New to Salt System...I have a couple questions.

[Michelle Crain]

My system is Intex Salt System/Sand Filter Model ECO20110-2.
My pool is Intex rectangle 14364 gallons.
My alkalinity in my well water is high. I finally have it down to 120. I am aerating to raise the pH back up to 7.5.
CYA is 50
FC is 0.6
Combined is .2
Calcium is 240
Pool temp is 62 today.

I am running the chlorinator today to raise the FC to 3-4. I set it to run 5 hours so I can test and see where it falls after that.

Questions...
1) When people on the forum post about SWG percentages...Is that the percentage of time the chlorinator runs in comparison to the pump/filter?
2) If anyone has the same pool/pump...how often do I self-clean the electrodes? And is the BOOST cycle like a super-chlorinator?

Thank you,
Michelle Crain

 

[thetekgeek]

Salt Water Generators are not very good at boosting the FC level. Even those that are, probably shouldn't be used that way because of their finite lifespan. They are very good at maintaining a consistent FC level. I would advise you to raise your FC to target using bleach and then play with the run time % to maintain your FC in the target range, testing daily for the first week or so until you get a feel for how much chlorine is produced and consumed each day. For now, CYA of 50 is probably ok, but as we get deeper into the summer months you might want to look at raising your CYA up around 70.

 

[Texas Splash]

Hey Michelle. I would also say for your TA lowering process, let the pH get all the way to 7.8 before hitting it with muriatic acid again down to 7.2. You'll more impact on the TA that way. Normally when you hear someone say SWG %, they are referring to the actual SWG "output". Each SWG varies on how that % output is displayed. So you control FC production by both pump run time and SWG % output (i.e. 25 %, 50%, 75%). Hope that helps.

SWG How It Works - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[mguzzy]

In answer to your questions:
1) it depends on how its hooked up. My SWG is connected to the same switch that controls the pump.. so when the pump is running so is the SWG. The percentage is usually the setting on the controller that manages how much the SWG produces in a given cycle.. so 50% is its on for half the time and off for half the time.
2 a) I don't have the same SWG as you so not sure how to answer the question about the self cleaning.. I pull the SWG cell and clean with a mild Acid bath if necessary
2 b) yes, boost is like super chlorinating..

That being said... I would add liquid CL to bring the FC up and use the SWG to maintain it (like @thetekgeek Geek said)... running it on Superchlorinate to do that just diminishes the life span of the SWG cell in my opinion.

 

[Brett S]

It’s worth noting that the intex SWG’s do not have a percentage adjustment. They are 100% all the time. Either it is on at 100% or it is off.

 

[Michelle Crain]

So after running SWG 4 hours...
FC is 1.4
Combined Chlorine is 0.2
pH is 7.0 (slowly coming up)
TA is 120
CyA is 53-ish
I just added 1 cup liquid chlorine. Running pump 7 hours this evening. Will retest tomorrow.

 

[Texas Splash]

Sounds good Michelle. Keep an eye on the FC for sure to avoid algae. You can bring the FC up to 5-6 easily. For the CYA, just round-off. If it's closer to 50, call it 50. If it's halfway or more, call it 60. Then go back to the FC/CYA Levels to ensure you are in a good place. Once you get the TA to about 80-90, take a break and let the water do its thing for a couple days to see if that's good enough to keep the pH stable, or if you need to go down to about 70.

 

[Michelle Crain]

I had someone tell me to keep TA about 120. Should I go lower? I have more Muriatic Acid.

 

[Texas Splash]

I had someone tell me to keep TA about 120. Should I go lower?

120 sounds like a pool store comment. No, the TFP What Are My Ideal Pool Levels? - Trouble Free Pool page tells you all the acceptable ranges, If you leave the TA at 120, it's still a bit elevated and may allow your pH to climb quickly. So keep an eye on the pH. If the pH stays consistent in the 7s, leave the TA alone. But if the pH keeps climbing quickly, the TA needs to come down a bit.

 

[Michelle Crain]

Okay. thank you. I saved quick links to all the pages you have in your signature.
You are in San Antonio? How is it down there? I am about 2 hours north of you.

 

[Texas Splash]

You are in San Antonio? How is it down there? I am about 2 hours north of you.

Very cool week for us. Uncharacteristic for this time of year. But not to worry, the TX sun will be blazing soon. :sun:

 

[setsailsoon]

Michelle,

Looks like you're getting the hang of TFP pool care really well. I ditto Pat's (Texas Splash) comments. Only thing I'd add is you can use Pool Math to predict how long you'll need to run the swg to add a given amount of FC to your pool. This time of year (other than cold snaps) it's typical you'll use ~2 ppm per day. But every pool's a little different. It looks like Intex makes two sizes of swg units they bundle in their systems. I believe you have the higher output chlorinator (11 grams per hour). Pool Math indicates your output is about 1.1 ppm which could be a little low. So when you get done balancing per Pat's recommendation you may need to increase run time to hold your FC level stable.

Keep the questions coming, Pat will have you on autopilot very soon!

Chris

 

[Michelle Crain]

Very cool week for us. Uncharacteristic for this time of year. But not to worry, the TX sun will be blazing soon. :sun:

Soon we will be reflecting on the cooler weather, and my green grass will be crunchy brown.

 

[Michelle Crain]

Michelle,

Looks like you're getting the hang of TFP pool care really well. I ditto Pat's (Texas Splash) comments. Only thing I'd add is you can use Pool Math to predict how long you'll need to run the swg to add a given amount of FC to your pool. This time of year (other than cold snaps) it's typical you'll use ~2 ppm per day. But every pool's a little different. It looks like Intex makes two sizes of swg units they bundle in their systems. I believe you have the higher output chlorinator (11 grams per hour). Pool Math indicates your output is about 1.1 ppm which could be a little low. So when you get done balancing per Pat's recommendation you may need to increase run time to hold your FC level stable.

Keep the questions coming, Pat will have you on autopilot very soon!

Chris

I downloaded the app, so I will try it out.

 

[Michelle Crain]

Okay this evening...
FC 1.6 (just added almost 1 gallon of liquid chlorine)
Combined .1
pH just below 7.0 (aerating to up)
TA 68 ish
CyA 70

running pump this evening after i added the chlorine.
Do I need to run it for 24 hours or less?

 

[mknauss]

To mix the chlorine it needs to run about 30 minutes.

Why are you letting your FC drop so low. Do not do that. A SLAM is not something you want to do.

How did you test a TA of 68?

Use a 10ml water sample for the FAS-DPD FC test. One scoop of powder. Each drop to clear is 0.5 ppm FC.

 

[Brett S]

Your FC level is still way too low. You really need to get it up to at least 5 with a CYA level of 70 and make sure that it never goes below 3. With it at only 1.6 you have the potential for algae to take over and you will need to do a SLAM. If your SWG is unable to maintain the FC level and you have to keep adding liquid chlorine then it may be too late and you need to do a SLAM now.

 

[Michelle Crain]

This is a new pool. It's taken me a while to get the TA down from over 360. I added the gallon of liquid chlorine at 4:30 today. I got my CyA up to 70 since yesterday and my TA down to 70. Working on the chlorine.

 

[mknauss]

Focus on the FC. The TA is of no concern. It will come down over time by managing the pH.

 

[Brett S]

The chlorine is the most important thing. Without chlorine your pool will not be sanitized and will grow algae. Your first priority should be maintaining the chlorine levels. After that you can work on getting the other numbers where they should be.