SWG question...

[marty]

Frustrated with current pool guy because he never vacuumes leaves. Called another company to come by for an estimate, said he wouldn't take me unless we drain half pool free of charge.
Cya is to high, found 4 pucks in skimmer.
Has current pool guy been killing my swg so far? and should i drain or wait till rain dilutes?
hey thanks guys


15k gal with spa. in floor cleaners
pebble tec
salt 3000ppm
cl 4.0
ch 300
ta 100 ph 7.5
cya over 100

 

[y_not]

If you have your own CYA tes, dilute the sample and test again. You need to determine how high it really is.
See step 9 at this link.
extended-test-kit-directions-t25081.html#p206397

SWGs prefer a level of 60 to 80ppm CYA.
If it's close to 100 you don't have much to drain off.

You're borderline low on FC, assuming 100ppm CYA, it should be 4.5fc.

Putting pucks in the skimmer is not advised due to their high acidity, which over time can cause damage to your equipment as the pump draws in relatively undiluted acid when it starts up each time.
Everytime you acid wash the SWG cell it removes a little bit of tje coating on the plates.
So minimizing direct contact with acid is the best thing you can do to prolong its life.

 

[marty]

I asked current pool guy about it and he said ''high cya is good'' so maybe he either dosnt know or is overworking my swg and not putting in liquid chlorine just pucks.
I tested my self and it was like milk, so im thinking its really high.
i'll try that link thanks.
ps how often should one acid wash cell then, once a year?

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

You can dilute the sample after the initial test if too high. Just mix with tap water.

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[dmanb2b]

I asked current pool guy about it and he said ''high cya is good'' so maybe he either dosnt know or is overworking my swg and not putting in liquid chlorine just pucks.
ps how often should one acid wash cell then, once a year?

You should know from reading pool school that the current pool guy is giving you bad advice. The SWG is not being over worked. High CYA sheilds chlorine being produced, BUT your FC is too low for CYA of 100+.

Acid washing should only be done upon inspection after confirming the cell has build-up or is not producing chlorine.

 

[MikeInNH]

I asked current pool guy about it and he said ''high cya is good''

Time to fire that guy. The new guy sounds like he has a clue.

 

[marty]

I asked current pool guy about it and he said ''high cya is good''

Time to fire that guy. The new guy sounds like he has a clue.

Yea i think so, want to go BBB myself.
I just thought he was milking the swg and even though im paying for standard chemicals, wasnt adding any liquid chlorine.

Thanks guys!

 

[JamesW]

If your SWG were working properly, then there would be no need for tabs in the skimmer. I would suggest asking why he was using tabs.

Also, he should not need to add liquid chlorine on a regular basis. Once the SWG is properly tuned in, it should provide almost all of the necessary chlorine.

 

[marty]

If your SWG were working properly, then there would be no need for tabs in the skimmer. I would suggest asking why he was using tabs.

Also, he should not need to add liquid chlorine on a regular basis. Once the SWG is properly tuned in, it should provide almost all of the necessary chlorine.

Sounds good, thanks.
Quick question, He offers 2 services, a chemical balancing and a Full service.
Shouldnt he offer a discount on swg pools for both? since like you said, no chlorine is needed if tuned?
If the neighbor pays the same and their pool is non swg.

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

Most services charge for chemicals used on top of any labor cost.

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[JamesW]

Quick question, He offers 2 services, a chemical balancing and a Full service.
Shouldnt he offer a discount on swg pools for both? since like you said, no chlorine is needed if tuned?
If the neighbor pays the same and their pool is non swg.

Everything is negotiable. Each situation is unique. A lot depends on what you can and can't do, what you want to do, and don't want to do, how much confidence you have in the service person, what you think it's worth, etc.

In any case, I think that it would be a good idea for you to get a good test kit and learn as much as you can about how to take care of your pool.

 

[y_not]

In any case, I think that it would be a good idea for you to get a good test kit and learn as much as you can about how to take care of your pool.

I second that as well. You can't really trust someone else, someone who doesn't use our methods, to properly manage your pool. The most economical and trouble free way to take care of it, aside from brushing, vacuuming and such is to do it yourself using the BBB method that nearly 50k people on this forum are using.

If brushing and vacuuming are a chore, or something you just don't have time for. You'd be much better served to buy an automated pool cleaning robot to do it for you. It would be money well spent compared to paying a pool service.
Then the only thing left would be cleaning your filter once and a while.

Yeah, there will be repairs, but that's not too often and that's not covered /w a pool service anyway.

 

[Swampwoman]

Marty, heavy leaf traffic won't always vacuum up and often will incur additional manual labor with a leaf rake, so what kind of volume was the other guy unwilling to address?
He needs to be fired regardless, and the second guy sounds more promising because he's "forcing" you to correct the cya situation. So if you read pool school a little and then interview the second guy to confirm an agreed approach, you'd likely be in good shape. You don't need to do it yourself if you don't want to but you do need to learn enough to evaluate and direct the people you hire

 

[marty]

Wow alot of good replies, thank you. I'll try to keep you posted.