Being Held Hostage By My Pool!!! (aka Intelliph installation)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
I'm still running 31% 1:1. It's been two months exactly. But I can't now remember if I first dumped in four gallons or three. I think three, because the hopper doesn't really hold four gallons, as I recall. And I added a gallon before I left, and it's still mostly in there. So I'm going to say 1.5 gallons a month.

Since I installed I've been dialing down the output a bit, so now I'm below 50%. Which should theoretically mean I can now switch to 14% or dilute the 31% 2:1. I was waiting to finish off the original three gallons to do so, but then my little vacation happened, and I didn't want to be fooling with changing anything a few days before I left, so I had to add that fourth gallon. So once I finish off what's in there now, I'll switch to 2:1.

I can't just pour in water to dilute now, because the dern hopper is shaped such that there's no way to know what's in there now (it tapers from top to bottom), plus I'm pretty sure the gallon marks on the side of the thing are way off. So I have to wait until it's nearly empty, and then pour in a gallon of water, mark that on the side, then a gallon of acid and mark that on the side, etc. That'll solve both the dilution issue and the inaccurate measurement marks at the same time. I guess it'll be about another month before I can do that...

Glad to hear you've got your system working. Yay! Wow, so you're using over a gallon a week, in a 7K gallon pool?! That must be the new plaster...
 
Google tells me that 5 litres is about 1.3 gallons so 1.3 gallons of acid in 3 weeks. The total amount of diluted acid used is 15 litres and only 5 of that is acid with the other 10 being water.

It is a pain having to wait for it to empty when you want to change the dilution. Handover people had it at a 3:1 ratio when the instructions call for 2:1.

It is awesome having the probe work. I think my system must work a little differently to yours. I don’t set an amount to dose like I do the swcg. I just tell it my target ph and it doses whatever it needs to. It sits exactly .2 above the set amount. Currently have it set to 7.4 and it maintains 7.6 perfectly. About to bump it to 7.5 so it maintains 7.7 for my csi.

Very happy and can see why people rave about these systems after all the dramas I had. When the pb replaced the probe (finally) he said the original one was definitely faulty after me jumping up and down for about 7 weeks saying it wasn’t right. It’s been a dream since and I almost don’t believe how easy it has made things.
 
I just finished bragging about it in another thread. Getting old for others, I'm sure. But I can't help myself. I literally have not dosed anything into my pool for two straight months. I've handled MA twice in that time, like you said, for just a few minutes each time. That is a TFP!! ;)

Your probe sounds very convenient. But for others that might be considering one, I have to say my experience has not been any different than yours, for the most part. I still test every few days. I'm not sure I would test any less with a probe-based system. I wouldn't be able to trust acid dosing to a machine, so I'd want to double check often. And I've tweaked my output setting only a few times, and my pH is very stable. So a probe system would not be an advantage to me in my pool. I have to test for chlorine anyway, so the pH testing is a non issue for me. Don't mean to take anything away from your solution, just pointing out that "dumb" dispensers are very close to "smart" ones, when factoring convenience...
 
Oh I absolutely still test my ph. After my experience with my original probe there is no way I will trust that thing. Having said that it is very accurate atm. I’m about the same. Handled acid 3 times in the past two months and that was to fill the big drum. I guess your acid dosing contraption has retired lol. Haven’t had to add anything else either although as I mentioned I will add some calcium soon. No major rush for that though unlike the mad dash for chlorine or acid in a past life. Waiting on new speed stir magnet and getting antsy not being able to properly test although I know things are likely very stable as they have been did so long. Will up my swcg soon as the warmer weather sets in and bather load increases (read every child who has ever associated with my boys decide they are best friends and want to come over for a swim).
 
Ha, yes, I was a bit bummed about not using the ol' Pour'n'Run® any more! I worked so hard on that thing (not to mention the accompanying posts about it!! ;) ) But it's not retired. I think someone here told me the IntellipH will stop working when the SWG does, come winter, so the Pour'n'Run® will resurface for both manual acid and chlorine dosing. I'm hoping decreased bather load and no SWG usage (and plaster curing) will minimize the dosing of both chems. Bonus: you all will get a reprieve from the gizmo-bragging for a few months each year, at least! ;)

I out OCD'd you! First thing I did when ordering the SpeedStir was to order an extra magnet. I figured I'd lose it eventually. In the meantime I use it in my second vial (one for FC, the other for everything else). I hope you ordered two this time!! ;)
 
Agh I wanted to order a spare magnet but I had to order the speedstir from eBay and for some reason you can’t get the magnet by itself shipped here. Ccl sells a generic magnet that fits which is what I’ve ordered. I didn’t order 2... I ordered 3 lol. I’m thinking of ordering another speedstir since they take 1-2 weeks to arrive from the US. It’s bizarre that I can’t find a stockist here.

