Is a SWG switch worth it?

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One other question. Right now I am in the process of dialing in the chemistry post pool drain.

Chlorine = added and am currently at 6
CYA = added initially to get to 40 (currently raising it to 70)
pH = added MA to and got it dropped to 7.0; currently aerating to slowly increase it
Salt = 9 bags have been added (last test was a strip test and it showed roughly 1240)

The process of pH dropping and aerating (to get TA down to 70) is going to take a couple of days at least. And unfortunately I do not receive my Taylor salt test kit from Amazon until Wed. At what point should I actually turn on the SWG to let it read the salt for me? Should I just keep working on lowering TA and wait to add any additional salt until I get my test kit?
 
I'd personally hold off and stick with liquid chlorine until your Taylor K-1766 arrives for a more accurate reading. Once your test arrives, get a reading, add 3/4 the recommended salt from Pool Math, then wait 24 hours before testing again. The salinity on your SWG isn't a reliable reading either
 
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jamesey said:
I'd personally hold off and stick with liquid chlorine until your Taylor K-1766 arrives for a more accurate reading. Once your test arrives, get a reading, add 3/4 the recommended salt from Pool Math, then wait 24 hours before testing again. The salinity on your SWG isn't a reliable reading either
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Will do, thank you!
 
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Well, I finally got my Taylor salt test kit and I tested the salt levels...it reads 4,000 ppm. SMH

Lesson learned on using salt test strips. There must have been a higher level of salt straight out of the city water, because I only added 9 bags (360lbs). Based on the test strip reading and the CircuPool chart, I was going to need about 11 bags. Dang! Pool Math says I need to replace about 13% of the water. I just drained and refilled the whole darn pool, lol.
 
Did you drain and refill just because of the salt levels? 4,000 ppm is at the high end of what Circupool recommends, so I think you would have been fine... lol
 
No, I drained the pool in advance of the SWG install, as my calcium hardness levels were at about 800; it had been two years and was time.

I literally just did the salt test in the past hour, and I was under the impression that 4000ppm would be too high. If it's not, awesome!!
 
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Your salt level will slowly rise as you add acid , sweat, fill water, etc. so if you get some rain/ monsoon, drain off some.
 
So I've got my pool chem levels in line (chlorine, CYA, pH, TA), and salt level is 4K (high end for CP but within range). Now it seems like I can actually turn the SWG on yes?

As noted in a previous post, my Intermatic timer is wired as follows:

Power - 1/3 (Line side)
Pump - 1/3
SWG - 2/4 (Load side)
Timer - 1/3

Folks have said I can do one of two things:
a. Run the pump 24/7 at low RPM
b. Set the Intermatic timer to start 15-30 min after the pump is set to start (my Pentair is currently set to start at 3am), and end 15-30 before the pump is set to stop (my pump is set to stop at 7a)

If I am understanding this correctly, the purpose of the SWG being wired into the manual timer is so that it is set to turn on and off at a certain timing with the pump itself, correct? In my situation:
- Pump kicks on at 3a
- Timer kicks the SWG on at 3:15a-3:30a
- Pump and SWG run simultaneously from 3:15a/3:30a-6:30/6:45a; SWG turns off at 6:30a/6:45a
- Pump kicks off at 7a

For Option A above, how would that work? Pump runs at a low RPM (what RPM would that be btw?) all the time, and thus the SWG is running all the time as well? Would the SWG need to be wired differently to achieve that? Would I no longer want switched power via the Load side?

What is the best setup here?
 

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Yes, you’re good to fire it up. Let’s do some experimenting to determine what RPMs will activate your flow switch. Slowly increase your RPMs 100 at a time until you see the Generate light kick on (wait a min or so in between intervals). From there, you want to add 200 RPMs. This is your minimum operating speed.

Once you have that, then Option A or B is just personal preference. I like generating a little bit of chlorine all day and night, so I go with Option A. I run at my minimum speed 24/7. You and I have the same wiring setup, so I leave the dogs off of my timer that way it’s always on. If you want to go with Option B in the future, then simply add the dogs based on the timing you mentioned above.
 
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jamesey said:
Yes, you’re good to fire it up. Let’s do some experimenting to determine what RPMs will activate your flow switch. Slowly increase your RPMs 100 at a time until you see the Generate light kick on (wait a min or so in between intervals). From there, you want to add 200 RPMs. This is your minimum operating speed.

