help with a new intex sweg

[ropdyke]

Hello All!

I just bought a new intex sweg, got it hooked up put in 250 lbs of salt, had the kids swim and ran the filter for 1 1/2 days. I have the salt test strips that were recommended on this board. Tested the water it was 2700.
Started the sweg ran it for 2 hours stopped it started it again to see it work again, and got a HIGH salt error. Drain about 2 in of water still the high salt error. I had the copper disconnected. I reconnected it. I restarted sweg it worked. I turned it off started it again, I got the high salt error agin. Return it to walmart started the new one worked great for 2 hours. I thought I was good to go, but NO! Got the high salt error again. I think maybe the strips are messed up. I bought them from testkits.com. I am going drop the water 2 more in and refill. It hard for me to believe 2 bad units in 2 days
any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!!

 

[JasonLion]

The salt test strips are usually spot on, but there have been numerous reports of them being wildly wrong for some people. The drop test is much more complex to use, but doesn't have that problem.

 

[ropdyke]

well i'm droping more water to see what is going on. Its strange that the first time it works and the second or third it doesn't.

 

[heidiho]

When I put your pool into pool calculator (4.3 ft high x 18 ft. wide I came up with 7600 gal.) , I put in 0 for your start for salt and a goal of 2700 and came up with 172 lbs. of salt. Most likely there was some salt in your water when you started. That is why it is recommended to have the salt checked before adding any to the pool and I held off on 2 bags for 2 days so that the salt could circulate and I waited 24 hours before I turned on the SWG. It is easier to add than refill. I hope you have everything running now.

 

[linen]

When I put your pool into pool calculator (4.3 ft high x 18 ft. wide I came up with 7600 gal.)

Although the wall is 52 inches, the water level is likely 6 inches shorter so 46in or 3.833 feet...giving a pool volume of about [s:15842r73]5700[/s:15842r73] 7200 gallons.

Adding 250 lbs to your 5700 gallon pool means your salt was high at [s:15842r73]5200[/s:15842r73] 4150 ppm and the intex swg will not run up there. Reduce the level to about 3500 ppm (by draining ~8 inches and refilling) and it should work great. Sounds like your strips may be bad.

 

[ropdyke]

Thanks for all the replies!!!

I did lower it, the strips says 2500 and it is working great!!!
I have always used the 52 in and that may be why nothing was working out as far as the calculator. I was putting in 9500 gallons. I did not figure the 6 in less of water. Thank you for helping me out on that. All is well. My pool has never been clearer.

Why is it the fc can be so much lower, than a normal chlorine pool?

Once again thanks for the help.

NOTE Leslies had my salt at 5700, so I guess they were close and my strips where not.

 

[linen]

I was putting in 9500 gallons.

I was wondering why you put in 250 lbs.

By the way, I made a mistake (I thought I used poolcalculator right) and I should have said 7200 gallons...looked it up on intex's site and they list the pool at a bit less: 6981 gallons. Intex lists 175 lbs of sand being correct.

 

[linen]

Almost forgot, don't forget to disconnect the copper bars!

 

[KatWoman]

Almost forgot, don't forget to disconnect the copper bars!

Can I ask why to disconnect the copper bars? I am trying to learn about my Intex SWG, as I am not sure if it is working or if we need a new one. It was a replacement for a bad cell 2 years ago and stored last year. Thanks

 

[linen]

The bars add copper to your pool which you do not need or want. Copper can stain pool surfaces and cause blond hair to turn green. Copper only brings disadvantages when used in a properly chlorinated residential pool.

 

[ropdyke]

yep I did disconnected the bars, but did not remove them. I also ordered the better test kit from tft testkits. I sure those strips where messed up. Thanks for your help!