Making the IntelliChlor Work in a mild Winter

[Jimrahbe]

Dirk,

Well my price is actually zero, as I just pour 20 oz. of acid in my pool once a week..

I initially had thought about a Hayward acid pump, but never got around to buying one. I get lazier everyday, but I am just not there yet..

This thread has made me glad that I did not buy anything...

If the ipH was controlled by the ET, in my mind it would be worth getting. I am surprised it is not..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Dirk]

If the ipH was controlled by the ET, in my mind it would be worth getting. I am surprised it is not..

I just wrote that very thing to r in a semi-related PM. It's all that is missing to make my setup cherry. I think Pentair wanted to sell IntelliChems instead of integrating the IpH into ET/ScreenLogic. Shame.

Don't worry, I haven't lost sight of the fact that I've spent more time writing about this today then I will pouring acid into my pool this winter!

 

[mgtfp]

Also, I don't think that your SWG measures temperature, flow or salinity. It just measures amps to detect if the salinity or temperature are too low and then give a generic low salinity warning.

"Measuring" is really stretching it. It has a no flow light, but I don't think it actually measures flow, it just seems to realise when the cell must have run dry. And the low salt light is basically always on. And yes, it runs on higher salinaty, specified between 3000 and 8000ppm, seems to be happiest around 4500.

But it does a good job. The unit is from 2005, cell got replaced in 2007. Just right for the climate here, where we only have a few very hot weeks (usually 1 or 2 days of +105F, then it plummets down to about 60F within 30 mins. A week later the same cycle - Melbourne), but it also never gets really cold. You just adjust output and run time over the seasons, but it just runs through for 365 days a year (when I go away in winter, I sometimes shut it down while not at home).

 

[Dirk]

I guess given the choice I would still opt for lower salinity and manual dosing in winter. 8000ppm is pretty salty! And of course there is no way I'd switch from SWG to chlorine injection, even considering injection would work year-round. Because the FC and acid demand drop so low in winter, it is only about 12 doses each to "pay" for the convenience the SWG provides the rest of the year. No way am I'm lugging all that chlorine, even to just pour it into a machine! And I really hate working directly with muriatic acid.

You know how you can tell the IC/IpH combo is the best way to minimize the overall pool maintenance burden? Because if there was a lazier way, I'd own it!!

 

[mgtfp]

8000ppm is pretty salty!

Don't worry, I've never been there, don't see the point. I'm usually between 3500 and 4500, still hardly notice the salt. But a friend bought a house where the salt level was sky high. Turned out that the low salt light was constantly on (which is not unusual, my one is too), and the previous owner kept adding salt. Didn't seem to bother the SWG...