Good to hear your acid dosing contraption will get used over winter. It would be a shame for it to never be used again.
 
Update. The IntellipH's output seemed to stabilize below 50%, and the acid level was about 1" from the bottom of the hopper, so it was time to give a 1:1 dilution a try. As I mentioned, I wasn't going to try and remove that last 1", so I enclosed the entire area in 3" of lead and added 2' of reinforced concrete around that and then just poured water into the acid! Yes I did. The walls held, the small nuclear blast was contained. And all is right with the universe.

I felt the hopper, no undue heat. No reaction at all. There's a scientific reason not to do that, so I'm not recommending this practice in any way, but as Riley pointed out, in reality you can get away with it from time to time. I then poured in a gallon of water, and then a gallon of 31% acid. Again, no issues. I had my mask and gloves and eyewear on. But I managed to splash a bit on my stomach. It began to burn-itch a bit later and I rinsed it off. I wasn't wearing a shirt at the time, so Mr. Careful-Careless learned a bit more about handling this stuff. Wear a shirt! (One you don't care much about.)

I thought I observed that the mixture in the hopper faded in color from top to bottom, as if the two did not mix completely top to bottom. The hopper is designed in such a way to not allow access to the interior except through a grate, which does not allow any sort of mixing by stick or pole. So did it mix? Will it mix? The only way to know for sure is to mix it in a bucket first, then pour that in. I may try that next time, and see if I can do so without spillage. My other idea is to attach a bent wire to a drill and shove the wire through the hopper's grate to give the mix a swirl. We'll see.

I upped my IntellipH's output by 100% (from 38 to 76) to account for the new dilution. And then a few days later I reduced to 70%. I've been testing pH everyday and so far it's still staying in range, I'm just fine-tuning the new output percentage. I want to bring pH up a point, so that's why I reduced the output. So...

So far so good. My IntellipH can dose my pool using a 1:1 solution. And the mixing issues aside, that should help with the acid-to-equipment exposure and also deliver a somewhat safer dose through the returns.
 
Dirk said:
Update.

... I had my mask and gloves and eyewear on. But I managed to splash a bit on my stomach. It began to burn-itch a bit later and I rinsed it off. I wasn't wearing a shirt at the time, so Mr. Careful-Careless learned a bit more about handling this stuff. Wear a shirt! (One you don't care much about.)
Click to expand...

Have you thought of adding a chemical apron to your personal protective gear?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
an1vrsy said:
Have you thought of adding a chemical apron to your personal protective gear?
Click to expand...

While I'm more concerned about this stuff than most (everybody?), my primary concerns are my eyes and lungs. I wear gloves because that is the most likely skin contact. Other than that, burn baby burn! ;)

I think clothes are sufficient. Bare-chested was just askin' for it.
 
Eyes and lungs are my main concern too. I wear eye protection a good mask and gloves. I tend to just wear basic rubber gloves as the chemical gloves are too cumbersome to work with for me. I haven’t had it splash on me but wear old clothes just in case. Also make sure I stand upwind. I feel fairly well protected.
 
riley00dog said:
You survived! Good job [emoji122]I only did it that once. Now I’m able to I add water first then acid like a good girl. Report back on how your 1:1 goes. I’m still doing 2:1.
Click to expand...

For the most part it'll be a gallon of water into whatever sliver of diluted mixture is left at the bottom. Then the gallon of acid into that. Seems reasonably safe.

Unless I decide to mix first.

Are you able to stir after adding? Or are you just allowing it to mix on its own? And does it?

The mix gets drawn from the very bottom. I was just contemplating if that could be three weeks of mostly water, followed by three weeks of mostly acid, if they stay separated somehow... That would wreck havoc with the dosing output setting.

Are you doing 2 acid into 1 water? So stronger? Why?
 
Dirk said:
For the most part it'll be a gallon of water into whatever sliver of diluted mixture is left at the bottom. Then the gallon of acid into that. Seems reasonably safe.

Unless I decide to mix first.

Are you able to stir after adding? Or are you just allowing it to mix on its own? And does it?

The mix gets drawn from the very bottom. I was just contemplating if that could be three weeks of mostly water, followed by three weeks of mostly acid, if they stay separated somehow... That would wreck havoc with the dosing output setting.

Are you doing 2 acid into 1 water? So stronger? Why?
Click to expand...

