Salt Test Result Inconsistencies

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S

S4cruiser

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Jan 2, 2014
68
I'm looking for some recommendations for which test result I should trust. Pool details are in my signature.

Salt level per Hayward panel - 2500ppm
Salt level per Taylor drop test - 4000ppm
Salt level per Test strip - 2600ppm

The pool is new and has been filled for 2 months where salt levels have decreased from 3200ppm to where it is above. No significant water replacement other than backwashing.

My cell is reading low salt and I'm planning to add 30 lbs to bring it back up to ~3000ppm per pool math (11,500 gallon pool). I am a bit concerned that the drop test is so much different than the others?? I've tested salt weekly and its always significantly higher than the cell and strip reading.

Should I proceed as planned or test salt another way?
 
Have you checked if the cell is scaled up and needs cleaning? That can cause a low salt reading. Usually the drop test is more accurate, but all tests are +/- 400ppm
 
Sidenote to your original question- I note that your CYA level is a skosh low for a SWG... Do you have goal levels in mind that you're striving for on all your levels?
Each pool is different in its requirements and personality but there are suggested levels that you want to be aware of.
In regards to your salt question- my attitude is "whatever makes the SWG happy" works for me. My Taylor 1776 test says one thing and the SWG says another <shrug>
 
YippeeSkippy said:
Sidenote to your original question- I note that your CYA level is a skosh low for a SWG... Do you have goal levels in mind that you're striving for on all your levels?
Click to expand...

Great question and yes I do have a goal in mind. I've worked to get the FC level to stay stable at 4 ppm based on my pump run time. I didn't want to be experimenting with a higher CYA level and risk the FC dropping to an ineffective level based on a particular CYA level. My plan is to raise CYA to around 50 ppm later this week and then gradually lesson the pump run time while still keeping an adequate FC level.
 

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I have a Pentair IC40 SWG and my unit consistently reads 400 to 500 ppm higher than my AquaChek test strips. Probably going to switch over to Taylor drops when I finish my strips just because I like titration/colorimetry methods better.

I'm with YippeeSkippy on this issue, do whatever makes your SWG happy and just keep a record of SWG readings versus external method (strips or drops). Eventually you'll learn the "personality" of your SWG.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Bringing this back....mystery solved.

Just last week, the cell reading went from 3200 to 2000 ppm in a few days. We also had 3-5" of rain during this same time so I wondered if the pool water got diluted. I tested the water via Taylor drop test (4000ppm) and aqua check strips (2650). These numbers were consistent with the results I had last earlier in July when adding 1 bag of salt made the cell happy, so I added 1 bag of salt.

Unfortunately adding another bag did nothing to make the cell happy. It actually read lower once restarted. Taylor test results were 4400 ppm.

Friday I called the pool store to make sure they could test the cell if I brought it in. Service manager (also co-owner) quizzed me as to why I needed to bring in a cell to be tested that was only ~3 moths old. Said I should be adding a bag of salt each month due to evaporation. I wanted to correct his logic around evaporation but it wasn't worth my energy.

Yesterday I pulled the cell and road out to the pool store. Also took a water sample to see what their salt reading was. They had salt at 2900ppm.

Cell tested bad and went home with a new one via warranty. Installed the cell and the instant salt reading was 4400ppm...which is exactly what the Taylor test indicated.

Moral of story - always trust your own test results, pool store advice is worthless and just because a part is new doesn't mean it can't go bad. I honestly was making myself crazy questioning what I thought was correct so the cell being bad was awesome!!

Questions;:
- Is it common for these cells to just randomly die even when ran on a low percentage (35%)?
- What are the negatives to having such a high salt content now (4400ppm)?
 
Moral of story - always trust your own test results, pool store advice is worthless and just because a part is new doesn't mean it can't go bad. I honestly was making myself crazy questioning what I thought was correct so the cell being bad was awesome!!
Click to expand...

You got that right!!

As for high salt, check your owners manual. I know that my Pentair will continue to operate and generate chlorine even if the high salt condition is on. The high salt means the water has higher electrical conductivity which would draw more current for a given voltage. However, I suspect the electrical circuit is designed to clamp the amount of current draw.

I had high salt for a while but decided to drain off some water to lower it. It's up to you and what the manual says you should do.
 
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