Could I have finally figured out my issue?

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sersee

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May 23, 2014
192
South Jersey
I have been a member for a bit and have my kit to test my water. I always have algae issues .. that is a given. I have SLAMmed in the past. This year opened to the greenest pool ever and it took a long time to get clear( think it has to do with my cover, am thinking I want a solid one because everyone else in my neighborhood opens pretty clear).

I haven't seen any algae and we have battled it twice so far this summer but it has been great ever since. We have had a lot of rain and a few weeks ago had to add a couple bags of salt. This past weekend I tested the water and had 0 chlorine. All my other levels were in normal range... We added chlorine. Today my water is ever so slightly cloudy . All levels within range but 0 chlorine. I mean it is clear as day which the tests.

I have to do the loss test to make sure it isn't algae... but we have always felt our salt system doesn't do the best. We inherited this pool with the house . It is a Breeze SWS system( w hich I have been told is now obsolete...great). It doesn't tell me anything about the levels of salt so I bring my water to the pool store. When we had to add salt last time.. I swear the guy said it was in the 2000's and needed to be a litte more. My husband did it so I was only half listening. I was told by someone else haywards need to be at 2800. So I wonder if he was basing it off that? I have a Hayward sand filter but not sw system. I am sure they aren't overly familiar because it isn't what they put in the pool when they install. My pool wasn't installed by them.

I finally found the Breeze manual online. It says we should have 4000-4500 ppm. Does that sound right? If that is correct, then we have been under salt this entire time and am wondering if that is my chlorine issue? We shouldn't have to add chlorine all the time . My pool is 20 X 40 rectangle with a 6 ft deep end. So could it be that it isn't making enough chlorine and that is part of our issue?
 
Which model do you have? If you have the Breeze 320, then that SWG is too small for your pool. The instructions say that the minimum salt level for those SWGs is 3,000ppm. So it may or may not not have efficiently been generating chlorine. Those controllers are not very sophisticated and many modern units shut off at low salinity to protect the plates in the cell from damage.

If you plan to have an SWG, then you should invest in the Taylor K-1766 salt test kit as it is the only reliable method for testing for salt with high accuracy. Bring your pools salt level up to the Breeze’s preferred level (4,000ppm) and then see if the unit can keep your FC up. SWGs are consumable pieces of equipment and they only produce a finite amount of chlorine over their lifespan. So you may also simply have to get a new SWG. 5-7 years is considered a normal life span. Some people get 10 years with careful use.
 
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That’s what I was afraid if. We do have the 320. My pool is 6years old. I will invest in the salt test. I took it to the pool store who talked me out if getting it to 4000ppm. We did enough to raise it to 3200 ppm and he said to check it in two days to see if it’s holding.

My husband has always said he thought it was to small for our pool. I’m hoping it can hang in. Salt water systems are expensive aren’t they?
 
The industry undersized SWGs because they follow the struct guidelines that a pool should only have 1-4ppm FC in it. TFP knows better, of course ;)

So that model is designed for a 20,000 gallon pool. TFP always recommends sizing up an SWG by 2X so, in reality, you really want one that’s designed for a 40,000 gallon pool. In your situation, that SWG has always been under-powered relative to your pool volume and so it’s really not at all surprising that you e had to supplement with liquid chlorine additions and it’s probably a good cause of all your algae woes. You can get your salinity up to 3,600ppm and see how the unit operates but I would not trust pool store testing. Get your test kit first and then you’ll have a true answer and the ability to shoot-straight when it comes to adding more salt to the pool.

A good system for DIY installs with a decent warranty are the CircuPool units. They have cells that can produce upwards of 3lbs of chlorine gas per day which is huge. They are also complete systems so you can tear out that Breeze and install a CircuPool. The company sells all the components for retrofitting and DIY installs. Hayward makes a good system too.

Your looking at about $1,000 to replace what you have. It’s expensive but, when done correctly, SWGs make a pool very easy to manage.
 
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JoyfulNoise.... how hard is it to DIY? We are thinking of replacing next year. I looked at Circupools as you suggested. There is one for max if 35,000 gallons. Would that be something to consider?
JoyfulNoise said:
The industry undersized SWGs because they follow the struct guidelines that a pool should only have 1-4ppm FC in it. TFP knows better, of course ;)

So that model is designed for a 20,000 gallon pool. TFP always recommends sizing up an SWG by 2X so, in reality, you really want one that’s designed for a 40,000 gallon pool. In your situation, that SWG has always been under-powered relative to your pool volume and so it’s really not at all surprising that you e had to supplement with liquid chlorine additions and it’s probably a good cause of all your algae woes. You can get your salinity up to 3,600ppm and see how the unit operates but I would not trust pool store testing. Get your test kit first and then you’ll have a true answer and the ability to shoot-straight when it comes to adding more salt to the pool.

A good system for DIY installs with a decent warranty are the CircuPool units. They have cells that can produce upwards of 3lbs of chlorine gas per day which is huge. They are also complete systems so you can tear out that Breeze and install a CircuPool. The company sells all the components for retrofitting and DIY installs. Hayward makes a good system too.

Your looking at about $1,000 to replace what you have. It’s expensive but, when done correctly, SWGs make a pool very easy to manage.
Click to expand...
 
Your SWCG should be sized for 2x your pool volume, at the minimum. You would be best to have a 60K rated SWCG.
 
If you search the forum (use the “Google” option in the advanced search bar) for “CircuPool” you’ll see lots of threads for folks that do it on their own. I don’t consider this a hard task but I have done lots of plumbing and electrical work on my own.

Marty is correct - you need to over size your SWG, especially given that you only have a single speed pump. You really need to get their 60k model.
 
The install is not difficult. Measure and cut the PVC pipe and add the fittings with pvc adhesive. The power is hard wired to a circuit breaker or timer.
 
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