SWG malfunctioning, treating manually

[primetime]

Topic Split off by Moderator.
I am having a similar problem with similar equipment.....

I keep my pool within the TFP guidelines and I use the TF-100. My FC is usually around 5 - 6. I also get my water tested once a month at the local Leslie's because they do it by hand with the Taylor regents and we usually are very close in our readings.

Anyway, two weeks ago the "cell" light on my SWG started flashing. I checked on the control box under "diagnostics" and it said ("clean cell!!"). I had to leave for a work trip to Germany and it took me until this past Sunday to clean the SWG. In the meantime my FC dropped to 1.0. I assumed it was because the cell needed to be cleaned. After I cleaned the cell the "Cell" light stayed green and the diagnostic message said "OK". I ran a 24 hour super chlorinate cycle last night and today my FC was only 1.5.

Here is what I am doing now:

I added bleach to get FC to 6.0 ( I used a little over a gallon of Clorax Ultra). I am going to see if the SWG can hold the FC there.

I have a variable speed pump that I run on low for 20 hours and on high for 3 hours a day. I bumped my % up to 80% (last year I kept it at 30% and my FC was at 5.0) I am hoping that the SWG just takes a few days to get the FC back up, and that my adding the bleach just helped it along. If so, it should be able to keep the FC at 5.0 to 6.0. I will let you know happens.

BTW, make sure all your lights are a solid green on the cell. The % is ok to blink that just means you are not exactly on one of the preset %'s. If you haven't already, check the diagnostics if you have that feature on your control box. Also make sure you have a proper water flow through the cell. You can take it off and run some water through it. It should pass right through. There should be NO white deposits on the cell. Make sure you turn off all your equipment and close all the valves before you unhook the SWG. :-D

Here are my water readings: (before adding the bleach)

FC = 1.5 (drop test)
CC = 0.0
PH = 7.5
AKL = 80
Salt = 3000 (my reading with taylor salt test kit) 3150 per the SWG
CYA = 50-60 (hard for me to tell exactly with the TF-100 test)
Calcium = 290
Borates = 40

Any advice or comments are much appreciated as I am still learning!!!!

 

[PVille]

If your SWG does not seem to be generating enough chlorine do the following:

You should remove your cell and inspect it. My SWG cell gets dirty sometimes and stops generating chlorine even though the numbers on the diagnostic panel look fine. The symptom I see is I cannot seem to keep chlorine in the pool. What happens is you get a build up of white gooey "funk" between the plates and the current that is supposed to be generating chlorine ends up being shorted across the goo.

Try this:
- Remove cell and rinse it out with a hose.
- Grab a flashlight and the cell and head somewhere out of the sun ( I use my shed) where there is limited light. Being in a dimly lit location is very important.
- While looking into the cell, shine the flashlight from the other end and look at the spaces between the plates inside the from top to bottom. Rotate the cell 180 degrees (to change your viewing angle). Flip the cell around to and view from the other end and repeat.
- If you see any goo it must be removed. I have found spraying with a hose is not enough and you need to give it a little help. I use a nylon cable tie of a piece of trimmer string to dislodge the buildup from between the plates. Don't use anything metal that can damage the plates. Once you break it loose the hose can be used to flush it out.

Hope this helps,