CircuPool Chlorine Generator

[MSI]

After months of agonizing, finally, I took the plunge and turned my pool in to Salt water. After hearing many good things, I purchased the CircuPool 60 Si Plus for my 40K pool. The people at "Discount Salt Pool" are great and have been providing excellent after sales service.

In past 4 months, I am on my 3rd replacement unit and counting. The first 60 Si Plus unit stopped working in about a month and was promptly replaced. The second stopped working few weeks ago and now has been replaced with 45 Si Plus. Apparently, 60 Si units are having problems in control module programming. Once the problems are sorted out by the manufacturers, they will once again replace the lower rated unit with original rating of 60 Si.

I am wondering if this is a common problem or I am the unlucky one. I am disappointed by the uncertainty this has created and the inconvenience of having to live in fear of pool turning green. In this day and age, where after sales service does not exist, I must commend the staff at "Discount Salt Pool" who have been very helpful and undoubting. I did not have to spend endless hours to explain the problem, did not get bumped from one person to another. Replacement units were sent out immediately. No runaround.

Thanks

 

[ping]

I would ask if they can replace it with a Hayward or AutoPilot and you make up any difference in pricing. I've read enough to say I wouldn't touch the CircuPool or CompuPool units right now.

 

[gynojunkie]

MSI, my long-term experiencefrom a review here on the TFP forum). MY advice to all who have already purchased the CircuPool line is--as you stated above--that you may not have bought true peace of mind; the generator needs to be watched. The calibration can get sideways on you and if you are getting water test values that do not conform to the LCD display: 1. trust the values 2. see if calibration is needed on the main box (my salt sensor went bad--they replaced it; it then needed calibration. Imagine an SWG that doesn't know the salinity of its own water!!!). As I said below, I never had one WEEK go by without an algae issue. I was buying expensive shock by the case, dumping in 2# every 10 days or so. It took an actual meltdown of the electrolytic plate unit for me to realize my folly. It was actually cathartic for me to cut the PVC pipe to the unit, cutting the CircuPool system completely out of my life, and changing to the TFP system. Walmart bleach is cheap for the asking. Best of luck with your equipment. Be ever vigilant!

Re: Circupool Review
I must report a less than favorable experience with my Circupool RJ-30. I have used the unit for 3.5 years in a 20,000 gal SWP, PebbleTech, in AZ. I bought it to replace the original one, of different manufacture, that failed over time.

Several small issues came up over these few years; the Circupool tech were available to speak with live, were helpful and when I needed a small electrical part, it was supplied as a warranty item.

Trouble is the following:

1. The unit has never produced enough Cl to prevent a persistent light case of green algae, requiring the usual sweeping & shocking. I would set the Circupool to "Superchlorinate;" what I came to learn, though, is that the unit can only chlorinate to 100% of its range. There is no effective "supershock" setting or capability. I had to buy pound bags of Li or other shock to supplement what was really only a baseline chlorination by the Circupool unit. I never got past a 4.0 FC--and my target was 5.5-6. The tech explained to me that the plates create an instantaneous FC--which, in turn, oxidizes instantaneously. Whatever, the chlorination never got to the pool to a level that could kill the algae at the sidewalls, pipes, etc.

A few weeks ago the electrodes serving the plates began to short-circuit & melt, boring a hole in the plate base. A total loss.
The company offered the prorated portion of the warranty, another $330 to get the unit back on line. I declined; I won't throw more money into this. (They told me that the plates had eroded from improperly balanced water, that my LSI score was out of range. But, my LSI was 0.16--solidly within range. They responded that it must have been out of range previously. I call B.S., because I am meticulous in my pool maintenance).

Final takeaway thought? I paid $850 for a machine that uses my electricity to create very expensive household bleach. I have switched to the TFP (BBB) system, and the pool has been totally free of algae, water is crystalline and keeping it balanced is a piece of cake, using a few bucks' worth of Walmart bleach & muriatic acid per week.

My initial laziness cost me $$$ and unnecessary effort.

Your mileage may vary but my Circupool experience was a bust.

 

[timerguy]

If I were you, and I was you, I'd give discount salt pools the opportunity to make it right as they said they would. After initial problems I had with my original si-45, after I requested a new cell because the salt levels were never correct. They quickly replaced it and it has been showing the correct levels ever since! Like you, I have found their customer service to be exemplary. I would highly recommend them to anyone.