First Water Test - Now Taylor 2006C

[MattyJ]

One trip to Home Depot...

Sump pump rented, salt, muriatic acid, 10% chlorine purchased.
Going to clean the SWG cell while the sump pump runs.

BTW testing from this morning

FC: 0.2
CC: 0.0
pH 7.4
CYA: 200+

 

[MattyJ]

I took off my SWG cell, visual inspection showed no calcification.
I let it sit in a 8:1 water to muriatic acid solution for 15 minutes, no bubbles.
Re-installed and will check my actual salinity vs. instant salinity once we are refilled and salt is added.

 

[MattyJ]

Drained down to about 10% of the water left.
Now filling with 3 hoses and the built in filler.

Any restrictions or advice on how / when to add chemicals?
My thought was to add a gallon of the 10% bleach that I got today even though it would be a high FC at this time.

 

[mknauss]

It is normal tap water so will not turn quickly.

You can add 3 ppm FC if you like once it is about half full. Pour it into the stream of one of the hoses.

Be sure you really mix the water well before doing CYA test.

 

[MattyJ]

Test Results:

FC 4.8
CC 0.0
pH 7.8
TA 140
CH 130
CYA 45
Salt 200
Temp 71
CSI 0.07

My wife came home for lunch and commented that it looked amazing... I agree!

Next I'll be adding Salt to verify if the SWG is working or not.

 

[MattyJ]

How long does it take for the salt to be mixed in fully?
I added 480 lbs; pool math says this should raise my SALT by ~1880 meaning I should be in the neighborhood of 2000.
My SWG is saying "Hi Salt" now.

 

[mknauss]

Do not run your SWCG until the salt has been circulated in the pool for 24 hours. Brush to get it well mixed.

 

[MattyJ]

Test Results:

FC 1.2
CC 0.0
pH 7.4
TA 120
CH 140
CYA 30 (Pool wasn't done filling when I did the previous day's testing)
SALT 3000
Temp 72
CSI -0.57

PoolMath is warning: "You should avoid CSI of less than -.03 for prolonged periods of time..."

Is CSI something I need to chase or just let float based on my other factors?

I added 121 oz of 6% bleach after this test, which should have raised my FC by about 2

 

[mknauss]

CSI - Calcium Saturation Index (CSI) - Trouble Free Pool is a sign of the waters' aggressive or scaling tendency. Below -0.3 can be aggressive to plaster over time. Your CH will rise as you fill the pool from evaporation. To keep you CSI above -0.3, let your pH reside in the 7.6-8 range. Do not force your TA lower.

With your current reading above, if your pH is 7.8, your CSI if fine. So in a few days, your pH will rise and no issues. Also, higher water temperatures raise your CSI.

 

[MattyJ]

CSI - Calcium Saturation Index (CSI) - Trouble Free Pool is a sign of the waters' aggressive or scaling tendency. Below -0.3 can be aggressive to plaster over time. Your CH will rise as you fill the pool from evaporation. To keep you CSI above -0.3, let your pH reside in the 7.6-8 range. Do not force your TA lower.

With your current reading above, if your pH is 7.8, your CSI if fine. So in a few days, your pH will rise and no issues. Also, higher water temperatures raise your CSI.

PoolMath said my target TA was 70-90 and with a pH of 7.8 I added Muriatic Acid yesterday, which resulted in the lowering of pH to the 7.4 reading today (but didn't impact the TA, is that because I didn't go to 7.0?)
My returns are set to aerate and i'm still completing the 24 hours of running for the Salt addition, so I should be good if my understanding is on track.

 

[mknauss]

So, as your CH is under the range, you compensate with pH and TA. Until your CH rises. It does not make sense to add calcium when your fill water has a lot of it in it.
So for now, do not work to lower your TA. Let your pH rise to the upper level.
When your CH rises, and your TA falls after a month or two of managing your pH, your CSI will remain above -0.3.

 

[MattyJ]

24 hour salt mix is complete.
I turned on the SWG and "Hi Salt" came on.
Took it off to visually inspect and saw nothing out of sorts. Flushed it with water.

Hooked it back up and still getting "High Salt". Tried resetting the average salinity before it hit the "Hi" and it started at 9900 and came down to around 5100 before the red light came on.
Confirmed actual salinity is 3000 ppm matches earlier test. What is my next step?

 

[JamesW]

What are the diagnostic readings?

What is the model number of the box from the inside of the lid?

