Pros and Cons of a SWCG
Pros:
• The convenience of not having to haul and add chlorine daily
• Chlorine is more consistent over a period of time. Eliminates the trouble that can be caused if the normal chlorine dose is missed for a day or two
• Able to go on vacations without the need to have someone attend to the pool
• Eliminates the rise in CYA if someone is using pucks for chlorination
• Some people like the feel of the water. Note that a SWCG is not required to have the salt feel of the water. Add enough salt to 2000 ppm and the water will have the same feel to it
Cons:
• Upfront cost is high, but overall cost is about equal to a manually chlorinated pool
• Repair cost if the SWCG fails early
• Possible increase in acid demand
• Could damage soft stones, need to seal stone work
• Could increase the electrical cost due to needing more pump on-time to make enough chlorine
• Very minor increase in electrical cost due to the SWCG electronics
• Gives a false sense of security that the pool chemicals are balanced. Still need to perform consistent testing as it is not a set it and forget it solution
• It is more difficult to SLAM a pool due to a higher CYA level if SLAMing is ever needed
• Some people do not like the taste of the water
We usually get multiple request for the pros and cons and it might be easiest to just start listing them in a single post to make it easier to research the topic.
Pros:
• The convenience of not having to haul and add chlorine daily
• Chlorine is more consistent over a period of time. Eliminates the trouble that can be caused if the normal chlorine dose is missed for a day or two
• Able to go on vacations without the need to have someone attend to the pool
• Eliminates the rise in CYA if someone is using pucks for chlorination
• Some people like the feel of the water. Note that a SWCG is not required to have the salt feel of the water. Add enough salt to 2000 ppm and the water will have the same feel to it
Cons:
• Upfront cost is high, but overall cost is about equal to a manually chlorinated pool
• Repair cost if the SWCG fails early
• Possible increase in acid demand
• Could damage soft stones, need to seal stone work
• Could increase the electrical cost due to needing more pump on-time to make enough chlorine
• Very minor increase in electrical cost due to the SWCG electronics
• Gives a false sense of security that the pool chemicals are balanced. Still need to perform consistent testing as it is not a set it and forget it solution
• It is more difficult to SLAM a pool due to a higher CYA level if SLAMing is ever needed
• Some people do not like the taste of the water
We usually get multiple request for the pros and cons and it might be easiest to just start listing them in a single post to make it easier to research the topic.