Over Sized Pool Pump & converting to Salt question

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CGraham

CGraham

0
Apr 26, 2015
6
Terrell, Tx
I have an above ground 18x9 Rec Pool that I just setup and looking to add a few features.

Thinking of using an over sized pump; this makes sense if it pumps more water per hour then the normal one it should keep it cleaner - is this factual and worth the extra $$$$

I would all so like to convert to a salt water system and read that it doesn't taste bad or feel any different other then your skin is suppose to be softer. Have you guys found or read this to be true ?

Thanks
 
Re: Over Sized Pool Pump & converting to Salt question

Generally you will only need to add salt at the beginning of the season unless you have to top off water a lot. A couple of tips I have learned with my SWG if you get a low salt reading, before adding salt clean the cell. You can use vinegar as the manual says or diluted muratic acid. I also have a extra soft bristle toothbrush I use if stuff is really stuck on the cell. If you get a high copper reading on your pool water you can disconnect the copper cell. If you get low flow warning check to make sure your filter is shooting a good flow of water out the return. Also pull the flow sensor out and rinse it off with the hose. If you get a high salt reading then double check your salt level using a Taylor salt test kit. ( link in my signature). If it is truly high the only way to lower it is partial drain and refill.

- - - Updated - - -

Also I get my salt at Home Depot in the pool section it is the Diamond brand. Some people also use solar salt instead.
 
I recommend SWG too. I will never be without one. I'll fill up the pool with dirt before I give up my SWG.

Like Tim said, a bigger filter will result in much better filtering than a larger pump will. By far.

Salt doesnt evaporate. Over time, you will loose some water due to having to drain some because of rain, and backwashing... over the course of a whole summer, you might have to add a bag or 2, depending on how large your pool is.

As a FYI also, you dont need to buy expensive "pool salt". Lots of us save a few $ by using water softener salt. The only difference between it and the Pool Salt is the size of the salt grain. I can live with the extra 20 minutes it takes the bigger grains to dissolve.
Here is a link to the salt lots of us use.
https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...lt+home+depot&hl=en&ei=SjxOVea9DcPisAXHhYGoBA
 

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We've had great luck with our Intex SWCG...

  • Clean the cell, when it looks white across its surface.
  • Look around for best price... We spent $199 for ours because we bought it at Target at the same time as the pool, but if we'd thought to look around first, we could've gotten one for $79 on clearance at Walmart.com.
  • Just say no to copper. It doesn't add anything but complications- I don't know about you, but I got the SWCG to simplify the process. Why worry about having to test for and track something else, that is not in the least bit necessary to run the pool (or the unit).
  • Disconnect the cable that plugs into the top of the copper electrode. That's it! Almost 3 years and the prongs don't look weathered, or weird or anything. And without the electric to the anode? (The copper block) it also looks barely different... No deterioration, or green-blue color change, nada... So I don't think I'm getting any more copper than if I had copper pipes.
  • There's definitely a learning curve as you figure out how long to run it and when, to keep chlorine available when you need it. Trial and error, and learn to test for yourself. It isn't hard, just takes a little time. That is a major difference from the higher-end SWCGs... You can't just dial in a percentage and adjust it... It's all or nothing-- on or off. You can usually set the timer independent of the pump timer, so it only comes on during part of the pump's run-time. But the pump must always run longer than the SWCG: it has to come on first and turn off last.
  • The boost function is a joke... And takes too long, even if it does finally seem to increase the FC eventually. And think about it, if you need sanitized water now, starting a "boost" cycle isn't gonna help you. It is faster and easier and more effective to supplement with bleach/liquid chlorine. Besides, every time you try to "boost", you shave time off of the life-expectancy of the cell.

Ours has served us well for nearly 3 years and is still going strong. It seems to be something Intex got right... Well, aside from putting in the copper anode to solve a problem caused not by the SWCG but by the sad state of their pumps & filtration.
 
If you can't adjust percentage of on time with the intex swg, what does the boost mode do? If it's already running 100%, you can't go any higher than that. I wonder if boost mode uses the copper anode more?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Good question... I never thought of it like that.:confused:
:google: is fun...?. Here's some of what I learned...

From Intex Saltwater system FAQ:
What is the chemical process that takes place in an Intex Saltwater System?
The chemical process is very simple. Salt and water are combined with a low-level electrical charge inside the Saltwater System to produce Sodium Hydroxide which converts to Hypochlorous Acid. Light, in the form of sunlight, converts the Hypochlorous Acid to Hydrochloric Acid, which then reverts back to salt and water. When copper and HClO (Hypochlorous acid)/ClO- are released into the water, these positive, surface active ions are a potent biocide. The disinfection action takes place when the positively charged copper ions form electrostatic bonds on negatively charged areas of the microorganism cell walls. {I want to interject here:even if the given explanation of how copper works as an antimicrobial is accurate ... The real disinfection/sanitation/algecidal action in a pool -saltwater or otherwise - is effected by CHLORINE, not copper. ChemGeek has explained several times, that in a pool, the undesirably high concentration of copper and it's slow disinfection time, make it unreliable for sanitation purposes.} CG: please correct or elaborate, if you feel the need ;). It seems weird to me that they proffer an explanation of copper's mechanism of action, but they don't bother to explain how *chlorine* works. :rolleyes:
This process means that the agents that eliminate bacteria and algae in the pool water are continuously produced in the Saltwater System, and when used up, revert back to plain, natural, salt and water in an ongoing cycle, never needing replacement.[all emphasis mine]{This statement is only true of the chlorine production cycle... Copper *absolutely will NOT* break down as part of the "ongoing cycle." I personally find this statement *very* misleading... :rant:} Even though the water in your pool will evaporate, only the water is absorbed into the air. The salt remains in your pool. So you will need to add water occasionally, but not salt. However, if water is removed or spilled out of your pool, obviously the salt in the water is also lost. So in this instance, depending on how much water is removed from the pool, some salt may have to be added. But under normal operating conditions, salt will not need to be added.​
Click to expand...
When the Intex Saltwater System is producing chlorine under daily operating conditions, will it also produce copper ions?
The Saltwater System generates a small amount of copper ions during its daily chlorine production. The copper ion output during normal operating production is about 3% of the copper produced from the “Boost” cycle.{OK, I'll admit it... ?I'm math-challenged... Maybe someone else can help-- The inverse of the previous statement is: "During a boost cycle, copper ion production is X times higher than normal." What is "X"?:confused:}​
Click to expand...

I've learned something. :mrgreen: It looks like you called it, Guy.
I think I've read that FAQ before... I guess it didn't really sink in, re: the copper, because I'm not using that particular "feature" anyway.
Like I suggested above, unplug the copper electrode. And don't even bother with the "boost" function...
I didn't quote it, but the manual states that boost mode will make the SWG run for 3x whatever the run-time is set for. I guess technically, if it's chugging away continuously for up to 36 hrs straight, you *might* eventually build up a chlorine residual.
The rest of the baloney that they try to give a half-arsed explanation for, gloss over, or leave out entirely--- well, it does make me wanna :brickwall:... I did my homework before I bought our pool, so I knew what the pump & filter, and SWG were capable of, and what they weren't. I don't expect them to be state-of-the-art... So I don't have unrealistic expectations. I think that's the biggest hurdle... Learning the limits of the Intex equipment and not expecting miracles.
If I can't have the in-ground pool of my dreams -- and I won't unless I win the lottery -- I'm perfectly happy (and just as wet) in my lowly Intex. Now, I would like to get one of the big rectangular ones when it comes time to replace the one we've got... But I doubt my husband will want to level a bigger area. I'll have to find a bargaining chip before then.:p
 
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