Converting Trichlor to Liquid Chlorine

[GDN]

No - I like the logic and just had not mentioned that I actually feed my chlorine in 2 different times during the day trying to smooth out the peak and valley of a single dosing. Spreading it out more would be nice, but Pentair has a max number of timers I can run. My typical summer day is pump on at 1 PM, off at 10 PM. I put half of the chlorine in at 1:00 and the other half at 6:00. I was thinking along the same lines - it burns off in the afternoon hottest sun so I give it a jolt at the beginning of the heat and then as the sun settles down I add the other half to bring it back up for the evening and overnight. So I like the idea of a slow constant feed, I just wasn't a fan of running a pump all the time. I will also note that I'm glad I don't run all the time as my equipment is on the side of the house and I mounted the pump to the house. When it runs I can slightly hear it inside. I'm glad I don't have that hum all day long.

I'll really only say, there is likely no wrong answer, and we can overthink it, but this is why we like tinkering and doing it ourselves.

There is nothing wrong with the automation you note and use. Very good idea. The rest of my house is automated with Insteon switches, remote HVAC control, remote alarm, Ring doorbell, sprinkler control. You get the idea. It's almost as much of a hobby as anything.

 

[ccbill]

I have no idea what pump or size to even start with. If chlorine is out of sight, I might be stuck with Trichlor or look into SWG.

I have Stenner 5 gallon per day Pump. It works out close to 1 ppm per hour for my pool, 23k gallons, so I can easily vary its run time to accommodate most situations. I'm using This timer to control it.

 

[ccbill]

I also didn't like the variable stenner - seemed like there was more to go wrong.

 

[JKB121]

So now I'm rethinking the variable Stenner. I could automate the feed pump with SmartThings to feed as many times a day as I want, and since I run the filter 24/7, I wouldn't need to worry about a relay for that. If the filter is off, the power is off and nothing is running.

So I had an option with the Stenner pump of 1/4" hose or I think 3/8" hose. Any suggestions of hose size?

Also---- 25 psi or 100 psi?

 

[JamesW]

Just get a SWG.

 

[ccbill]

-- 25 psi or 100 psi?

Depends on the pressure where you inject it. I went with the 100 but I didn't need it.

Just get a SWG

I've had my stenner for 2+ years and I have to say I've been thinking about getting a swcg. Up front Cost is holding me back.

 

[JKB121]

Depends on the pressure where you inject it. I went with the 100 but I didn't need it.



I've had my stenner for 2+ years and I have to say I've been thinking about getting a swcg. Up front Cost is holding me back.

Injecting in front of return. I have 18 psi at the filter, but not sure if it would increase, decrease, or stay the same at the end of the line. The 18 psi is when the filter pump is on high. On low speed its only about 6 psi.

I really don't want to deal with salt.... I don't really know why though. I just get a bad feeling about it.

 

[ccbill]

I want to remember that the injector/duckbill/check valve was included with the price of the 100 psi. I remember having a strong sentiment of not wanting it to backfeed into the barrel.

 

[mknauss]

I really don't want to deal with salt.... I don't really know why though. I just get a bad feeling about it.It

A SWCG is the easiest method to insure your pool gets chlorine. In your climate, it may not be the least cost, but definitely the easiest.

 

[JKB121]

I want to remember that the injector/duckbill/check valve was included with the price of the 100 psi. I remember having a strong sentiment of not wanting it to backfeed into the barrel.

I agree with you. The Stenner rep. said he doubted I had more than 25 at the line feeding the return..... but that is a guess. I don't know what would be normal if when the pump is on high, I have 18 psi at the filter. I'm guessing pressure is pressure and would be the same everywhere....

Do you have a preference of 1/4" line or 3/8" line? Does the smaller one plug up?

A SWCG is the easiest method to insure your pool gets chlorine. In your climate, it may not be the least cost, but definitely the easiest.

Something to think about...... How do you handle the salt water overflow from rain. I currently just drain into the yard. Not sure how free range chickens would do drinking salt or what it would do to grass.

