Does a saltwater generator system have a setting so it knows what to keep the chlorine level at?
Question about saltwater generator
- Thread starter Sjde
- Start date
- May 3, 2014
- 62,759
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
No.
You set the % setting and pump run time to create a certain amount of chlorine each day. Via testing you insure that the FC stays in target range for your CYA. You adjust the % setting and/or the pump run time as necessary.
You set the % setting and pump run time to create a certain amount of chlorine each day. Via testing you insure that the FC stays in target range for your CYA. You adjust the % setting and/or the pump run time as necessary.
No. You manually set the output % which is the % of time it is generating while the pump is on. It is open loop.
There are some additional automation systems that use ORP sensors to close the loop, but they tend to not work very well for outdoor pools with higher CYA levels.
There are some additional automation systems that use ORP sensors to close the loop, but they tend to not work very well for outdoor pools with higher CYA levels.
The "SmarterSpa" version of the Controlomatic SWG has something that detects chlorine using two electrodes - they also make the "ChlorMaker", which is a time-based dispensing system and no sensors. I sent an email to them asking if the SmarterSpa system was an ORP sensor (like I have in my IntelliChem for my pool), and they said that it's not...
There's a few on here that have the SmarterSpa, and like it. I'm going to give it a shot - it can't be any worse than the IntelliChem's ORP system, which I babysit quite a bit...
I have the SmarterSpa and am really, really happy with it. Their sensor is just measuring voltage across the sensors, I think. You can adjust the level at which it starts a generation cycle, and you can adjust the length of the generation cycle. When I asked them about the sensor they were kind of vague about how closely this correlates to chlorine levels, but in practice, two months in, it is working like a champ. I am down to testing my levels every couple of weeks because it's just that stable. FYI I use the tub most days, and some days twice. It's usually just me but I am occasionally joined by one or two more people. If I had a heavier load I imagine I might have to add bleach sometimes but that's just conjecture on my part at this point.
Let me know if you want details on what I've got it set to - I dropped the start point by a couple of notches, I forget what I have the run time set to.
Let me know if you want details on what I've got it set to - I dropped the start point by a couple of notches, I forget what I have the run time set to.
There is no way that measuring voltage through the water can have any correlation to your chlorine level. If it is not an orp sensor I would be very curious to know what it is as the actual sensors that test for chlorine are very expensive
Take this with a grain of salt, but when I first inquired about how it works, here's what I was told by the folks at Controlomatic. It has a bit of a sales-y pitch to it and was a little vague...
"The SmarterSpa and MegaChlor-CD are the only chlorine generators in existence with chlorine detection technology built into the electrode. We are often asked if our chlorine generators turn on when the chlorine is low and the answer has always been you need to adjust the power level and then measure the chlorine the next day so see if the chlorine is where you want it. Eliminates over-chlorination, no need for a vacation mode or temperature compensation and if you have the power level set too high it doesn't really matter – chlorine generation the way you expect it to be!
The built in sensor is made out of the precious metal gold and copper. The controller measures for the presence of sanitizer as a small current that is developed between the two wires."
I needed more, so I asked follow-up questions as to whether or not it's ORP, and was told this:
"It works similar to ORP, but the SmarterSpa only uses the millivolt reading when it drops to 15mV as a signal to turn on. We call it the zero point. Most people never need to change this number, but it is adjustable up to 60mV. Raising this threshold just allows the SmarterSpa is turn on sooner and thus keep the chlorine level higher."
I'm going to give it a try - hopefully it works better than the ORP setup that I have through the Intellichem for my pool....
I can attest that it's working really well in my spa. It seems like it runs at least one generation cycle a day .... it could be doing more, but I haven't paid close enough attention to know for certain. Since it's keeping the chlorine level in an acceptable range I just don't worry about it, which is the goal anyway. 
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