Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get out

Jump to latest Follow Reply
E

Engin33r

0
Jun 4, 2013
15
Hi,
Just found this board by posting search on google for some issues I have. I found the information very useful and good stuff.

I would like to see if there are any ballpark numbers for some of my equipment, pump speed etc.
I have approx 18000 gallon pool. Just put in Intelliflo pump, AquaRite Salt system. Repiped all the diverter valve and entire pad piping.

I thought by putting in a variable speed pump i could save money.. and i did. my bill went down from 350 to 107 last month. No house AC , no house heating.. just the pool and some basic lighting and stove running in the home.

I did an initial dose of 10 bags of salt ( 40 lb ) and seems to have brought the salt up to 3800. I tested with strips and confirms the reading on the aquarite.

I dosed with Cyaneric acid to get stabilizer in place. Stopped using the tabs since they also have the stabilizer.

I run my pump 1 hour on cleaning mode 3000 rpm with Hayward suction sweep. Then it switches down to 1800 RPM to make chlorine. My AquaRite is on the old dial type timers that were still in the distribution panel. So i time the pool to come on at 9 am, timer for salt system starts about 9:10. Then I stop the pumps at 6 PM and the timer for the salt system is off around 555.

As of right now my ph is 7.8 but no chlorine at all. I had a hard time getting the lowest pump speed to run making chlorine without kicking off on low flow. 1800 seems to be working right now. But i guess if my suction strainer or filter get plugged it will kick off.

I"m wondering if there is some way to tie all this together. Seems like I spend less time in the pool and more time fiddling around with the gear. I dont mind.. i was an engineer on ships for some time. But.. it will probably get old after a while. I'm glad i dont use chlorine anymore.. I like the water now with just salt.


But I'm yet to really see any chlorine being generated. My system is about 2 weeks old and thats where I'm at.

Any suggestions?
My dog wont stay out of the pool now either. maybe he likes the algae.
 
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

What are you using to test? The taylor 2006 or TF100 are pretty much required to get accurate results. How long has the pool been without chlorine? It's likely you have something growing in the water and the SWG will never be able to produce enough FC to keep up. Use pool calculator to raise FC to the target range with bleach/liquid chlorine for your CYA and then post a full set of test results. You will likely have to go through the shock process if you have gone a single day with zero FC.

Make sure you read pool school on how to add chemicals. Pump should be running full speed and you add bleach very slowly in front of a return in the deep end. A slow trickle is what you're looking for.

Welcome to TFP, you'll have a troublefree pool in no time. But you must get some chlorine in that water. Then we can work on dialing in your SWG.

-edit-
For clarification, you are still using Chlorine to sanitize the pool. The salt water generator is what is making the chrlorine from the salt instead of you using tablets or liquid chlorine. However a SWG cannot generate enough free chrlorine to raise FC to shock levels and that's why bleach is needed if you need fast adjustments. You need a fast and big adjustment. How does your water look? Is it clear or green?
 
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

FC=0
PH=7.8
ALK = 120
CYA=40

I read most of the pool school. Most of it i have heard before. Still a bit green. Just bought the home in Sept.
I was using chlorine in addition to stabilized tabs up until 2 weeks ago when I put in the salt system. It has been dropping slowly and today = 0
I am finding the salt generator keeps cutting out on low flow. I set it at 1750 and it ran for about 2 hours and when i went out to check the light was red and not generating. So i raised it to 2000 .. same thing .. checked it later and its off again. Now its at 2200 RPM. I dont understand how in a steady state it runs ok then it cuts out.
My filter pressure is 10 ( just cleaned.. ) My pump strainer is clean.
I have been trying to cut over to salt generated chlorine.. Yes i know how it works. NaCl = sodium chloride + electricity breaks the chlorine free.
My biggest problem is in finding the lowest RPM / FLOW i can sustain and still make chlorine and keep my bill down. that was my initial concern when i posted.
Sorry I'm not a good poster..
 
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

:wave: Welcome to TFP!!! :wave:

If there is algae in the water, the filter could be clogging and thus reducing the flow rate.

You need to follow the Shocking Your Pool PROCESS.

After that is complete, you need to raise the CYA up to 70-80ppm and then ensure you maintain adequate FC ... either with the SWG or by adding bleach.

