Is a SWG switch worth it?

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Well, this weekend I'll be re-plumbing my pool equipment to install the CircuPool RJ-45. I was taking a look at the manual's guide for adding salt. My pool is just under 15K gallons, which is in between the 14K and 16K that are listed on CP's chart. Assuming my pool has zero salt (I'll be refilling the pool prior to all of this and will plan to test), the median between the 14K&16K (409 & 467 respectively) is 438. I assume that means I need to add 438 lbs of salt? That equates to about (11) 40lb bags. Sound about right? And is Morton Salt Professional's Choice Salt for Swimming Pools (I can get it at Walmart for $7.84/bag) a good choice?

Thanks in advance
 
mavrick6382 said:
And is Morton Salt Professional's Choice Salt for Swimming Pools (I can get it at Walmart for $7.84/bag) a good choice?
Click to expand...
Probably not...

Morton Pool Salt from Home Depot really messed up my pool

I had my pool re-plastered late December, and waited until now to add salt. Went to Home Depot and got 16 bags for my 20,000 gallon pool. It was clearly labeled Pool Salt with 'highest purity'. But it was actually brown salt and created a oily film on my pool and totally clogged my cartridge...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
mavrick6382 said:
the median between the 14K&16K (409 & 467 respectively) is 438. I assume that means I need to add 438 lbs of salt? That equates to about (11) 40lb bags.
Click to expand...

You are working at an unnecessary level of precision. Add 2/3 of the salt you calculate and let it dissolve and circulate for 2-3 days and test the salt level you get. That gives you an idea of the PPM/bag in your pool. Then sneak up on your target salinity with another dose or two.

Buy an extra bag or two or three as you will likely need to add some salt before the end of the season.

Salt is salt as long as it is 100% pure.

Stay away from Clorox Pool Salt and folks have recently had problems with Mortons Pool Salt bought at Home Depots.

I get my pool salt from a local pool store who uses it in the pools they service. It costs a big more but ensures the quality of it.

Salt - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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Good luck with your SWG install. Best decision I made for my pool. You should get a proper salt test kit(K-1766) if you don't have it yet, and test your CURRENT salt level BEFORE adding any salt. You may believe the current salt level is 0, but if you're adding LC and MA, you have also been adding salt.
 
Definitely DO NOT assume current salt level of zero! That just cost me 2100 gallons of water! Add to that, when my pool was installed, I was told it was 12,000 gallons! Welp? Reality, 8500 gallons! I used Morton salt, Home Depot, $7.16 a bag in quantity, I had no issues with it! The resent problems appear to be a batch from Mexico, mine was from the Bahamas! The problem was very obvious, it was brown!
 
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Well, it was a LONG day but I got the SWG installed and my pump plumbing re-designed. For my first time I'd say it turned out pretty nice! Someone had suggested undershooting the salt add-in to start, so last night I added about 2/3 of what the CircuPool Chart stated I needed (that equated to about 280lbs or 7 bags). I ran the pump overnight to dissolve and circulate the salt, and then ran a chemical test this morning as follows:

TA = 140 (need to drop to 70)
pH = 8.0+ (added 181 oz muriatic acid to drop pH to 7, will aerate to slowly increase and repeat process until TA is down to around 70)
CYA = 0 (added 79 oz granulated stabilizer via socks in skimmer; Pool Math says a SWG pool needs b/w 70-80; will need to add more stabilizer)
Salt = 1240 (I hadn't ordered the Taylor kit in time and I can't find it in-store locally; had to use salt test strips)
Calcium Hardness = 300 (I just drained/refilled the pool on Fri, unfortunately AZ water has high calcium to begin with)
CSI = 0.6

A couple of questions:
1. I assume I should NOT be adding any liquid chlorine as part of the chemistry balance? We are going to (obviously) let the SWG take care of that?
2. I assume I should be adding in the additional 280lbs of salt (seven 40lb bags)? Or should I undershoot again?

Thanks in advance!
 

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mavrick6382 said:
. I assume I should NOT be adding any liquid chlorine as part of the chemistry balance?
Click to expand...
NO! Add liquid chlorine now to maintain the FC based on the FC/CYA Levels using the CYA level you are targeting.
mavrick6382 said:
I assume I should be adding in the additional 280lbs of salt (seven 40lb bags)?
Click to expand...
You do not have an accurate means to test the salinity. So add one half what is needed each time until the SWCG shows acceptable salt levels. Be sure to brush the pool and run the pump between each salt addition.
 
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Thanks @mknauss. One other question:

In a previous reply from @proavia, he advised the following:
  • The pump should be wired to the Line side so it gets constant power
  • The SWG should be wired into the Load side so it gets switched power from the timer
  • Place the ON cog so the SWG has power 15-30 minutes after the pump starts
  • Place the OFF cog so the SWG doesn't have power 15-30 minutes before the pump starts
I currently have my Pentair pump wired into the Line terminals (1/3); they were previously wired into the Load terminals.
The SWG is wired into the Load terminals (2/4).

I turned my breaker back on last night to fire up the pump and it wouldn't start. I noticed that the Intermatic timer was set to OFF, and after switching it ON the pump turned on. So now it seems that the pump will only work if the mechanical timer is ON. Is this what I want? In my head "constant power" would not require the timer to be turned ON.

Is this the correct setup?
 

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mavrick6382 said:
Here is a pic of the setup. Pump wires are connected to Line side (1/3), CircuPool control is connected to the Load side (2/4).

Do they need to be reversed? In other words, pump wires into 2/4 and CircuPool into 1/3?
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Do you have your power coming into the timer connected to 2/4? I think there should be three wires connected to 1 & 3, but I only see 2. One for your incoming power, one for your pump, and one for the timer.
 
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I think that's what's causing your issue which makes sense why your pump was originally wired to 2/4. SWG should be the only thing connected to the load 2/4 terminals. 240V right?
 
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