SWCG vs Traditional Chlorine Pro's and Con's

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U

USFishin

0
Aug 7, 2011
36
Oldsmar, FL
Pool Size
15000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
CircuPool Universal40
So I'm starting to do my research as to whether I want to convert my traditional pool into a SWCG one. I have a 15,000 gal in ground plaster pool in the Tampa area.

With my traditional pool I add liquid chlorine on a regular basis and also have an automatic feeder for trichlor tablets. So right now my costs are for the liquid chlorine and tablets and also for the replacement of some water occasionally as my CYA gets too high and I have to drain some off.

With a SWCG I obviously have the cost of the system and the cost of salt. How much salt is needed for my scenario and how often is it needed? Also, what is the electricity usage for a SWCG? I read that a SWCG pool needs more acid too, although it's not expensive.

Of course there's many more Pro's to the SWCG but if it ends up costing me the same as I'm paying now in chlorine and I'd have to buy the system on top of that then it might not be a wise decision.

Anyone have thoughts, opinions, experiences they'd like to share?
 
Re: SWG vs Traditional Chlorine Pro's and Con's

The long term total costs often end up being roughly similar, maybe higher, maybe lower, but with a SWG you pay up front and have a small risk that the unit might break early. Bleach means way more carrying and potential trouble if you miss a day or two. Bleach gives you more control over adding exactly the amount of chlorine you need. Salt has it's own pros and cons, most people prefer it but some don't like the taste. Electrical usage for a SWG is trivial, not a high percentage of total costs.
 
Re: SWG vs Traditional Chlorine Pro's and Con's

Of course I may be a bit biased here :D however I think you'll find the vast majority of the salt chlorine generator owners here are very happy with their pools. From your post it sounds like you have a very good idea of what is involved.

If you are starting at 0 ppm of salt to reach 3,000 ppm you would need about 377 lbs. (10 - 40lb. bags). Just about all of the major US manufacturers require somewhere in the 3,000 ppm range. Most imported systems will require about 4,000 ppm. One thing to note is that you probably already have a salt residual from the liquid chlorine that has been used. The amount of salt needed per year varies from pool to pool. The salt is NOT consumed through the chlorine production process. The main way salt leaves the pool is through dilution of water. A 40 lb. bag of salt can typically be purchased for $4-7 (varies regionally and by store). So even if you need to start up from 0 ppm your cost is pretty low for salt.

All brands and models of chlorine generators are very energy efficient adding just a few dollars per month in electrical costs. It is no where near the energy use of your pool pump.
 
Re: SWG vs Traditional Chlorine Pro's and Con's

My opinion? I've never had a traditionally chlorinated pool. Started with an SWG when we built our pool in 2011. I will say that my friends/coworkers that have traditional chlorine pools whom I've had conversations with spend several hundred (if not nearly a thousand) dollars more than I do on chemicals a year. I blame that on being "pool stored" and not so much real cost if you know what you are doing (TFP method). I love mine though. SWG gives you the added benefit of not having to be ever-present to add chlorine.
 
Re: SWG vs Traditional Chlorine Pro's and Con's

JoshU said:
Of course I may be a bit biased here :D however I think you'll find the vast majority of the salt chlorine generator owners here are very happy with their pools. From your post it sounds like you have a very good idea of what is involved.

If you are starting at 0 ppm of salt to reach 3,000 ppm you would need about 377 lbs. (10 - 40lb. bags). Just about all of the major US manufacturers require somewhere in the 3,000 ppm range. Most imported systems will require about 4,000 ppm. One thing to note is that you probably already have a salt residual from the liquid chlorine that has been used. The amount of salt needed per year varies from pool to pool. The salt is NOT consumed through the chlorine production process. The main way salt leaves the pool is through dilution of water. A 40 lb. bag of salt can typically be purchased for $4-7 (varies regionally and by store). So even if you need to start up from 0 ppm your cost is pretty low for salt.

All brands and models of chlorine generators are very energy efficient adding just a few dollars per month in electrical costs. It is no where near the energy use of your pool pump.
Click to expand...
I bought 14 bags today at Home Depot today @ $6.97/bag 99.7%-- cheapest around! For the last year I've been using 8.25% bleach bought at wally world @$3/ 106 oz bottle. During the summer, I was using a bottle every day. At $90/ month plus tabs in a floater when going on vacation. Just the convenience of not having to worry about fc levels while I'm away is worth the initial cost.
Even better yet, starting "Wed" -- I bought mine today, discountsaltpool.com is having an upgrade sale where you can buy a Circupool swcg at the price of a lesser model ie, I got a si-45 for the same cost ($649) as the si-30
 