The filter should be cleaned whenever the pressure rises 20-25% over the clean pressure (this check should be done at a sufficiently high RPM, 2200 is fine, or high).
 
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

Ok ... so clean it when it gets above 12psi from now on (at the same RPM) or the flow rate will become reduced which may be the problem you keep having with the SWG.
 
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

I was reading in the Pool School that if your initial filter pressure was low like 10 to clean it just a couple PSI above that .. like 12-13 ( going from memory )
So i marked my gauge with a sharpie to get a baseline.

Still makes me wonder why it will run for 2 hours with pump at 1800 RPM and then.. cuts out on low flow. Probably the difference between a couple hundred RPM only amounts to very little fluctuation in flow rate.

I am wondering if there is some automation that can tie it all together, perhaps send me a text when my salt system cuts out. lol

I do keep a close eye on it. But i'm starting to feel pool paranoid.
I guess I will shock it again and start over.
Is it normally this hard to get a salt system working?
 
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

Engin33r said:
Is it normally this hard to get a salt system working?
Click to expand...

Only when you are leaving yourself no margin on the pump RPMs ... although I am not sure why you are having to run the RPMs as high as you are. Add a picture of you equipment ... maybe the SWG was not installed properly.
 
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

My concern exactly. Why so high? I do have 2 check valves in the system perhaps they are limiting flow?
Also a information sheet in the Salt Cell box showed the flow meter in front of the cell.. Not sure if that matters.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0033_opt.jpg
    IMG_0033_opt.jpg
    26.6 KB · Views: 127
  • IMG_0034_opt.jpg
    IMG_0034_opt.jpg
    23 KB · Views: 127

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

I have not seen the flow switch located right after the filter like that, usually it is near the cell in the plumbing ... although the flow should be fine there. You could check to ensure that the switch is perfectly aligned with the flow, maybe it is twisted a little bit?

Is that also a solar loop you are running through? Do you actually feel good flow returning to the pool?
 
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

I was thinking the same thing about it being inline. Same flow should be seen anywhere in the circuit unless it necks down right?
When you say aligned. you mean look inside the unit at the little flapper? the TEE is pretty much inline with the run and the wire exits pretty much from the top.
Right now its seems to be settled in at about 2200 RPM and hasnt cut out for a few hours. I have my SWG on superchlorinate and I'm going to shock it as well. I put the tabs back in the floatie too until i get the shock in the pool.
Perhaps I'm fiddling a little too much with the RPM to get my bill as low as I can go.. But again. seems like it should run at a lower speed than 2200. Wish i had a way to actually read the flow.
 
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

Yes its a solar loop, i feel big difference between up and down lines. Yesterday it was 95 degrees here in Sacramento CA area. My pool was up to 88 degrees a bit too hot for me. Over the next year I would like to automate some of the stuff going on with my pool systems in terms of automated heat adjustment ( thermostatically controlled somehow ). I'd like to have a way to get my SWG unit to turn on when it senses current in the pump circuit. I read a post another member posted some time ago.
Then I'd like to somehow automate some alarms, high filter pressure, low flow cut out on the SWG.. I dont mind going back once a week when i do my lawn and yard work and clean the filter. I pretty much skim with my basket every day. But I think it would be nice to have some level of automation. It cant be that expensive.
 
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

The flow sensor can actually be unscrewed from the Tee and replaced ... I am saying make sure it is aligned with the flow and the sensor is not twisted a little.
 
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

OH ! cool. I'm going to check that. Again. thank you for you time in responding.
Any ideas on the automation stuff? are there products out there that do this kind of thing?
 
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

You have a Hayward SWG, so the Hayward Pro Logic could control that. Although since the SWG is stand alone, you could go with an automation system. Controlling solar is easy, some of the other alarm options are a little more out there.

The Pentair automation seems to be a little more "open-source" as far as getting access to controls via computer / smart phones. The Hayward wireless control is more limited.
 
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

Any idea what a good set pont is for pool temp? i know thats subjective according to personal preference. but there must be a range they set pools to in hotels and such ?
 
Re: Always wanted a pool and a Golden Retriever. he wont get

Personal preference and depends on your location. With single digit humidity here, you feel very cold when you get out of the water even when the air temp is 100 degrees. Water at 90 feels nice in the evenings once our pool is in the shade, but that feels a little warm for the middle of the afternoon.

And then are you just sitting in the water, or actively swimming laps???
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply