New Sandfilter with Saltwater System - hardly any chlorine

[Toddmonster]

Hi all. I recently bought a Intex above ground pool which came with a small paper filter/SWG combo. I decided to upgrade to a Sandfilter with Salt Water Generator combo unit (1600 gph, Model 20110). Here's my numbers done with a Taylor Text Kit. I've had the Boost system running for about 12 hours.

FC: 0
pH: 7.6
TA:60
CYA: 80
Salt: 3500ppm

My question is this new filter unit doesn't seem to be putting enough chlorine out. It has slowly gone down since I replaced the smaller unit with the bigger one. I tested water coming right out of return, it measured chlorine level at .5, I think it would be much higher coming out of return jet? I don't see many bubbles coming out of electrolyte cell, looks cloudyish (but water isn't).

I'm not getting any alarms or anything, just very little chlorine. Thanks for any input. Todd

 

[tim5055]

Welcome to TFP!!

The first thing to do is manually chlorinate that pool so you don't go green while you figure it out. How long have you had it set up and is there a posibility you have something growing in the water that is consuming the chlorine about as fast as it is produced?

If it were me I would conduct the following two tests, in this order:

Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT) Pump on - SWCG off. If you have less than 1.0 ppm chlorine loss overnight there is nothing of consequence in the water consuming the chlorine. I would bring the FC up to about 8 to do this test.

Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)Pump on - SWCG on This will show how much chlorine was produced overnight and prove if it is working properly.

 

[Toddmonster]

Welcome to TFP!!

The first thing to do is manually chlorinate that pool so you don't go green while you figure it out. How long have you had it set up and is there a posibility you have something growing in the water that is consuming the chlorine about as fast as it is produced?

If it were me I would conduct the following two tests, in this order:

Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT) Pump on - SWCG off. If you have less than 1.0 ppm chlorine loss overnight there is nothing of consequence in the water consuming the chlorine. I would bring the FC up to about 8 to do this test.

Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)Pump on - SWCG on This will show how much chlorine was produced overnight and prove if it is working properly.

Thank you Tim, I will try the first test tonight. I've been up and running for a few weeks. Is it safe to add Bleach to shock the pool to the 8 you suggest. I'd rather not go and purchase any chemicals from the pool store if I can avoid.

Also, if wondering tomorrow night if I can run the 2nd test with the SWG on after it has been shocked with Bleach? Or do I need to wait for it to burn away. Is running a SWG safe with bleach in the pool? Thanks much, Todd

 

[jeffchap]

Yes, it is safe to run the SWG with bleach in the pool. The chlorine produced by the SWG is no different than the chlorine in the bleach. The SWG doesn't care where the chlorine came from.



But when you add the bleach, pour it in front of the return jet and let it disperse into the pool. If you pour it into the skimmer, that high concentration can harm your SWG.

And yes, you can run your OCLT tomorrow. All you are measuring is the change in FC overnight. You never want to let FC drop to zero, otherwise you are inviting algae to grow.

 

[tim5055]

Thank you Tim, I will try the first test tonight. I've been up and running for a few weeks. Is it safe to add Bleach to shock the pool to the 8 you suggest. I'd rather not go and purchase any chemicals from the pool store if I can avoid.

Also, if wondering tomorrow night if I can run the 2nd test with the SWG on after it has been shocked with Bleach? Or do I need to wait for it to burn away. Is running a SWG safe with bleach in the pool? Thanks much, Todd

As Jeff said, it's safe.

Pool stores will try to scare you, but when it comes down to it chlorine is chlorine is chlorine. A Salt Water Chlorine Generator, Bleach, dichlor (powder shock), trichlor (tabs), cal hypo all deliver the exact same chlorine chemical - its just that each of them come along with a byproduct. Some you can live with easily, like the minor amount of salt that liquid chlorine leaves behind. Some you need to monitor and regulate, like the CYA dichlor and trichlor leave behind.

By running the test twice with the SWG off then on we are trying isolate if the problem is organics in your water or the SWG not producing chlorine.

 

[Toddmonster]

As Jeff said, it's safe.

Pool stores will try to scare you, but when it comes down to it chlorine is chlorine is chlorine. A Salt Water Chlorine Generator, Bleach, dichlor (powder shock), trichlor (tabs), cal hypo all deliver the exact same chlorine chemical - its just that each of them come along with a byproduct. Some you can live with easily, like the minor amount of salt that liquid chlorine leaves behind. Some you need to monitor and regulate, like the CYA dichlor and trichlor leave behind.

By running the test twice with the SWG off then on we are trying isolate if the problem is organics in your water or the SWG not producing chlorine.

*************

Ok so ran the overnight test for the chlorine loss. Went from FC = 8 to FC = 6. I'm suspecting a solar cover I've used a few times may have added some algea to the pool, even though I thought it was pretty clean.

Wondering if I need to shock the pool to get it back in line. Thanks for any advice, this forum is awesome! Thanks Todd

P.S. tonight hoping to run the SWG test.

 

[tim5055]

If you are showing a 2ppm loss overnight then you can skip part 2 of the test. We have proven that you have something growing in the water.

We do not "shock" our pools, we follow the SLAM Process when there is a problem. Read through the instructions and ask any questions you may have.

The key points -

Bring pH down to 7.2 before you start.
For your CYA 80, you need to bring the FC up to 31 and Maintain 31. We generally recommend turning off the SWG and use liquid products only
Brush the pool once a day. I would also get that cover in the water to kill what may be on it.

You are done when:

• CC is 0.5 or lower;
  
• You pass an OCLT (ie overnight FC loss test shows a loss of 1.0 ppm or less);
  
• The water is clear.
  
  

When all three are true, you are done SLAMing and can allow the FC to drift down to normal levels.