Need help determining what components are needed.

[Jsf721]

I have a vacation home. I do not live there M-F. I have a friend who helps me keep the pool balanced by adding chlorine tabs and shocking when necessary. I don’t want him to have to do to much as I’m sure it’s a pain for him. I balance the pool and top up chlorine Sunday evening before we leave. He comes Wednesday and Friday to check and add.

I would really like to install a reliable bullet proof system to :

Allow me to monitor FC levels and adjust a swg over Wi-Fi.

I have a single speed pump what the advantage of going to a VS pump ?

Added bonus would be If I could monitor PH,TA, CH ,Cya

Thanks for the recommendations. All my current equipment is listed in my signature.

If you have a set you your recommending please let me know how long you have had it, any issues and how you solved them, how the manufacture has been in terms of helo if needed or tech support, what your regular Maintence was and if you don’t mind the hardware cost and install labor cost.

I’m a diy guy but electrical and plumping are not my strengths.

Thanks

 

[wireform]

I think all you need is to convert to SWCG and monitor the chlorine as most other levels don't change much over a weeks time.

 

[wireform]

There's no mention of a pool cover so the unattended pool can fill with debris, fill the skimmer and starve the pump.

 

[Jsf721]

There's no mention of a pool cover so the unattended pool can fill with debris, fill the skimmer and starve the pump.

I don’t really have that issue. I do get pine needles for it does not impede the flow too badly.

 

[Jsf721]

I think all you need is to convert to SWCG and monitor the chlorine as most other levels don't change much over a weeks time.

Monitor it how ? Is Wi-Fi baked into the system?

 

[Mdragger88]

U would need a 60k gal rated swg for your size pool. At least 2x’s the pool volume is recommended to reduce runtimes, extend the life of the cell & ensure u have plenty of fc at your disposal.
There are only a few swg’s that size.
The pentair ic 60 - which does have some automation capabilities when coupled with other pentair products.
& a couple different circupool models w/ higher outputs, they don’t have automation capabilities.

As an example- w/ the ic60 you would need to run your single speed pump for Around 12 hrs with the swg @100% to produce the fc you need daily (2-4ppm). Not sure how u are running your pump now.
The advantage of a vsp is that you can run it at a lower rpm for energy savings yet still allow the swg to produce the fc needed daily. If your pump is old & on its last leg - any replacement will either be 2 speed or variable speed due to new regulations.
Once u get the swg dialed in for the current time of the season & know it’s reliably producing plenty of fc to account for daily loss there’s not much tinkering to do.
Many remote monitoring systems for fc, ph etc. are fraught with bugs & inconsistencies & are often more trouble than they are worth. Not to mention the expense.
Here’s a good chart to compare outputs, warranties etc.

Compare and Review Saltwater Chlorine Generator Prices and Features | DSP

www.discountsaltpool.com

 

[Jsf721]

U would need a 60k gal rated swg for your size pool. At least 2x’s the pool volume is recommended to reduce runtimes, extend the life of the cell & ensure u have plenty of fc at your disposal.
There are only a few swg’s that size.
The pentair ic 60 - which does have some automation capabilities when coupled with other pentair products.
& a couple different circupool models w/ higher outputs, they don’t have automation capabilities.

As an example- w/ the ic60 you would need to run your single speed pump for Around 12 hrs with the swg @100% to produce the fc you need daily (2-4ppm). Not sure how u are running your pump now.
The advantage of a vsp is that you can run it at a lower rpm for energy savings yet still allow the swg to produce the fc needed daily. If your pump is old & on its last leg - any replacement will either be 2 speed or variable speed due to new regulations.
Once u get the swg dialed in for the current time of the season & know it’s reliably producing plenty of fc to account for daily loss there’s not much tinkering to do.
Many remote monitoring systems for fc, ph etc. are fraught with bugs & inconsistencies & are often more trouble than they are worth. Not to mention the expense.
Here’s a good chart to compare outputs, warranties etc.

Compare and Review Saltwater Chlorine Generator Prices and Features | DSP

www.discountsaltpool.com

Why wound I need to run the IC60 at 100 percent if it’s oversized ? Is there a bigger unit. I heard that you want to run it less than 100 percent to extend the salt cell life ?

Right now I am running my pump from 9am-6pm I certainly could add the 3 extra hours if need be.

 

[wireform]

100% just for those hours to achieve the daily loss.

 

[Mdragger88]

To put it in perspective- U could run it at 50% for 24 hrs for the same fc effect if you wish or anywhere in between. That’s just roughly the minimum pump run time with a single speed pump to get the necessary fc produced with that unit. If u turn down the swg percentage you will need to run the pump more hours to produce the same fc.
You can see where a vsp would help here & why the recommended swg size is at least 2x’s your pool volume.
Some of the circupool models have higher fc outputs/day. Check out the reference link I posted.

 

[ccbill]

Why wound I need to run the IC60 at 100 percent if it’s oversized ?

A SWCG rated for a 60k gallon pool produces enough chlorine in 24 hours at 100% to maintain the FC level. At 30k gallons you need to run it for 12 hours at 100%.

That is very generalized. Every pool is different. FC use/consumption varies with the season (temperature, sunlight, use). In the winter months I barely need 1ppm/day, right now I'm hitting 4ppm/day. You need to make sure the SWCG can handle the extremes, especially if your not around all the time. And you may not want to run your pump 24/7, though some here do - running a VS pump at reduced rpms for extended periods will let your SWCG produce more/sufficient chlorine and the reduced rpms lower the electricity bill.

 

[wireform]

Every pool is different. I have a 25k pool with a SJ35 not my recommendation nor install but all the levels are perfect and at level 2 it still keeps the FC @11..5 running with single speed Hayward for 13 hours a day.