Intellichem Controller Settings

[JPMorgan]

I would avoid going over 10 ppm as this causes the use of thiosulfate, which costs money, wastes bromine and adds sulfates.

Perfect! This also allows me to keep the pool open. I can raise the bromine to 10 ppm at sundown and see what the level is before too much sun hits the pool in the morning (through windows). If bromine is at 8 ppm or greater in the morning, then I should consider that a "Pass", correct? Then, just maintain the level at 8 ppm until the next test, right?

I also get ORP readings on the Controller. Can that also be used to help determine when water needs to be changed? Instructions say to maintain ORP between 650 and 750. Pool guys tell me it will usually run a little lower with a bromine pool. Right now ORP is set at 700 and I am getting consistent readings of around 680. ORP can also give me important clues about the water quality (as long as other chemistry is kept in proper ranges), correct? Right now levels are as follows:
pH 7.6
TA 60
CH 550

If it starts falling below 650 and all other chemistry is at the proper levels, I assume that's telling me there is too much DMH or other DBPs in the water to maintain water quality. Is that right?

 

[JamesW]

Try 8 ppm and see if the water quality stays good with no algae, good ORP and passing multiple OCLTs.

Maybe drop to 7 ppm and then 6 if the water quality stays good.

If not, go back up by 1 ppm.

I would not go below 5 ppm.

 

[JPMorgan]

Bromine feeder is almost empty... just a few tabs in the bottom, so I am maintaining the bromine level with liquid chlorine for now. Will follow the plan above, continue with weekly dilution, and only fill the brominator if I am not going to be available to dose the pool manually. Thanks.

 

[JPMorgan]

If you use tabs, 20 lbs of tabs will add 10.612 lb of DMH, which is 63 ppm DMH and 50 ppm of sodium bromide.

I picked up sodium bromide test strips and tested the pool today. The test indicates sodium bromide is at 2244 ppm (indicator was at 8.4 on the test strip). Is this high? What is the difference between this reading and the 1580 ppm salt reading that I get with the digital meter? If 20 lbs of tabs adds 50 ppm of sodium bromide, then that means I have used almost 900 lbs of tabs (2244 ppm / 50 ppm = 44.88 x 20 lbs = 897.6 lbs of tabs. That doesn't make sense. Please explain.

 

[JamesW]

I am not sure that a sodium bromide test kit will identify only bromide and not include chloride, so you need to check with the test kit maker to see if the test kit can identify only the bromide and not other ions like chloride.

 

[JamesW]

Can you show all labels on the container?

Does the reading report in units of sodium bromide or in other units?

 

[JamesW]

Mass Sodium bromide/Mass sodium chloride = 1.761.

The test indicates sodium bromide is at 2244 ppm (indicator was at 8.4 on the test strip).

1580 ppm salt reading that I get with the digital meter?

1580 x 1.761 = 2,780.8 ppm.

I am assuming that the test is the same as the sodium chloride test strips with just a different conversion chart.

99.999% likely that the test picks up chloride and bromide.

 

[JPMorgan]

99.999% likely that the test picks up chloride and bromide.

So… would you subtract the sodium chloride as measured by the digital meter from the total reading from the test to get the sodium bromide 2244-1580=664 ppm sodium bromide?

 

[JamesW]

Finally got my K-1766 test kit and did the salinity test yesterday. Results: 1600 ppm salt as measured by K-1766

The meter picks up all ions.

The strip picks up all chloride and bromide and reports as sodium bromide.

The strips are not super accurate, so 2244/1.761 = 1,274 ppm sodium chloride.

Your strips are reading 1,274 ppm chloride and bromide reported as sodium chloride.

Your K-1766 is reading 1,600 ppm chloride and bromide reported as sodium chloride.

This is a difference of 326 ppm, which is not that far off.

Your digital meter is reading 1,580 ppm TDS reported as sodium chloride.

1,580 - 1,274 = 306.

The strips are the least accurate.

If we allow for a +/- 200 ppm difference per test, then that allows up to 400 ppm between any two tests.

 

[JPMorgan]

I'm confused. So is there a way to determine how much sodium bromide is in the pool? It looks like all the tests are measuring both sodium bromide and sodium chloride (despite what the label on the test strip says). Does it even matter how much sodium bromide is in the pool? I will snap a photo of all labels on the test strip bottle and post shortly.

 

[JamesW]

So is there a way to determine how much sodium bromide is in the pool?

A lab with the correct equipment can test specifically for bromide.

Does it even matter how much sodium bromide is in the pool?

I do not know.

One reference says that it matters, but I do not know what their reasoning is.

 

[JPMorgan]

Labels on bottle of sodium bromide test strips below...
There is also a number on the bottle, but when I call it says the "wireless customer is not available at this time." No email for customer support either. Looks like you have to send snail mail to get any customer support. That's pretty bad in this day and age.

 

[JamesW]

https://www.hach.com/contact

Phone: 800-227-4224
Fax: 970-669-2932

Technical Support - support.hach.com

 

[JamesW]

https://support.hach.com/myhach/s/contactsupport?language=en_US

 

[JPMorgan]

If you use tabs, 20 lbs of tabs will add 50 ppm of sodium bromide.

So, the maximum use of tabs to keep the DMH and bromide low, is 20 lbs from a fresh fill.

I need to make a recommendation to the HOA tonight re: changes to the indoor pool sanitation system. The plan has to be simple. There is no "buy in" for completely overhauling the system. My plan is to recommend that we add minimal equipment (stenner pump and some tubing) in order to feed liquid chlorine to the pool. Our pool company told me that we do not need to remove the bromine feeder if we add this equipment. Based on the above comment, I would plan to use up to 20 lbs. of bromine tabs on a fresh fill, then turn the bromine feeder off and switch to liquid chlorine or.... we would have the option to convert the pool to a chlorine pool the next time it is drained and re-filled. This keeps multiple options open to us.

Questions:

1. Using this method, would there be any need to switch back to using the bromine feeder at any point or could we just use liquid chlorine consistently until the next pool water change?
2. Will the pool remain a "bromine pool" with enough sodium bromide in the pool while feeding liquid chlorine only and doing weekly dilution? Does the pool ever go back to being a chlorine pool and, if so, how would I know?

Thanks.