Intex SWG Not Generating Chlorine – Very Discouraged...

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geoffmitch

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Jun 21, 2012
3
Los Gatos, CA
Hi. I have recently purchased an Intex Pool and for more than the price of the pool, the Sand/SWG combo filter. I spend that $$ because I really wanted the maintenance free concept that the combo indicates: no paper filters, no chemicals, just a routine timed run and voila; swim safe water for my 8yr old twins and our family.

I can not convey how discouraged I am. 60 days later I still struggle to get it working. intex support has been a horrible, horrible nightmare. They don't even take calls most of the time and when I did get through after 55 min wait, I had to repeatedly explain my problem, that the chlorine was not generating. I finally got them to open a warranty claim to replace the electrolytic cell. I had to jump through web forms and receipt faxes and when it arrived, they sent the the plastic "housing" and NOT the cell. Now I have to revisit that whole painful process again.

Meanwhile it seems the only solution is that I suck it up, accept that this unit does not work, use chemicals instead and just count myself another sucker. OR keep trying to resolve the issue.

MY FINDINGS
• The salt level is around 3200ppm, per Leslie Pool measurements, so that's fine. And no salt alarm triggers.
• The total chlorine is 0 and has never risen via the SWG. The only way there's been any was a 'shock' I did after reviewing Pool School. Even after several "BOOST" cycles for the first 2 weeks, there was nothing in the way of chlorine.
• The PH was too high and it requires using "PH Minus" to bring it down.
• I live in Northern California, the pool gets about 6hrs of sun/day.

QUESTIONS

• The forums indicates that seeing "bubbles" coming out of the SWG flow = chlorine. I see those. But do not measure chlorine. Is it possible to see those "bubbles" and not get chlorine? I *HAVE* removed it, found a tiny bit of the white 'buildup' and I'm doing a vinegar cleaning but I am certain those small bits are not the problem here.

• Is CYA "required" for this pool? And is it expected that I have to use "PH Minus" to bring down PH as well? It appears so in Pool School but I'm surprised, because I was under the impression this was a route to go that didn't require added chemicals. (At least that's what reviews on Amazon indicated when I made the decision to invest $350 in it :-/

Thank you for your consideration and assistance.
 
Welcome to TFP!

The SWG is working just fine, but your low CYA level is allowing all of your chlorine to be lost to sunlight more quickly than the SWG can produce more.

Yes, CYA is required. CYA should be between 70 and 80 with a SWG. Other chemicals may or may not be required, it depends on what your current levels are.
 
Yes, you need the CYA to prevent the chlorine from burning off to quickly from exposure to sunlight. This is necessary for any form of chlorine used. You can get HtH brand stabilizer (CYA) at most Walmarts. You would need to add enough to bring the pool to 70 ppm. Collect a sample of water directly from the return flow while the SWG is running. Let it run for about 30 minutes and then collect a sample right at the return and test it for chlorine. That should tell you whether or not the cell is producing anything.

If the cell is working add the CYA and use liquid chlorine to bring the pool to the top of the recommended chlorine level for your pool. Check the chlorine daily and continue to add bleach until the SWG is able to maintain the FC level on its own. SWGs are good at maintaining levels but it takes them a while to get up to speed if they are starting at 0.
 
Welcome to tfp, geoffmitch :wave:

By the way hitting the boost button also increases your copper level significantly, which you do not want. I would unplug the copper electrodes so that you do not get any more copper.
 
sounds like you got bad marketing. SWG are not maintenance free. You still need to be testing your levels and making sure everything is in range, especially pH.

All the SWG does is add the FC for you do you do not have to haul bleach bottles.

Posted with Tapatalk ... sorry if I sound short ... hate typing on phone ;)
 
Hello all. I wanted to circle back and thank you for your help and guidance. I appreciate it all, and I'm learning some great stuff on this forum. As for my Chlorine level, I followed "Mod Squad"s advise, collected a sample directly from the return, and had it tested at a nearby pool shop. My to my surprise/pleasure it came in at 5, a bit high but definitely indicating the root cause was not the generation of Chlorine after all, but likely the CYA, the balancing of which is my current focus.

Thank you again!
 
I have to recommend you get your own recommended test kit and not to continue to trust the pool store's testing.

Also review the CYA/chlorine chart in Pool School. FC of 5ppm is really not that high depending on your actual CYA level. BTW, CYA is one of the tests the pool store is the worst at ... they also generally think much higher CYA levels are acceptable than we do ... so be careful if you are adjusting it. I would not recommend it without your own testing.
 
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