New pool owner - Thinking of adding a SWCG

[cardano]

Hi Gang and thanks for all the education you provide. As I have never before been responsible for a pool, having grown up with them but only ever doing what little maintenance I was made to do, I have appreciated reading up on the things to pay attention to. My pool sanitation currently runs on (2) chlorine floaters, but I was looking at adding a salt water chlorine generator in an attempt to reduce overall chloramine, get a salt feel, and not have to teach my wife or kids how to handle chlorine ( either bleach or tablets ) . I had been looking at Ozone as well, but living in sunny Phoenix, AZ makes me think that the great big ball of fire in the sky will be providing more than enough ozone daily.
Question for the masses would be - in looking at the Pentair IC20 and IC40 units ( which seem well reviewed and popular ) I think that it's worth upsizing to the IC-40 even though my pool clocks in right around 20k gallons so that I can run it under 100% most of the time but be able to kick it up to 100% output time after a party.Other interesting things in my installation would be getting the SWCG installed on the primary pump only and not the booster pump for the waterfall if that's necessary.
Thanks,
Cardano

 

[davelinde]

We run an IC40 on a much smaller pool, so yes - for you the bigger one could make sense too.

 

[Bama Rambler]

We recommend sizing the swcg between 1½ to 3 times the pool size. If you get it too close to the pool size you'll have to run it at a high percentage and also run the pump longer to maintain the required FC. It also affects the life of the cell, lower percentage equals longer life.

Plumbing it to the main pump is the proper way to do it. Since the waterfall pump, pumps pool water it'll get sanitized water ran through it whenever it runs.

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

Strictly using tablets is a recipe for disaster in our climate ... hopefully your stabilizer (CYA) is not already WAY too high. Read up in Pool School to learn the chemistry. Do you have one of the Recommended Test Kits?

We always recommend sizing the SWG for 1.5-3 times the size of your pool, so I would definitely be looking at the IC-40 if you are planning to go with Pentair. The SWG should be the last piece of equipment before the water returns to the pool, so the booster pump should be well upstream of that.

Also, generally it is easier to just use bleach for temporary FC bumps than trying to rely on the slow SWG generation.

 

[cardano]

Haven't started testing the water at all - I fully expect to need to replace the water before we get to swim in it this spring. Been reading up a little each morning. I am sure the CYA is off the charts by now. Glad to hear that I was thinking right with an IC-40. I guess I could look at the IC-60 but that seems like it's getting into way overkill range. I would need to check and make sure that it and the pump will fit on the (2) single pole 20amp breakers they are currently running off or I might need to add to the wiring size and/or capacity.

why would a 3x sizing on SWG make sense? is it just the lower run percentage that increases life and allows for quicker recovery? or is the sun and heat of Phoenix summers that will be using up free chlorine faster than I can make it?
and since we skipped over that - are there other brands I should be looking at or is Pentair reputable enough that I can just pick the right size of their SWG and go for it?

Thanks Again,
Cardano

 

[jblizzle]

By getting a larger SWG, it should last longer because you are able to run at a lower output percentage.
Also you will be able to run your pump for a shorter period of time and still generate enough FC in that amount of time.

So do you mean to say that your main pump is on one 115V circuit and your booster is on another? You will want to run the power to the SWG from the same timer that turns on and off your main pump.

Just recalled this tidbit ... without a Pentair automation system, the Pentair SWGs are limited to increments of 20% output ... this could make it difficult to dial in the output as you may have to adjust the pump run time more than the % output.

I have had Hayward SWG at both houses and the T-15 is sized for a 40k pool as well (same output as the Pentair IC-40). It has a dial to set the output % so it is more adjustable without the automation requirement. Also the replacement cells are a good bit cheaper.

There are other brands like Circupool that are pretty cheap and were used by a good number of members, not sure I have noticed long term reports though.

 

[Salty in FL]

Am I able to piggy-back on Cardano's question? Well, I guess I will since it's about testing a SWG

I've been roaming around the site for a good while now looking for the information on EXACTLY what I need to get in/with the chemical kit for my soon-to-be SWG pool. You guys rave RAVE about the speedstir and so I wanna get that and I'd like to buy it through the TFTestkit site.

Here's the link (can't see how to upload an image): http://tftestkits.net/TF-100-Test-Kit-p4.html
So what do I purchase?!

I'm guessing the TF-100 Test Kit plus the Speedstir magnetic stirrer and what else for testing for a SWG?

 

[jblizzle]

If you want to test the salt, then add either the strips or the drop test. I prefer the drop based test.

Btw, generally best to start your own thread for your own questions.

 

[cardano]

So do you mean to say that your main pump is on one 115V circuit and your booster is on another? You will want to run the power to the SWG from the same timer that turns on and off your main pump.

Actually, there are a total of (4) single pole 20amp 120v breakers in my panelboard which have 'pool' written next to them in sharpie. I have not yet determined if that means I have 220 running to each of the pumps and breakers which ought to have their handles tied, or if something even less 'kosher' is going on. Since the motors technically take less than 16amps at 120V each, I stopped thinking about that potential issue when we moved in. being confident your not in danger of waking up to a fire is enough to make you start thinking about other things that need fixing - like the roof. which thankfully is now just about fixed and it's time to start thinking pool thoughts.
Also - thanks for the tip about the hayward option - I'll have to look into that.
And I wouldnt mind hearing about the magnetic stirrer bit since I havent found that yet and am planning on a TF-100 kit in the near future.
I was actually thinking of using the in SWG salt meter to monitor salt levels, but if a drop test for salt is important, I can totally pick up one of those too.
with about 8 months of useful swimming time here in Phoenix, I figure I really ought to invest in getting it done right and keeping the pool ready for action.
Cheers!
Cardano.

 

[jblizzle]

The 230v running to my pool pad was on half of two tandem 115v breakers (if that makes sense) ... So anything is possible.

The SpeedStir is a great option with the TF-100.

It is a good idea too have an independent salt test because the SWG numbers drift when the cell gets dirty or starts to fail.