Converting to SWG

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C

cody21

LifeTime Supporter
Jun 27, 2012
324
Lafayette, Ca / USA
Pool Size
32000
Surface
Fiberglass
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Been reading and lurking here for our consideration to convert to SWG system. Liquid Chlorine has gone thru the roof and is hard to even get late in the season. 32K Gal IG Pool. Seems fairly straightforward, but I have a few questions -

- We don't have a Variable Speed Pump. That should NOT be an issue, right? We run the pump (summer) 8 hours a day.
- We have an IG pool that is cement formed, but Sprayed on Fiberglass. Is a SWG system compatible with FIBERGLASS?
- I and pretty sure that the entire system is PVC. If ANY connection happens to be Copper , does that present a concern?

Thanks in advance. I'm sure I'll have additional questions as we proceed.
 
You have a large pool and a single speed pump which will require you to buy the largest SWCG you can find, to make certain you can make the most chlorine, in the hours you plan to run the pump. You have to run the SWCG long enough to make the FC you need, which will vary by season. If you end up with a too-small SWCG, you'll have to run the pump more, paying more of the single-speed pump electrical penalty.

If I were you, I'd toss the single speed and convert to VSP and SWCG at the same time. A VSP can be had for less than $1000 and pay for itself fairly quickly. It then gives you infinite flexibility to run slow, use less electricity, and use the SWCG as much or as little as you want.

SWCG is no issue to plumbing, pools, surfaces, etc. All of that stuff is just myth and BS pushed by ignorant pool builders.
 
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The SWG does not care about your pump. (You would probably save more money by going VS first.)
Fiberglass is compatible with SWG
NO concern with metal, PVC, vinyl, concrete, plaster.
 
cody21 said:
Been reading and lurking here for our consideration to convert to SWG system. Liquid Chlorine has gone thru the roof and is hard to even get late in the season. 32K Gal IG Pool. Seems fairly straightforward, but I have a few questions -

- We don't have a Variable Speed Pump. That should NOT be an issue, right? We run the pump (summer) 8 hours a day.
- We have an IG pool that is cement formed, but Sprayed on Fiberglass. Is a SWG system compatible with FIBERGLASS?
- I and pretty sure that the entire system is PVC. If ANY connection happens to be Copper , does that present a concern?

Thanks in advance. I'm sure I'll have additional questions as we proceed.
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Good to see that you have a 1/2hp pump. It probably costs you $0.12/hr. to run at what I believe is your electric rate. This is the one time a change to a VSP may not give a quick ROI. If that horsepower is a mistake, or you pay PG&E, just get the VSP and don't think twice about it.
For a pool that size, to have a SWG produce enough chlorine, especially in Summer, would require much more than an 8-hour cycle. A VSP would probably cost 1/3 that amount per hour to get the chlorine needed.
Get a SWG rated for 60K gallons for longest cell life and chlorine production.
 
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+1. Cells are rated for FC produced in 24 hours. So a 1x cell needs to run 24 hours to match the typical peak season daily loss.

A 2x is as large as you can go with 32k gallons, but it produces the same FC in half the time and would only have to run 12 hours.
 
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Newdude said:
+1. Cells are rated for FC produced in 24 hours. So a 1x cell needs to run 24 hours to match the typical peak season daily loss.

A 2x is as large as you can go with 32k gallons, but it produces the same FC in half the time and would only have to run 12 hours.
Click to expand...
I am looking at the CircuPool RJ60+
 
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Newdude said:
+1. Cells are rated for FC produced in 24 hours. So a 1x cell needs to run 24 hours to match the typical peak season daily loss.

A 2x is as large as you can go with 32k gallons, but it produces the same FC in half the time and would only have to run 12 hours.
Click to expand...
So a CircuPool RJ60+ would still need to run 12 hours?
 

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1poolman1 said:
Good to see that you have a 1/2hp pump. It probably costs you $0.12/hr. to run at what I believe is your electric rate. This is the one time a change to a VSP may not give a quick ROI. If that horsepower is a mistake, or you pay PG&E, just get the VSP and don't think twice about it.
For a pool that size, to have a SWG produce enough chlorine, especially in Summer, would require much more than an 8-hour cycle. A VSP would probably cost 1/3 that amount per hour to get the chlorine needed.
Get a SWG rated for 60K gallons for longest cell life and chlorine production.
Click to expand...
I had considered a VSP years ago and I thought I read HERE (or someplace) that a VSP can't run on "LOW" if there is an elevated Roof Pool Solar system - which is what we have .. It's on a Cabana that is about a 15 ft elevation lift of the water. Is that not an Issue?
 
You can bump it to however many HP / RPM you need at solar times and run much lower the rest of the time. Matching your 1/2 HP pump flow won't take much with a 3HP.
 
cody21 said:
I had considered a VSP years ago and I thought I read HERE (or someplace) that a VSP can't run on "LOW" if there is an elevated Roof Pool Solar system - which is what we have .. It's on a Cabana that is about a 15 ft elevation lift of the water. Is that not an Issue?
Click to expand...
With solar heating, be sure to get a high-head VSP like a Intelli/Whisperflo, Hayward Tri-Star.
 
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I run my 60 at 25 - 30 %, 24/7 when the water gets around 90 degrees with CYA of 70.
35,000 gallons.
So about 50 - 60% 12 hours per day would be ballpark.
 
rjb1211 said:
Does that mean you need to check chlorine levels and adjust chlorine generation daily to account for weather changes?
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The strength of the sun will be a big factor - the peak of summer is stronger UV and longer days than the shoulder season for instance. You will need to ramp your SWG up and then flat and then down during the season
 
rjb1211 said:
Does that mean you need to check chlorine levels and adjust chlorine generation daily to account for weather changes?
Click to expand...
You will get used to how it works so for the first couple of weeks yes i checked mine daily. Then you will get used to solar and temperature fluctuations. Then every few days.
 
I wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who stepped in with your guidance. This was all very eye opening for me .. we'll put together a plan for 2024 to move away from Liquid Chlorine to a SWG system. Once we have it dialed in, I'll share for any gotchas that we need to be aware of.
 

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