Salt Generator

[rmcconkey]

Any thoughts on Salt Generation and Ph increase?

Here is my story: I have had a swimming pool for the last 10 years. Three years ago we had decided to put an in ground pool in to replace our aging above ground. We had decided to go with a gunite pool with a marcite finish. After the completion of the pool the acid demand was a little overwhelming which was expected. We closed the pool and upon opening early in the spring I had noticed the entire deep end of the pool was stained with a slight yellowish appearance. It took the entire summer to finally come out and have them attempt a repair. Finally after a few calls of them telling me they can't fix it so I was upgraded to a Quartz finish last fall. Similar acid demand at first but currently the pool extremely stable.

At this point I am using a Biogurad product called Smart Sticks because I didn't want to convert to salt last fall with a new finish. Now I am contemplating going back to salt to eliminate the sticks and the fact that they are in the skimmer which I don't like even though they claim it's safe. I have a brand new IC-40 sitting on the shelf that was uninstalled last year due to the re-finish.

Biggest concern is creating a situation where I am constantly adding acid into the pool again. Any Thoughts????
I know that the sticks are bringing the acid level down and the Cya up.

Taylor Test Results

Ph 7.5
Alkalinity 110
Calcium Harness 230
FC 3
Cya 45

 

[drharris]

I have the IC40, and a high-ish TA. This results in about a half gallon of 31.45% MA per week. Slowly my TA is coming down, but I've not noticed any improvement on the acid front. Once mine gets down to 80 or so, I plan to add borates if the pH rise is still happening.

For what it's worth, it's still worth using the SWG. Acid is relatively cheap, and I figure doing that weekly is much better than messing with bleach daily! Plus, I've noticed my pH rise taps out right at 8.0, so it doesn't get to emergency territory. I figure when I finish doing everything to help it I'll probably stabilize around 7.8 and be ok with that.

 

[rmcconkey]

Mine never stabilized, constant battle between PH and Alkalinity but I also feel I had some finish problems with the existing marcite. I was buying acid by the case and probably using a gallon and a half a week with the salt generator. At this point I test daily and typically add nothing but smart sticks. Not sure if I should change a thing.

 

[tucsontico]

Any new "plaster pool" (essentially any concrete pool covered with any impermeable coating) will have a very high acid demand for up to a year while the coating cures. Additionally a Salt Water Chlorine Generator (SWG) will raise acid demand due to the carbonation effect occurring in between the plates of the SWG. However, an SWG is the simplest and most maintenance-free way to sanitize a pool. I've had pools with other sanitizing methods (puck floaters, Frog inline injector, etc.) and I would never go back to any other method. I would ditch the "Smart Sticks" as soon as possible and put in the IC40.

If your concern is keeping up with the acid demand, I suggest adding a Pentair IntellipH acid injector when you plumb in the IC40. I did that after my first year with an SWG and, once dialed in, it holds my pool's pH rock steady.

 

[drharris]

Smart Sticks are trichlor, and are acidic. This is why your pH seems more stable. It just happens to be the right pH decrease for your pool's current demand.

In the end, it's up to you. Be aware of your levels, be aware of what the Smart Sticks are adding (CYA), and make sure you're keeping the right FC for the constantly-rising CYA numbers. If cost is a concern, you already have the biggest expense of switching to salt water (the SWG), and smart sticks aren't cheap. But in the end as long as you know what you're putting into your pool and are comfortable in terms of maintenance/cost of doing that thing, then go for it.

 

[mknauss]

Another item on placing the trichlor (smart sticks) in the skimmer. Unless you are running your pump 24/7 this practice will damage your skimmer, pump, filter internals, etc. You creating an extremely acidic brew in our skimmer when the pump is not running.

If you continue to use the 'sticks', get a floater.

Take care.

 

[drharris]

Smart Sticks should only dissolve when the water is moving over them (pump is running). I had good experience with them last summer when I knew my CYA was a bit low and we were travelling. I'm not as sure about using them 100% of the time though. If you want to verify they don't dissolve without running water, it's easy to test by weighing before/after just sitting in a bucket of water.