Zodiak SWG can not go above lowest setting

[scrappy]

First off, this is a great site! I'm completely impressed with this forum. This post is a bit long, but as with pools, please be patient with me. I recently purchased a house that has a salt water pool installed in 2006. The pool was green and needed help. I have since cleaned up the pool as its blue, but still a bit cloudy. I had to manually shock the pool and it does not seem like the SWG can keep up with the demands of the pool.

My issue is with my Zodiac LM2-24 SWG. It will not go above the lowest setting on the output. That's 1/5. The low salt light is on even though my salt content is at 4300 ppm (Zodiac recommends 4000+). The previous owner said that it never could keep up and was told that it is because the SWG is a good 40 yards from the pool. The low flow light does not come on, although it flickers a bit when I tried the superchlorinate option. The manual is most unhelpful, but does suggest that it may be because of low main voltage.

The piping on the pool is 1 1/2 inch with a 1.5HP pump and sand filter with a clean pressure of 18psi. The approx distances that the water needs to flow is:

inlet to pump/filter = ~20 yards
pump to heater/SWG = ~60 yards
SWG to outlet = ~40 yards

The outlets seem to have some pretty good flow and the low flow light is not on, so I'm not sure I believe the previous owner that it is the distance that is the issue.

I called Zodiac and someone is supposed to come, but never has. I called when I was having trouble turning the unit on or off during backflush and at a point only the superchlorinate option would work.

Am I missing something.

Here is my current water balance:
FC: 3.0
PH: 7.4
Salt: 4300
TA: 110
CH: 350
CYA: 30

I will likely increase the CYA to about 60 over the next week, but would really like to know how to make the output higher than the lowest setting.

 

[Archos]

I'm pretty sure your CYA needs to be higher. According to the manufacturer, your CYA level should be between 40ppm-100ppm. The TFP Pool School Article recommends 80ppm. When your stabilizer is low, your chlorine will disappear faster. The manual for your SWG says it's only made to maintain FC between 1 and 3ppm. I honestly don't know how they expect that that will keep the pool sanitized without frequent shocking, considering the amount of CYA they recommend. The CYA/Chlorine chart on this site recommends almost twice the FC level for SWG pools. (http://www.troublefreepool.com/category/pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock)

Another thing to possibly look at is how hot the water is that is going through your SWG cell. I have no idea where you live, but unshaded/painted PVC can get the water pretty hot in exposed sunlight. You cell model's water temperature through the cell is 104F. I realize that this is probably a shot in the dark, but it's something to think about.

Take all of this with a grain of salt. I'm pretty new around here. Most of the real deal pool people are probably asleep right now. I'm sure they'll give you better advice when they get on tomorrow.

Edit: Oops, just saw you are in Canada... doubt it's the desert heat!

 

[Strannik]

Not sure about Zodiac, but for most Australian chlorinators (Zodiac being one of them) optimum salt level is around 5500 ppm. But double check that with the manual. Cold water would be another reason why the output doesn't go above certain mark.

Other things to check: clean the cell and get it tested, get the power supply tested.

Generally the symptoms you are describing indicate low salt/dirty or dying cell/faulty unit

CYA doesn't have any effect on output level.

 

[DLSDO]

Few thoughts.

You said.."I have since cleaned up the pool as its blue, but still a bit cloudy. I had to manually shock the pool and it does not seem like the SWG can keep up with the demands of the pool." You might still be fighting a low level algae problem. Check you FC at sundown, turn off your SWG and recheck FC in the morning. If it drops then you need to shock till it holds overnight.

In relation to your inability to increase output and the salt sensor light issue. Try acid washing the unit per your manufacturers instructions and if this fails then you likely have a faulty unit or bad cell.

 

[scrappy]

I cleaned the cell and going to get the power tested. I'll try to get a tech out again, hopefully they show up. Its only 2 years old, so under the 3 year warranty. 4300ppm for salt is above their recommendation of 4000. The chlorinator is in the shade, but just after the heater, however the output does not seem to depend on if the heater is on or not. Does a SWG work better the hotter it is? I know it doesn't work in cold water <65 degrees, but I'm well into the 80's for temp. Is there a cutoff point where if it gets to a certain high temp it no longer works as well?

And yes, I am in Canada, but can am bilingual in metric and imperial :-D

 

[Guest]

Your unit is undersized for your pool. You really should have an LM40. I suspect that because the cell has been run at near full output it's beginning to fail (or possibly the power supply.) The LM series lke a salt level of 4500-5000 ppm. It allows the cell to run a bit cooler at the higher salt levels.

 

[Strannik]

Does a SWG work better the hotter it is? I know it doesn't work in cold water <65 degrees, but I'm well into the 80's for temp.

It does work better because conductivity increases with temperature, but after 40C it starts to wear out quicker as well.

 

[scrappy]

Just an update on this in case there are others out there. The technician came by and found that the installer wired it wrong and had a 220V line connected into the 110V line. How the previous owner didn't call this in is unbelievable. However, on an even more positive note, Zodiac installed a new cell as well for free and let me keep the old one. I am now one happy camper. The output is on 3/5 and my FC is staying steady at 2.0. Life is good and the pool is looking awesome.

 

[Strannik]

Interesting. That's the second unit i see during this week malfunctioning due to wrong power voltage.