 

[mknauss]

The low salt content will have no effect in an area that gets that much rain. The overflow from your currently chlorinated pool has elevated salinity compared to your normal tap water or rain water.

 

[GDN]

If you go Stenner - like everything else, overdo it. I went with the 100 PSI and #2 tube. The duckbill will clog after a couple of years (I took it out and cleaned it with acid) and you want to replace your tubing every year, including the tube inside the pump, just to keep it all working well and avoid any leaks.

 

[JKB121]

If you go Stenner - like everything else, overdo it. I went with the 100 PSI and #2 tube. The duckbill will clog after a couple of years (I took it out and cleaned it with acid) and you want to replace your tubing every year, including the tube inside the pump, just to keep it all working well and avoid any leaks.

The Stenner rep. told me a lot of people just remove the duck bill and just use the check valve.

 

[JKB121]

Just get a SWG.

So I'm in the research phase of solving my problem, and I like to keep all options on the table (even if just to learn).

When thinking SWG..... I understand I should be looking at something 2X the size of the pool. 18,000 X 2 = 36,000 SWG unit. In comparing ALL costs associated with both chlorination systems, I'm interested to find out how much electricity these things consume. I'd also prefer 120V opposed to 220V. Both are on the pad but 120V is easier to access.

The other issue with SWG is I run my Hayward 2.25 HP 2 speed pump 24/7. Most of the time on low. It goes to high when heat pump kicks on. I've read SWG's need specific flow to operate. I'm not sure of the flow on low speed, and Hayward support has been less than helpful in this area. I'm guessing it is in the neighborhood of 35 GPM on low. (guess based on heat pump operation. it will run on low.... just not efficiently).

 

[JamesW]

I'm interested to find out how much electricity these things consume.

Less than 200 watts.

I've read SWG's need specific flow to operate.

About 15 to 20 gpm.

 

[JKB121]

Less than 200 watts.

Per day; per hour; per month?

 

[JamesW]

Per day; per hour; per month?

Watts are a unit of power, which is the rate of energy use per unit of time.

1 watt is equal to 1 joule per second.

Home energy use is measured in kilowatt-hours, which is 1,000 watts for 1 hour.

So, 200 watts is 0.200 kilowatt-hours per hour.

At 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, a 200 watt appliance costs 2 cents per hour to operate or 48 cents per day running 24 hours or $14.40 running 24/7 for 30 days.

The biggest advantage is the convenience.

You're not constantly going out to buy liquid chlorine and having to add it to the pool.

 

[JKB121]

Watts are a unit of power, which is the rate of energy use per unit of time.

1 watt is equal to 1 joule per second.

Home energy use is measured in kilowatt-hours, which is 1,000 watts for 1 hour.

So, 200 watts is 0.200 kilowatt-hours per hour.

At 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, a 200 watt appliance costs 2 cents per hour to operate or 48 cents per day.

Thank you. My electricity is half that at 5 cents. So it looks like 25 cents a day to run. It would run 24/7. If that matters.

 

[JamesW]

You would probably be able to set the controller to about 25%, which means that the unit makes chlorine for 45 minutes and then it stops producing for 135 minutes and then back on for 45 minutes etc.

So, maybe 1.2 kilowatt-hours per day x 0.05 = $0.06 = 6 cents per day = $1.80 per month.

 

[JKB121]

You would probably be able to set the controller to about 25%, which means that the unit makes chlorine for 45 minutes and then it stops producing for 135 minutes and then back on for 45 minutes etc.

So, maybe 1.2 kilowatt-hours per day x 0.05 = $0.06 = 6 cents per day = $1.80 per month.

When I was originally going through the thought process of SWG or LCL, I was comparing pumps with this SWG.

CircuPool EDGE40 Salt Chlorine Generator​

Thoughts on this unit?

When I put together the cost comparison of each, I estimated some numbers and it looked like over a 6 year window SWG is cheaper. I'm sure I missed some things, but it was what I could come up with.

It just seemed a CL feeder was easier....