Pentair IC15/Salt Start Up Questions

[Marco Josip]

Getting ready for the 30 day mark after our plaster install last month. I will be adding salt the first week of May to our new pool I just built

Couple questions below regarding the first step of adding salt and maintenance to Pentair IC-15….

-The IC-15 should be set on a timer to correspond with the pump timer. Essentially, the IC-15 should only be powered on and “running” when the pump is running? Correct? I have a separate timer for the IC-15 that is on the same schedule as the built in pump timer

-How frequently should I be dissembling this thing and cleaning it out for maintenance? Is that a fairly easy task?

-Is there any specific math or calculation to know how much exact salt I should be adding to my 3,000 gallon pool? Are you essentially adding more every season/multiple times a season? Or is a once and done per year

-Will the PH level become sporadic again after adding salt? My plaster is 3 weeks cured right now and it seems that the PH level is just starting to become level and even day to day with minimal acid need

 

[ajw22]

-The IC-15 should be set on a timer to correspond with the pump timer. Essentially, the IC-15 should only be powered on and “running” when the pump is running? Correct? I have a separate timer for the IC-15 that is on the same schedule as the built in pump timer

Yes

-How frequently should I be dissembling this thing and cleaning it out for maintenance? Is that a fairly easy task?

I look at my cell at closing once a year unless it shows errors.

Read SWG How It Works - Further Reading

-Is there any specific math or calculation to know how much exact salt I should be adding to my 3,000 gallon pool? Are you essentially adding more every season/multiple times a season? Or is a once and done per year

Two 40lb bags of salt should give you around 3000 ppm. Add 2/3 and check your salt level if your pool volume is wrong.

You need to add salt when you lose salt from draining for the winterization of filter cleaning.

Salt - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

PoolMath - Effects of Adding

-Will the PH level become sporadic again after adding salt?

No, salt does not affect pH.

 

[Marco Josip]

Thank you

 

[Marco Josip]

Is this normal to have this much cloudiness? The water was crystal clear a few days ago.

We are on Day 19 since plaster. I plan to add salt to the pool for the first time on Wednesday May 7th

Is the cloudiness solely because we have no chlorine in the pool? Should I be adding some chemicals to offset the lack of chlorine/salt?

We have only swam once and I’ve taken a few late night dips after my sauna sessions

First and second pics are today. Third and Fourth were last week

 

[ajw22]

Why do you have no chlorine in the pool?

A pool should always have chlorine in it

Once your FC is 0 there is a good chance you have some algae.

Get 5 ppm of chlorine in the pool ASAP.

 

[Marco Josip]

I should have just kept the pool cleaning company honestly. I have no idea what I’m doing trying to do this on my own.

The guy at the Leslie’s store said verbatim “don’t worry about chlorine until you add your salt in a week”

Clearly he’s wrong….

What do you recommend I add tomorrow liquid chlorine or something granular?

I’m leaning towards the below because Amazon will have it to my house by 8AM and it seems pretty straight forward. Add a 1LB to get it to 3-4PPM

https://a.co/d/6UD6Hg8

Greatly appreciate your help AJW

 

[ajw22]

Use liquid chlorine.

Do not use any products that have Blue in the name. Blue is a code word for copper which will accumulate in your pool and stain it. Watch out for Clorox products that say Blue on them.

 

[ajw22]

 

[Marco Josip]

Thanks AJW. It looks like all the Leslie’s are conveniently out of liquid chlorine in my area

I’ll try one of the smaller pool supply shops tomorrow morning

I guess for the mean time just keep my pump running 24/7 until I get some liquid chlorine in tomorrow afternoon

 

[Marco Josip]

View attachment 641429

Maybe this is a very stupid question but….

Does bleach off the shelf at the grocery store suffice?

 

[ajw22]

Maybe this is a very stupid question but….

Does bleach off the shelf at the grocery store suffice?

Liquid Chlorine - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

If you buy household bleach, you want pure liquid chlorine with no additives. Additives such as fragrances, thickeners (splashless), or surfactants (outdoor bleach) may cause foaming. Bleach with fabric protectors (Cloromax Technology) may also cause foaming.

Most Clorox bleach today says it has Cloromax Technology. They are polymers that create foaming and are not suitable for pools. Clorox Germicidal Bleach did not have additives but the December 2019 label on their website now shows Cloromax Technology. So look carefully at the label and ingredients on any Clorox bleach products you intend to use in your pool.

CloroMax is the addition of a alkaline and oxidizer stable poly ionic surfactant chemical. It’s added to the bleach to leave behind a residue in clothing and on surfaces that resists staining and microbial contamination. It supposedly reduces the need for higher concentrations of bleach to do the same cleaning job.

Most retail bleach is manufactured by a few chemical suppliers. KIK corp is probably the biggest. They all use the "CloroMax" technology that Clorox patented and then licensed out. So even the store brands like Target or Walmart will say their bleach is regular unscented, etc and somewhere on the bottle will be the phrase "Fabric Protection Technology" (or some combination of words like that). Read bleach labels carefully and look for code words that may imply it has additives other then chlorine.

 

[TinFoilHat]

Did you look at Walmart yet? They or a real mom and pop pool store should have it. Leslies must have a distribution problem if they do not have it.

 

[Marco Josip]

Did you look at Walmart yet? They or a real mom and pop pool store should have it. Leslies must have a distribution problem if they do not have it.

It looks like they do in 4 packs

The SKU I originally looked up on the app for 2 pack is showing out of stock

 

[Marco Josip]

Do you guys recommend liquid conditioner for the CYA levels? Looks like Leslie’s pool app based off my results saying I need 54OZ of Liquid Conditioner OR 1Lb powdered conditioner

 

[Newdude]

Do you guys recommend liquid conditioner for the CYA levels?

No. Its a couple times more expensive and the goods clump up on the bottom. It's hard to get a proper dose unless you use the whole bottle and can rinse the jug well.

 

[TinFoilHat]

Regardless of the pack size that Walmart shows you will often find them in two packs or just singles when you actually go into the store. Watch the date codes and get the newest bottles you can find. The date code will be something like 3725 meaning the 37th day of 2025 for example. Get granulated CYA and put it in an old sock that you then hang in front of a pump return to the pool so it can slowly dissolve. You can periodically squeeze the sock to help it disperse.

 

[Marco Josip]

Thanks

Yea I really don’t want to buy a 4 pack of chlorine considering it will be a salt pool I don’t think I’ll ever use it again after we add salt

 

[ajw22]

Thanks

Yea I really don’t want to buy a 4 pack of chlorine considering it will be a salt pool I don’t think I’ll ever use it again after we add salt

Your expectations for what the SWG will do for you are too high.

Use liquid chlorine to set a FC level and use the SWG to maintain th3 FC level.

It is always good to have some liquid chlorine on hand should you find your FC low.