Once you have that, then Option A or B is just personal preference. I like generating a little bit of chlorine all day and night, so I go with Option A. I run at my minimum speed 24/7. You and I have the same wiring setup, so I leave the dogs off of my timer that way it’s always on. If you want to go with Option B in the future, then simply add the dogs based on the timing you mentioned above.
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Thanks I'll give this a go tomorrow and report back.
Sorry, what do you mean by "dogs"?
 
@jamesey - Good morning! OK, so I went out this morning and did the following:

- Plugged in the power cord and flow meter cord from the SWG to the control module
- Took the dogs off the timer, set the time, and toggled it to ON
- On my pump (Pentair Intelliflo) I went to the Speed 1 setting and lowered it down to the lowest setting of 450 RPM. I increased to 550 RPM and the GENERATE light kicked on; I proceeded to increase RPM's by another 200 as you instructed

Pump is currently on and Speed 1 is set at 750 RPM. I assume this is the state I just leave the pump in? I also assume that my early morning Schedule (which runs at a much higher RPM) currently set on the pump will still kick in from 3a-7a so that my pool vac will run?

Following the instructions in the CP manual, I also set the Chlorine Output to 75% and will let it run for 2 days or so and then get a chlorine reading. Anythign else I am missing?
 

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Nice, that's awesome! You're going with Option A with your pump running 24/7 at 750 rpms and at higher speeds between 3a-7a? If that's the case you're all set. Your SWG will cycle on and off to achieve the 75% output. Monitor your chlorine output everyday, but I highly suggest you do some math using this calculator. The manual provides a guideline, but this is a better way for you to initially set up your output.

SWG Run Time Calculator

What is the SWG Run Time Calculator? A tool that is designed to answer the common question of "how long should I run my pump/SWG". It calculates the run time of your SWG and Pump based on your pool size, the output of your SWG and your daily FC PPM loss. It is designed as a starting point...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

There's some varying opinions on running below 1000 rpms on pump efficiency. Do some searching on the forum, but I recommend you monitor and adjust as you see fit. Just remember that you want to go up from 750 rpms and not down. Check to see how your skimmer is performing at that low speed.
 
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@jamesey - A few questions:

1. How do I find the Average 24hr FC Demand figure?
- I assume that is the loss of chlorine in a 24hr period? I just checked my chlorine and I am at 7. Should I check it again tomorrow morning (same time) and see what it has dropped to? That would be my average FC demand? Obviously that number is going to change at the temperatures rise here in AZ.

2. How do I find the 24hr SWG FC production?
- I went to the linked website page and for my SWG, and it lists a CL Power (lbs/day) of 2.0 for my RJ-45. Is that the figure I use?

For the pump RPM, should I just set it to 1,000 RPM to be safe?
 

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mavrick6382 said:
1. How do I find the Average 24hr FC Demand figure?
- I assume that is the loss of chlorine in a 24hr period? I just checked my chlorine and I am at 7. Should I check it again tomorrow morning (same time) and see what it has dropped to? That would be my average FC demand? Obviously that number is going to change at the temperatures rise here in AZ.
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In Arizona, I'd assume 3ppm in shoulder months and 4ppm / day in summer to be conservative. You can adjust from there.
mavrick6382 said:
2. How do I find the 24hr SWG FC production?
- I went to the linked website page and for my SWG, and it lists a CL Power (lbs/day) of 2.0 for my RJ-45. Is that the figure I use?
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Yes, 2.0 for RJ-45.
mavrick6382 said:
For the pump RPM, should I just set it to 1,000 RPM to be safe?
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Lower your pump, lower the rpm until the no flow light goes on (on the swg). Add 200rpm and run with that RPM.
 
RPMs below 1000 have diminishing returns based on pump efficiency and electrical usage.
If you are lucky enough to get the SWG flow switch to close below 1000 RPM, just set the pump to 1000 RPM. You may also choose to set it a bit higher to provide adequate skimmimg.

Use PoolMath, set it up for your SWG. Turn on tracking for water temperature, salt, combined chlorine and CSI. Also, set it up to share your PoolMath logs to the forum.

In the Valley, you will lose about 2-5 ppm FC daily in summer. It's really dependent on temps, sun exposure, usage, etc.
 
I'm sorry I led you down a rabbit hole of calculating the output! haha

At the end of the day, it's really not that big of a deal. It's going to take a few days to dial in. Test your FC, set your output, wait a day, and test again. If your FC is higher the next day, then just reduce your output (or vice versa). Rinse and repeat until you get consistent results and voila! You can sit back and just admire your crystal clear pool :goodjob:
 

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