No/low chlorine with this cheap amazon/chinese SWG (Pomeade EC16)

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G

Gilligan8

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2023
60
South Louisiana
This unit is for 20,000 gallons and I have an 11,000 gallon pool.

Installed this about a month ago and all was going well. I had low levels of chlorine, put it on boost for a few days and then the level started coming up. I eventually started just running it on it's highest setting (5 leds) then it kept staying high, so I started backing it down as well as only running it 8 hours a day.

Now I feel like pretty suddenly we are now showing no chlorine (with Clorox strips... I know I should have a good test kit but money is super tight right now).

I've been "boosting" it for the full 8 hour cycles that I've been running it for the past 3 days and still doesn't seem to be budging. I also don't have a salinity checker but we originally were not salt water and I added 7 (maybe 8) bags of salt to the pool. So my salinity should be "ok".

Here is a video of it running on boost with the cloud after the cell, which I assume is a fair indicator that I should be generating chlorine.


Any advice (other than, check salinity (I'm trying to borrow one) and get a better tester, get a "proper" SWG LOL)?
 
G,

I don't think the problem is the SWCG, cheap or not.. The problem is you... :mrgreen:

You are lost and have no clue where you are.. Instead of finding a navigation system, or a map, your basic idea is to just keep driving around, hoping you'll find your way home.

Without knowing your CYA level, your target FC, and your actual salt level, there is not much we can do to help.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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Jim is right. It's certainly possible the Chinesium cell is junk. But without any way to actually test your water, we have no prescription or advice since we don't know what's actually going on.

Believe me when I say I understand what it's like to have money be tight. But you're going to spend more money running around in circles and flying blind vs. what a good test kit costs.
 
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In the end you will spend more trying to fix this issue blind and then you’ll finally buy a test kit (maybe). Totally your choice. If you do get one, reach out with your test results and TFP will help.
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+4. Your algae is consuming more FC than you can produce.

To clear it, and maintain sanitary levels going forward, you need reliable data. It is what it is. Keep us posted. :)
 
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Newdude said:
+4. Your algae is consuming more FC than you can produce.

To clear it, and maintain sanitary levels going forward, you need reliable data. It is what it is. Keep us posted. :)
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Thanks for the further explanation, that helps make a lot more sense to my brain.

The "Stabelizer" part of the clorox test strips show about 100 but it's a very odd "faded" looking version of the color that indicates that level. It used to feel it was stronger before.

Would bringing a water sample to a pool company to test be better than the strips?
 
Gilligan8 said:
Would bringing a water sample to a pool company to test be better than the strips?
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I would take a big swig and swish it all around like a hoit-y toit-y wine tasting. My pinky would be all up in the air and everything. Then I'd spit it out and decree it was 73.

I'd probably be closer than the other 2. Just sayin. 😁
 
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Ok, so I got a TF 100 Salt kit and just tested my water.

Chlorine is still crazy low (I've been running on boost for 8 hours every day).

Alkalinity is about 100
CYA is about 40? that test is subjective, not sure how much "you can't see the dot" means.

Didn't test my Calcium Hardness because it's just straight HARD. LOL

Also have a salt meter probe that is reading 3100.

Where do I go from here?
 
Gilligan8 said:
It wasn't too long ago that I was cutting the SWCG back because the levels were getting too high though. :(
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Right, but your FC was "up" at that point. SWCG is not good at raising from low levels to high levels. Use LC to raise to target, then adjust your SWCG to maintain.
 
This is sounding familiar. I just did an OCLT for the same reason. If it passes OCLT, increase with liquid chlorine and maintain with SWG as recommended. This part of the season is tricky.
 
PoolStored said:
Right, but your FC was "up" at that point. SWCG is not good at raising from low levels to high levels. Use LC to raise to target, then adjust your SWCG to maintain.
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I guess my point is that Chlorine generation was TOO much and I turned it down a little and it just fell off completely.

My choices were keep creating too much or having it fall off the face of the earth if feels like. :(
 
Gilligan8 said:
I turned it down a little
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What setting (pump hours and SWCG setting) did you have before, and after the change?

We have noted, many times, over many years, knockoff cells have many problems. You get what you pay for...(sorry, don't shoot the messenger).

With branded product, while there are still issues, the magnitude of the issues are far smaller.
 
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PoolStored said:
What setting (pump hours and SWCG setting) did you have before, and after the change?

We have noted, many times, over many years, knockoff cells have many problems. You get what you pay for...(sorry, don't shoot the messenger).

With branded product, while there are still issues, the magnitude of the issues are far smaller.
Click to expand...
It has 5 leds and then "boost".

I ended up at LED 2 and had been running 8 hours a day for a while at that point.

This is a "20,000" gallon generator and I have an 11,000 gallon pool. Obviously I take that 20k with a grain of salt, which is why I got the 2X of my pool size vs 50% bigger. ;)

IF I remember correctly, I jumped on the SWCG install when I did (had it in the closet for a min) because my chlorine levels were gone (or fading fast). Put it on boost, but was running 24/7 then, and it climbed and climbed. At some point I backed off to 8 hours and was still climbing so I cut back... then cut back more, then more.

It IS possible I have my brain all mixed up and the 8 hours did happen in that sequence and maybe that is what is screwing me up. I just don't FEEL like that happened. But I'm not gonna deny that I could be mistaken.
 

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