Can you SEE the salt in the water??

[Cody]

Have discussed at length on a few threads my conversion to SWG over the past several weeks. One question....almost immediately after the SWG was installed (and a few days after adding 240lbs of salt), I have noticed little "floaties" in the water. The water is perfect...feels perfect and is crystal clear, but there are all these little floaties...almost like the dust you see in the air when the sun shines through in your house....is this normal? I never noticed it before the conversion, so I'm wondering if I'm actually SEEING salt.

 

[mknauss]

It is not salt.

It may be calcium flakes. Use your App and your test results to monitor your CSI. Keep it between 0 and -0.3.

 

[Divin Dave]

That salt is pretty dirty, most likely its stuff that was in the bag that hasn't filtered out yet.
But not need to worry if its salt. It's not.

 

[Cody]

It is not salt.

It may be calcium flakes. Use your App and your test results to monitor your CSI. Keep it between 0 and -0.3.

CSI has been between zero and -0.2 the entire time....i was worried it could be calcium flakes as well, but didn't think so with CSI where it's been...right?

Could be junk from the salt addition in the bags...hadn't thought of that.

 

[mknauss]

Higher TA even with a negative CSI can still create flakes -- but in your case I suspect it is dirt. Your DE filter should take care of it quickly.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Cody - Where did you get your salt and what brand? I'm hoping to avoid the same issue in a few weeks.

 

[gonfishin]

Higher TA even with a negative CSI can still create flakes -- but in your case I suspect it is dirt. Your DE filter should take care of it quickly.

Not meaning to hijack this thread, but I'd like to know more about this statement. I've been following a process all summer of knocking down pH when it gets to 8, but usually only to 7.8. This isn't reducing my TA much. I've been at a TA of 90 or higher all summer. My fill water has a TA of 250 but we've had a lot of rain, so I haven't needed to fill with city water much and my TA hasn't been over 140 since opening. CH has ranged from 150-250 all summer (much lower than I'd expect with fill water of 350) and why I haven't agressively pursued dropping TA. Now I'm wondering if that was a mistake, especially after installing the SWCG in late July.

Should I have been more agressive in knocking down the TA? Would it be wise to get it knocked down to 60 or 70 for what I'm guessing is about 3 more weeks of having the pool open for the year?

 

[ajw22]

Not meaning to hijack this thread, but I'd like to know more about this statement. I've been following a process all summer of knocking down pH when it gets to 8, but usually only to 7.8. This isn't reducing my TA much. I've been at a TA of 90 or higher all summer. My fill water has a TA of 250 but we've had a lot of rain, so I haven't needed to fill with city water much and my TA hasn't been over 140 since opening. CH has ranged from 150-250 all summer (much lower than I'd expect with fill water of 350) and why I haven't agressively pursued dropping TA. Now I'm wondering if that was a mistake, especially after installing the SWCG in late July.

Should I have been more agressive in knocking down the TA? Would it be wise to get it knocked down to 60 or 70 for what I'm guessing is about 3 more weeks of having the pool open for the year?

Don’t bother for this year. Remember it for next year.

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[mknauss]

Should I have been more agressive in knocking down the TA?

Higher TA can drive the formation of calcium in the SWCG. Normally it is only flakes that are shed when the polarity reverses.
In the cell itself the pH rises dramatically. An elevated TA with that brief rise in pH can precipitate the scale. Once the chlorine created in the cell reaches the pool water and is consumed by organics or UV, the process is pH neutral.

If you are not seeing flakes, do not concern yourself with it.

 

[gonfishin]

Thank you, Marty and Allen.