That’s how I do it. Whatever is left which is never much add two 5 litre containers of water and then one of acid. It’s 2 parts water to 1 part acid not the other way around. This is what my manual states. I don’t mix but it gets a good sloshing when I carry to drum back up the hill to the equipment pad. There’s no room to do the mix on the pad and the path is steep next to it so I bring it down to the front yard to mix up a new batch then carry it back up. I never spill any as it’s a 20 litre drum with only 15 litres but it does get sloshed around quite a bit. I have never noticed any problems with the ph readings. I guess with my system if it was getting a more diluted amount from the bottom it would just pump more until the ph came down to the set amount.
 
Ah, sloshing. I've got the hopper bolted to the pad to keep it from tipping over, so I can't swirl it around. I have a couple solutions in mind, I'll report back if either works.

I'll never really know for sure how the dilution will affect the various parts involved. I'm hoping the recommended maintenance to change them all out can be done just once a year. I'll consider that a success. It'll be pool day, spring: clean filter, o-rings, and IntellipH tasks. Half a day with luck. Not bad for once a year. That, too, I'll report on...
 
Speaking of safety. I can attest to the wear protective gear. I usually take a five gallon bucket and dip it into the pool and half fill it up. Then I pour the 1/2 gallon of MA into the bucket of water. Then I wait a few minutes for the Toxic nuclear cloud to dissipate before I slowly, with my head turned while holding my breath, pour it into the return stream. I ALWAYS wear safety glasses. Never spilled a drop before. On this particular day I was going through the procedure but had my cheater glasses on and said to myself...... oh that should be good. Yep you can guess, One second into pouring the MA into the 5 gallon bucket a glob shot straight out from the mix like it had A GPS GUIDED LASER SYSTEM and shot right under my glasses and hit me in the eye. Needless to say I sprinted to the garden hose where I spent the next 30 minutes spraying my eye. It burned a little for a few minutes but was ok after that. My eye was sore from all the water for a couple of days but no permanent damage.
Two lessons learned. 1 NEVER short cut safety ( I know better)
2. Find the time this week to install now have all the 30 Gallon Stenner pump parts and timer and equipment I have sitting here at the house ready to go.
 
I have decided to mix mine 1/1. That will make it about 1 cup a day needed at present MA usage.
Dirk, do you find that you are using less now that it’s a continuous dosing versus the adjustment dose?
I have a feeling it may take less if it’s feeding every day. For me the start point will be a cup a day. The Stenner has a 3 GPD output. (48 cups) /24 hours looks like a 30 minute run time for my timer. I will monitor and adjust from there. What I like is that at 30 gallons I will only have to fool with MA once every 480 days. That’s assuming I need it the same amount in the winter. What I will do is plan on the pump tube replacement and maintenance when I have to refill.
 
Not one of my brightest moments Kim. I can assure you, with my profession, I scared the poop out of myself. NEVER again.
 
This from my scuba diving days: you don't decide on the fly what of your safety gear you're going to need on that next dive. You rationalize: oh it's this today, so I won't need that, etc. When the real rationalization is: I'm too lazy to strap it on. Invariably, what you decide to skip will be exactly what you need! You decide up front what safety equipment to have on you, then you just strap it all on, each time. Then it's always there when you need it.

So glad to hear your "near experience" wasn't worse. According to my high-school chemistry teacher, when you pour acid into water, what splashes out of the intersection of the pour is water (or mostly water) and not acid. I don't know if that's actually true, but it's always helped me remember to pour acid into water. I use these:

DEWALT DPG82-11/DPG82-11CTR Concealer Clear Anti-Fog Dual Mold Safety Goggle - - Amazon.com

Yes, in addition to the convenience, automating the acid dosing has solved a lot of safety issues for me.

I haven't kept track of acid use now that I'm automated, so I can't say I'm using more or less, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't less. When I used to dump in a bunch manually, I noticed the more I poured in (to maybe give me an extra day between dosing) the faster it came right back up. I suspect that extra amount gets used up faster than the rest, so I would suspect the more often you dose, to keep the level constant, the less you use (again, just conjecture).

That said, I believe dosing small amounts six-seven times a day to maintain a very consistent level is good for my pool. Instead of swinging from 7.2 to 8.0+ between doses, which results in the corresponding swing in CSI (which means going back and forth between etching level and scaling level every day), my pH is very near 7.7 every hour of the day (give or take 0.1). Which means my CSI is very nearly constant, and in perfect range, every hour of the day. That has to be better than daily swings of 0.8...
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply