I’ve read that since the swg stops working around 52 degrees, that you should treat the pool with liquid chlorine during the winter months. My question is, once I start using liquid chlorine, should I use the cya/fc chart as if I’m using bleach as my sanitizer? Cya requirements for salt is a good bit higher, so I would have to drain a bunch out to get down to bleach sanitizer cya requirements, correct? Or should I always just proceed using the chart for swg during winter even though I’m not using it?
FC/CYA chart with swg in winter?
- Thread starter Nlandr7
- Start date
- Mar 5, 2020
- 3,080
- Pool Size
- 66000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Astral Viron V35
Yes, use the liquid chlorine chart. But no, don't drain to reduce CYA. Once the water is s too cold for the SWG, it's also too cold for algae to become a problem.
Are you keeping the pool open and the pump running over winter?
Are you keeping the pool open and the pump running over winter?
I do plan on keeping it open and running over winter. I live in southern Louisiana, so I’m betting on it not getting too cold.
so I should just maintain my cya/fc for swg even though I’m using chlorine?
so I should just maintain my cya/fc for swg even though I’m using chlorine?
- Mar 5, 2020
- 3,080
- Pool Size
- 66000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Astral Viron V35
Just let CYA come down over winter with rain dilutions, no need to keep it up at SWG range, but also no need to force it down. Just pick the FC from the liquid chlorine FC/CYA chart for the CYA you are at. Once your SWG kicks in again in spring, adjust CYA back to the SWG range and switch back to the SWG FC/CYA chart for the right FC values.
I'm in a similar situation here in Melbourne. No risk of freezing, pool stays open all year. My SWG runs all year, but I switch to the liquid Chlorine chart in winter anyway and let CYA slowly come down with rain. The SWG hardly runs, adds maybe 0.25ppm per day, not enough in my opinion to justify the lower FC values of the SWG chart.
I let my pool sit around 10ppm FC over winter, not much fussing. Once CYA drops below 60ppm, I usually start adding CYA again to keep it around 60ppm. Like that I know where I am, and don't get surprised by Summer. About mid to end of November (your May), I'll bump it back to 80ppm).
I'm in a similar situation here in Melbourne. No risk of freezing, pool stays open all year. My SWG runs all year, but I switch to the liquid Chlorine chart in winter anyway and let CYA slowly come down with rain. The SWG hardly runs, adds maybe 0.25ppm per day, not enough in my opinion to justify the lower FC values of the SWG chart.
I let my pool sit around 10ppm FC over winter, not much fussing. Once CYA drops below 60ppm, I usually start adding CYA again to keep it around 60ppm. Like that I know where I am, and don't get surprised by Summer. About mid to end of November (your May), I'll bump it back to 80ppm).
I am in Houston so have similar environment. Right now my pool is at 67 deg and SWCG is at 8%. I run my pump 21 hrs per day to have a consistent generation of chlorine throughout the day. I keep the pool operating all year. Based on last years temperatures, the SWCG should stay operating till early January but each year is different. My CYA has drifted down already with some of the early rains recently. I’ll just add LC as needed based on whatever CYA I test when I turn off the SWCG. I tend to test my CYA every 3-4 weeks or after heavy storms to verify any changes. Wish you the best.