Contemplating going SWG... salt cell suggestions

[JoyfulNoise]

Thanks. I use socks on my skimmer to cut down on filter cleanings... should I remove them or will they help my filter not get clogged when using these products?

I doubt the filter socks will capture and of the phosphate particulates. Leave then in place for now.

 

[djdonte]

I decided to do one more OCLT... low and behold I lost 1.5FC overnight and now have 1.0CC. I had the pump running all night due to the phosfree but the SWG was off. So odd that I suddenly have this demand but didn't earlier this week. Not sure if its the Phosfree or what but I am going to start a slam. My salt also measured at 3200 so I bumped that up to 4000.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

If PhosFree has polymeric clarifier in it, that would cause demand. Can you post a link to the product they sold you?

 

[djdonte]

Leslie's NoPHOS Phosphate Remover | Leslie's Pool Supplies

NoPHOS removes phosphates from your water, giving you crystal clear water without leaving waterline rings or producing strange odors.

www.lesliespool.com

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Man, LPS has a terrible website. I can’t really find any info on the product over my mobile phone. My guess is whatever clarifier they have added is causing you problems. This is why I steer clear of LPS and all their products, they are terrible.

You may indeed need to SLAM and possible deep clean your filter to get rid of whatever crud it is loaded up with.

 

[djdonte]

Yes I am going to SLAM, clean the filter and check for phosphates again... if I am showing less than 100 and the SWG still isn't performing I will have to double back with DSP.

 

[djdonte]

Just an update.. I got the phosphates down to zero and SLAMed last weekend. The SLAM was pretty short as I never failed a OCLT or used a ton of FC during the day, but I did find some hidden algae at the waterline in the interface between the plaster and waterfall rocks. It is super hard to see and harder to brush that area. Now the SWG seems to be working again, though not producing the FC that pool math says it should be. DSP advised me to just run it at 100 percent to avoid any cycling. I guess I thought the percent correlated to how much the cell was producing but it just causes it to cycle on and off for that percent of time. You can definitely see the bubbles/light fog when the cell is producing, and the amp/volts are in the ranges listed in the manual.

I also bumped my pump up to run 10 hours a day instead of 8, which I do anyway in the summer. I guess i just thought I would make enough FC to leave it at 8 with the new SWG. I bought a phosphate test so I didn't have to mess with leslies anymore. The salt was a little low at 3200 so I got it up to 4000 since Circupool recommends 3500-4500. That Dang leslies phosphate remover did raise my filter pressure, so I cleaned the cartridges and found a ton of debris in there that my skimmer socks usually catch. I am going to test every few days and see what happens since we are now getting 90 degree days and lots of sun here.

I am still using about 3-4FC on hot days which is what I used last summer with 40-50 CYA and bleach chlorination. I thought I would use a little less FC with the higher CYA required for salt pools. We shall see.

 

[mguzzy]

The phosphate remover creates a flocullant that gets caught in the filter. You should wash your filters again after a day or so to flush that gunk off. It also insures the phosphates don't get released back into your water as it degrades.

 

[djdonte]

Thanks for the tip.

 

[JoshU]

I am a DIYer so I would like a place that will honor the warranty without having a pro install it.

AutoPilot Pool Pilot is DIY warranty friendly and offers non-prorated warranties as well. US made products with parts readily available for many years to come.

 

[setsailsoon]

The salt was a little low at 3200 so I got it up to 4000 since Circupool recommends 3500-4500. That Dang leslies phosphate remover did raise my filter pressure, so I cleaned the cartridges and found a ton of debris in there that my skimmer socks usually catch. I am going to test every few days and see what happens since we are now getting 90 degree days and lots of sun here.

DJ,

Did a Circupool Tech Support rep tell you the range is 3500 to 4500 for salt? My manual says 3000-4000. I've read posts that indicate the recommended amount is 4000 ppm but when I called the Tech I spoke with said that's not the case for the RJ plus series. Just curious... we swim all year round and I'm on my second summer and I'm finding performance the same as last year so far. Cell is clean as a whistle as far as I can tell. I've also stayed within TFP ranges and especially careful to stay slightly negative on CSI at all times. I also have borates and not sure if they have any direct impact but definitely have helped with stability of pH.

Chris

 

[djdonte]

I thought I read that in the manual, but I could be mistaken. I do know that when I sent my leslies results to DSP it was 4000 and they said that was fine.