Ok i am doing it. Making the switch. All pointers needed PLEASE!!!

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M

Mical718

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Jul 21, 2013
134
Philly
Ok @Jimrahbe already filled me in on circupool. I see discount salt still has the $1 upgrade sale going on.
So one concern is do i buy the rj30 and upgrade to the 45 for the $1 at $849. Or is it worth it to buy the rj45 and upgrade to the 60 costing me $1029? Yea i would rather save money if i can as i am squeezing this in due to other expenses this year but do not want to chince out. My pool currently takes one gallon of liquid chlorine a day right now to maintain. It is in direct sunlight all day.

Next concern is i have a pentair vs pump. It has the built in timer on it and that is what i use to run my pump. I do not use an external timer. So how do i allow the two to communicate so the swg only runs when pump is on? My panel box does have an u used timer in it but i was just considering hooking my pool light to that.

Now how many bags of salt do i buy to start with and throw in the pool? Is that a home depot or lowes item? Or local leslies? I have read quite a few threads on here but i need all the pointers you have. Saw a thread about adding borates to help keep ph down? Fill me in fellas.
 
I can help you with the salt question- first you need to obtain a salt water test kit ( www.tftestkits.net) to determine how much salt you currently have. Yes, you do have some! Every chemical or jug of bleach you've added to that water has left behind some residual salt. So you're not starting at zero.

Test the water and get your current reading. Enter that in to PoolMath and how much salt your device needs (usually about 3,000) and it will tell you how many pounds of salt to add. Go slow, add about 3/4 of that and re-test.

Salt comes in 40pound bags. We've found that solar salt or salt meant for water softeners is often cheaper and works the exact same as "pool salt". Please avoid Clorox brand pool salt as we've had posters tell us of contaminated salt with iron in it <eeegads!>.

You'll *love* the feel of the salt water and convenience of the SWG. I promise!

Maddie :flower:
 
YippeeSkippy said:
I can help you with the salt question- first you need to obtain a salt water test kit ( www.tftestkits.net) to determine how much salt you currently have. Yes, you do have some! Every chemical or jug of bleach you've added to that water has left behind some residual salt. So you're not starting at zero.

Test the water and get your current reading. Enter that in to PoolMath and how much salt your device needs (usually about 3,000) and it will tell you how many pounds of salt to add. Go slow, add about 3/4 of that and re-test.

Salt comes in 40pound bags. We've found that solar salt or salt meant for water softeners is often cheaper and works the exact same as "pool salt". Please avoid Clorox brand pool salt as we've had posters tell us of contaminated salt with iron in it <eeegads!>.

You'll *love* the feel of the salt water and convenience of the SWG. I promise!

Maddie :flower:
Click to expand...
Thank you for the advice. Would have never known my pool alreasy has some salt. I just opened wednesday so i shocked it with 12 gallons and so far have added 3 more. So 15 total gallons of bleach 6%. Cant wait i am geting excited to not have to lug bleach anymore. That is what set me off today and said im over it. Pool store has t recieved 5 gallons jugs yet and i have made 3 trips to walmart so far. F this.
 
I would use the mechanical timer for the SWG and have it run only during the pump run cycle.

You could use a WiFi switch for the pool lights. You could set to turn on/off at sunset/sunrise or anytime you chose and could turn on/off with a phone app or Alexa.
 
M,

The RJ45 Plus should be plenty of SWCG for your pool, in your location...

I would not even think about borates anytime soon...

Once you install the SWCG and salt... get your FC up to your target level with Liquid Chlorine, and then turn the cell on..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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The WiFi switch would replace your existing pool light switch. Is the switch in your box labeled "Pool" your pool light switch? You would need a good WiFi signal wherever the switch is located.

I recently installed a TP-Link HS200 switch in my pool electrical box. Even with the metal box closed I still get a good signal. The Kasa app is easy to use and allows you to set up lighting schedules or to use the sunset/sunrise timer.

@chiefwej did a nice write up on simple automation...

Alexa pool control on a shoestring budget

I just spent the last few days completing my Alexa controlled pool and patio system. I can now turn on or off all of the following devices, either by voice command using Alexa, or via an iPhone app from any location: Spa pump Heater Spa light Pool light Patio light Barbecue light. The total...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
They're not the least expensive switches, but they are good quality. I have two outside, one for the pool light and one for horse arena lighting. Each is enclosed in a water resistant box. No issues so far with weather or damp conditions. I use several in-house switches for outdoor security lights that come on at sunset and off at sunrise. I use TP-Link (HS103P2) plugs to turn on two transformers for landscape lighting (also on-sale now).

The only complaint I've heard about TP-Link switches is that they are not a conventional rocker style switch. Only one side of the rocker is switched for both on/off so you can't tell if it's on/off by the position of the rocker. There is a light on the switch that lights up when the switch is off, but it's a bit hard to see in sunlight.

The current Amazon price is pretty good. I've seen them as low as $23.99, but prices that low only last a day or two.

You need a neutral wire to power the switch. Again, make sure you have a decent WiFi signal at the switch location. Once you select a brand for WiFi switches, its best to stick with that brand for future installs. It's nice to have all lights on the same app.
 
Last edited:
Mical718 said:
Thhe casa app, does that allow you to select colors also?
Click to expand...

Well, you had to go throw a wrench in the system with colored lights. :)

Kasa will only turn the switch on/off. I don't know how your colored lights work, but I've read that some are turned off and on until you get to your desired color. If that's the case, then you could probably get there in manual mode on the app. Sorry, I can't provide anymore beyond that.

The switch you linked above is the one I referred to earlier.
 
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