out for the winter.

Jason, I disagree with that. The coating and the blades expand and contract at different rates/amounts. Leaving the cell in the cold can cause the coating to flake off as a result of this temp difference. I tell my customers to bring them in the house where the temps are warmer. The garage doesn't cut it either.

Scott

 

[spishex]

Re: should i bring in the cell in the winter?

That's an interesting argument. Did you hear that from a manufacturer? Around here we don't get much extreme cold and I've never heard anyone bring that up. I find that the only thing bringing the SWG inside does is increase the likelihood of losing the union o-rings.

And what about people who run their pools through the winter? Do you recommend they replace their SWG with blank plumbing once the water temp gets too low for it to operate?

 

[Strannik]

Re: should i bring in the cell in the winter?

Jason, I disagree with that. The coating and the blades expand and contract at different rates/amounts. Leaving the cell in the cold can cause the coating to flake off as a result of this temp difference. I tell my customers to bring them in the house where the temps are warmer. The garage doesn't cut it either.

Scott

it's not like you get -40C there

a lot of your pool components would contract at different rates too, following this logic the pool should collapse after first winter

 

[bk406]

Re: should i bring in the cell in the winter?

I've never taken mine in and we get down to below zero occasionally.

 

[PoolGuyNJ]

Re: should i bring in the cell in the winter?

Yes. The vendor that originally said to do so was a Pentair field rep/trainer. It is also one of the driving reasons they also make a pass through cell that fits in the space vacated when the real cell is removed.

Others have told me to do this for the same reason.

Scott

 

[JasonLion]

Re: should i bring in the cell in the winter?

Pentair does say to remove the cell and store it, none of the other major manufacturers say to do that. In practice, removing the cell tends to cause just as many potential problems as leaving it in place, so I prefer to leave it in place. While it is possible in theory for the plate coating to flake off due to extreme temperature changes, I have never heard of a single incident of that actually happening.

 

[waste]

Hi guys

Nice little discussion you're having here.

The company I work for takes everything in (pump, chlorinator, filter and ... heater )

O-rings go in the pump basket so we have them in the spring.

We store the equipment wherever the homeowner tells us to, shed, garage, basement, etc.. Some of these places are heated, most aren't (our biggest problem is mice )

Now to the issue at hand, r.e. the blades degrading from temp changes-

While I'm certainly not a metallurgist, I strongly doubt that the temp change is rapid enough to make the plate coatings become dissociated :!:

It's the pool owners' choice, or the pool dudes' , do as you will within your comfort level. However, as Jason has pointed out a couple few times, if there is a warranty issue, follow the manufacturers advice to protect it

This was fun :-D , I don't play in the 'Deep End' often :lol:

 

[bk406]

Whats the purpose for bringing in the filter and heater? Who has that kind of space for that stuff. My heat pump weighs a couple hundred pounds to boot. Seems like a lot of work and time for no reason.

 

[waste]

The filters I'm talking about are cart or, more likely, DE and the heaters are Max-E-Therms.

I hear you on the heat pump!! I have enough trouble carrying one down to install However, heat pumps and 'box heaters' (Larrs, etc.) don't have the issue that the Max-E-Therms have namely, mice get in and chew the wires, pee on the fenwall, and arc out the control board - all of these are costly to replace, so we bring the heater in so the mice will (hopefully) not nest in them.

We bring in the filters to minimize the UV damage to the shell.

While pool equipment is made to withstand the elements, they DO tend to last longer when kept out of them!

It's always my pleasure to more fully explain/ clarify what I've said :-D

 

[bk406]

Ok, gotcha on the carts and the Max-E therms.
I'd hate to have to lug the big old sand filter i have inside. I wrap up the multiport with a tarp. I also put in some of that foam lubricant in the multiport via the hole left from removing the site glass and pressure guage before i wrap it with the tarp. I have the Pentair SWCG, but ive never taken it off. Builder said it was not really needed. He said reps have told him that its not so much for the plates, but to make sure the plastic doesnt potentially crack.

 

[Poolsean]

Scott (PoolguyNJ),

I'm not sure there's any evidence to support the titanium cell blade vs ruthenium oxide coating expanding and contracting when temperatures change, to cause damage to the cell. That's a new one for me!

AutoPilot does not require that the cell be brought indoor for winterizing. It's not a bad idea, but not a necessary step.