- Mar 23, 2023
- 4
- Pool Size
- 12000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-9)
I've owned my house (and pool) for 14 years now and did maintain a much larger vinyl pool when I was a kid back in the cal hypo tablet days. I'm also a chemical engineer who is very familiar with the chemistry involved in chlorine electrolysis and water balance. I had my pool replastered in 2021, so have experienced that startup process. My pool was built by the previous homeowner so I inherited it and the replaster / remodel allowed me to tweak the appearance somewhat. I have a ~12k gallon plaster pool (combined with elevated spa), Hayward TriStar main pump with Super II spa booster pump, Hayward cartridge filter, Hayward 300k Btu heater, and Hayward AquaRite SWG. My automation system, lights, and valves are Jandy, however, and do work fine with the Hayward stuff (I can control / read salt cell through the automation system with no issues). I also have a Paramount PV3-based infloor system which is very low maintenance and works quite well.
I've gotten to know my pool well enough that control is pretty routine for ease of operation. I make sure I turnover my water 3x per day in season (March - October) and 1.5x per day off season. In season I get my alkalinity down to below 60 ppm, get my CYA up to 30 ppm, and increase my SWG output slowly from 10% in March to 40% in August. I end up using about 1 gal. of acid per month in the summer and about half that rate in the winter. Once November rolls around, I'll buy a little baking soda to get the alkalinity up to 80 for the colder water temps. I try to keep my calcium above 400 ppm year round so that I can run the alkalinity lower. Nice thing about the Hayward SWG is that I can run 2400 ppm salt in the winter (with reduced output) and bump the salt up to 3000 for the swim season when I need to make more chlorine. I never buy chlorine at all.
I've gotten to know my pool well enough that control is pretty routine for ease of operation. I make sure I turnover my water 3x per day in season (March - October) and 1.5x per day off season. In season I get my alkalinity down to below 60 ppm, get my CYA up to 30 ppm, and increase my SWG output slowly from 10% in March to 40% in August. I end up using about 1 gal. of acid per month in the summer and about half that rate in the winter. Once November rolls around, I'll buy a little baking soda to get the alkalinity up to 80 for the colder water temps. I try to keep my calcium above 400 ppm year round so that I can run the alkalinity lower. Nice thing about the Hayward SWG is that I can run 2400 ppm salt in the winter (with reduced output) and bump the salt up to 3000 for the swim season when I need to make more chlorine. I never buy chlorine at all.