The Universal 40 is an absolute beast.*** I am running it like 5 hours a day now at 8% since it's winter here now (but we don't close because the below freezing times at night at max a few hours even in January here in Tucson) and I am still having issues with it producing too much chlorine*. It's basically the same unit as the Hayward AquaRite/T-15 model, but with a slightly higher output cell. So far, after only one season, it's okay. I did have is scale completely up once, so it seems sensitive to high TA which I am always fighting.. but it was 20 minutes to clean out**.. It has an analog control for the percentage output (into a A/D in the controller microprocessor) so it's adjustable at 1% increments just like the expensive units are. Reads salt level as an inaccurate but consistent number. I like it... I am glad I picked it over one of the cheaper RJ/SJ's.
The disadvantage of it running hot and burning bright is that the cell life is shorter, but the cells are cheaper, and there is a chance that it might work with an aftermarket cell for a Hayward as well... not that I'd do that for the difference in price or anything, but it's good to know if Circupool ends up going somewhere.....
As for GPM.. I have no idea.. but I can run the Hayward VSP at about 800 RPM before the flow switch gets iffy... so pretty slow in my setup, and it's a vertical cell setup as well... very cramped. Most of the time I am running it with the pump on low, I do run a two hour high cycle at about 3/4 full speed and then 900 RPM for the rest of the day... it's on maybe 2/3 of that time at 8% right now. Yes 8%. Pool is covered and not being used.. for about 6 weeks now....
Regrets? No, I am glad I bought it when I did. At the new prices I might have stuck with bleach.
*In fact, my water temperature is now 55F and I am wondering when it will actually cut out production. It's not unhappy with the water at this temperature, but I am thinking I only have a couple of weeks left before I go back to liquid chlorine. I'll update when it cuts out. I need to actually find some chlorine as the stuff I am using now is like a year old and half strength (in the hot tub, which matters little). I gave up on the HASA supply at the pool store (e-Konomy) 25 miles away as I don't need the hassle anymore. I am hoping to find the one Wal-Mart that carries it year around, that seems to change from year to year.
There is a lot of technical information on the Hayward AquaRites and it all applied to the Universal. There is maybe an opportunity to buy this same unit from other resellers at about a $100 discount and there might actually be a benefit to getting one that uses an exact clone cell to a T-15. I am not sure if the Circupool variant would have that cell type blocked in the software or not.
** if you are like me and are going to have to descale the cell at least once a year, having cheaper replacements are not a bad thing, honestly....
*** My pool is somewhere in between 14K and 15Kgal. Yours at 22K would normally be "iffy" for something sized less than 2x the volume. The Universal 40 is a beast, I would think you'd have no issue running it at all on a 22Kgal pool.
Having a numbered salt readout is nicer than you'd think. If it starts dropping and your K-1766 doesn't... guess what? The cell is nearly scaled up... that's a nice thing so you don't come back from a weekend trip to a green pool....
And decent job on remembering my name... close...
Cheers,
Fred
www.circupool.com
9 hours at 30% sounds like a lot, I'll definitely pay careful attention when I get mine. good to know about the amount of acid vs. chlorine. on TA, have you tried adding borates and did it help? seems to work well for Chris I think.