 

[MattyJ]

What are the diagnostic readings?

What is the model number of the box from the inside of the lid?

Hi
78
32.4
0.0
50P
-0
AL-0
r1.40

 

[JamesW]

Ok, you have an unusual model that takes a T-5 cell instead of a T-15.

That's going to make the salinity read wrong.

There might be a jumper on the main circuit board that you can use to change to a T-15. Check for the jumper.

If no jumper, you would need a new circuit board to make the box work with a T-15 cell.

Part number GLX-PCB-RITE.

 

[TwentyYears]

Ok, you have an unusual model that takes a T-5 cell instead of a T-15.

That's going to make the salinity read wrong.

There might be a jumper on the main circuit board that you can use to change to a T-15. Check for the jumper.

If no jumper, you would need a new circuit board to make the box work with a T-15 cell.

Part number GLX-PCB-RITE.

I was just inside my SWG control box a few days ago to solder a new inrush limiter on the board. My board is also an r1.40 release.

It has a jumper on the main board in the upper left quadrant. The jumper is hidden under the daughter board that has the display and control switches.

To check, turn off the power to the control box (display goes blank). Disconnect the cell cable and remove the front panel screws on the left and right sides. Use the finger notch at the top to pull the cover forward and up to remove it. You may be able to see the jumper pins. If it is the same as mine, no jumper=T5, jumper in place=T15. The jumper is clearly marked with the T5/T15 designation on the board.

If you need to remove the daughter board to see or to place a jumper to switch to T15, the daughter board is held in place by four plastic posts, one at each corner of the board, and a 7 pin riser that connects the daughter board to the main board. To remove the daughter board you pull it (gently) toward you while squeezing the four plastic connectors at each corner. Wiggle it a bit and squeeze and each post connector will come loose. Then pull straight forward to unseat the board from the riser pins. Replace it by reversing the steps above. Once you have it off you will see how the daughter seats on the riser pins. It's pretty straightforward.

Hopefully it's just a matter of placing a jumper, and may explain why the previous owner never used it.

 

[JamesW]

What is your model number?

 

[MattyJ]

I was just inside my SWG control box a few days ago to solder a new inrush limiter on the board. My board is also an r1.40 release.

It has a jumper on the main board in the upper left quadrant. The jumper is hidden under the daughter board that has the display and control switches.

To check, turn off the power to the control box (display goes blank). Disconnect the cell cable and remove the front panel screws on the left and right sides. Use the finger notch at the top to pull the cover forward and up to remove it. You may be able to see the jumper pins. If it is the same as mine, no jumper=T5, jumper in place=T15. The jumper is clearly marked with the T5/T15 designation on the board.

If you need to remove the daughter board to see or to place a jumper to switch to T15, the daughter board is held in place by four plastic posts, one at each corner of the board, and a 7 pin riser that connects the daughter board to the main board. To remove the daughter board you pull it (gently) toward you while squeezing the four plastic connectors at each corner. Wiggle it a bit and squeeze and each post connector will come loose. Then pull straight forward to unseat the board from the riser pins. Replace it by reversing the steps above. Once you have it off you will see how the daughter seats on the riser pins. It's pretty straightforward.

Hopefully it's just a matter of placing a jumper, and may explain why the previous owner never used it.

I already replaced the display board because it was unreadable.
Here is the photo of the main board.

I'm guessing it has to do with the TCELL-15 / TCELL-5 spot marked J4?

 

[JamesW]

Some boards have the pins sticking up where you can put the jumper.

As the diagram shows, connecting the two points configures the board for a T-15 cell.

I would connect the two points to see if it works.

Note: Any modification of the board is at your own risk. I am not saying that I know for sure that it's going to work. In my opinion, it should work, but it's your choice.

 

[MattyJ]

Some boards have the pins sticking up where you can put the jumper.

As the diagram shows, connecting the two points configures the board for a T-15 cell.

I would connect the two points to see if it works.

Note: Any modification of the board is at your own risk. I am not saying that I know for sure that it's going to work. In my opinion, it should work, but it's your choice.

Seems pointless if all it can use is a TCELL-5 since I have a 30k gallon pool.
I'm up for an adventure... but haven't done any soldering since HS shop class... what do I use to connect the two points?
Am I trying to install two pins so a jumper can be used? or just getting a piece of metal touching the two points to connect it?

Thanks all for your help, this site has been invaluable!