Re: SWG vs Traditional Chlorine Pro's and Con's

I ran across this thread today which got me thinking about the SWCG for my pool again. http://slickdeals.net/f/6773204-40-lb-bag-of-morton-salt-system-saver-ii-water-softener-pellets-3-99-free-store-pickup-sears

So it looks like the salt cost would just be the startup cost and would just be marginal as I get a lot of rain in the pool I'd need to add a little here and there. What about any issues with the water being splashed onto the pool deck... does anyone get any staining from the salt residue? Do all SWCG check the chlorine level and generate chlorine automatically or do some require you to go turn them on or something? Anyone have any recommendations on brands or models?
 
SWGs do not check the chlorine level at all, it is up to you to dial in the correct SWG output.
You set the SWG % on time and then it is only powered when the pool pump is on. So if the pump runs 5 hours and you set the SWG to 50% that means it is only generating 50% of the time it is on, so 2.5 hours.

Since you say you get a lot of rain, salt on the deck is not likely a problem. If can cause issues in dry climates and with soft natural stone around the pool.
 
Do all SWCG check the chlorine level and generate chlorine automatically or do some require you to go turn them on or something? Anyone have any recommendations on brands or models?
Click to expand...

A typical salt chlorine generator does not automatically regulate chlorine based on chlorine levels. Although it is possible to do so with a product such as AutoPilot's Pool Pilot Total Control or Hayward's Sense and Dispense 99% of the units out there are not installed with this technology.

Instead you simply regulate it based on time. The systems typically have an output setting of 1% to 100%. This percentage relates back to time. For example if your pump circulates the pool water for 8 hours per day and your chlorine generator is set to 50% output the system would produce 50% of the pump's run time so it produce chlorine for 4 hours out of that day. If you find too much or too little chlorine you can then adjust the output higher or lower as need be. Once you've had a system installed for a few weeks this typically makes much more sense.

Some manufacturers have unique features. For example as your pool water becomes warmer the chlorine demands grows. As the water cools then chlorine demands also goes done. AutoPilot has a feature called temperature compensation which will automatically adjust the output % based on water temperature.

As for manufacturers there are quite a few options out there and I'm sure some system owners will chime in here with their reviews.

(Disclosure: I am an AutoPilot dealer.)
 

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I'm with timerguy and also bought the same swg system. I've done a ton of research and found that while your paying for a new swg system...In my case will be about $750 for both the swg system and about 16 bags of salt that I MAY need. I say may because I am just waiting on my test kit and then testing the salt levels. Once I know what that is then using pool math on this website, I enter the value and it literally tells me how many lbs of salt I need. Divide that by 40lbs and go shopping for it. I concur that the salt can be had for under 6$ at home depot but can also be found at Walmart for 6.50$

The swg we got are rated for 10k hours. Remember that time is based on your pump running. So if you run your pump 8 hours a day then divide that by 10k and that's how many "days" it should work for. I've heard testimonials from users that some run longer then that and like any other consumer product breaks early. The swgs we got have 4 yr warranties but there is a 7 yr model as well. You will probably want to get a swg rated for about 30k or so. It will last longer and be more efficient in sanitizing your pool.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk
 
Solar Salt is $3.97 for 40 pounds at Home Depot in TX but $4.78 in AZ (so there is some variation) ... it is just not ground up as much as pool salt. So instead of taking 30 seconds to dissolve it takes a few minutes ... I will save my $2-3 per bag and wait a little longer for it to dissolve.

- - - Updated - - -

Also I thought the SWGs were rated for generating time, not pump run time.

In any case, we recommend sizing the SWG for 1.5-3 times the size of your pool to increase the time the cell will last and not required you run your pump all day.
 
Yup, or some regions like in AZ carry the Morton brand instead of Diamond Crystal. The solar salt seems to generally be in blue bags.
Just looking at the Home Depot website for here in AZ they list:
Morton Solar Salt $4.78
Diamond Crystal Pool Salt $5.87
Morton Pool Salt $7.07

How there can be such a big price difference for the same things is weird to me :suspect:
 
Re: SWG vs Traditional Chlorine Pro's and Con's

Well shoot!!! I just found some Morton at Walmart for $4.64. It doesn't have a strength indicated, but I'll assume it's 99% +. Going to have to Haul these 14 bags back to Home Depot! 32 bucks is a substatial savings!
 
Enjoy looking at the diamonds when you add them to the pool. Its pretty cool looking.
Careful how much you cart in your vehicle. You can add too much weight.
Also when adding to the pool shoot short, measure, then top off.


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