Salt System Recommendations

[Nochain]

Hi all,
It’s time for a new salt system. I’ve tried to do some research and there is an overload of info out there. Hoping to get some current recommendations for my needs. Here is the information on my pool.

Location Phoenix
Size 17K gal
Currently running a 1.5 hp VSP
2” system

Thanks let me know what other info is needed!

 

[mknauss]

Your signature indicates a CircuPool SWCG. Which one?
The RJ45 would be the proper size for your pool.

 

[Nochain]

Your signature indicates a CircuPool SWCG. Which one?
The RJ45 would be the proper size for your pool.

RJ30 is what is in there but it’s no longer supported.

 

[Newdude]

So we recommend going 2X as a general rule of thumb. Personally, I'd go 3X in a heartbeat if I could because the upgrade costs works heavy in your favor and it's like buying the next until at 80% off. Think of future you.

If i were in a hot (loooooong season) climate, I'd go 4X in a heartbeat. Marty above went 6.6X in the desert.

 

[mknauss]

Hmm. They sell them.

CircuPool RJ-30 Replacement Salt Cell | Discount Salt Pool

www.discountsaltpool.com

 

[proavia]

Hmm. They sell them.

CircuPool RJ-30 Replacement Salt Cell | Discount Salt Pool

www.discountsaltpool.com

Yes they do - but given the OP is in the Phoenix area of Arizona, they would be better served with an RJ45 or RJ60 cell.

How old is the current SWG?
What is wrong with the present cell and controller?

 

[Retiredoof]

Hi all,
It’s time for a new salt system. I’ve tried to do some research and there is an overload of info out there. Hoping to get some current recommendations for my needs. Here is the information on my pool.

Location Phoenix
Size 17K gal
Currently running a 1.5 hp VSP
2” system

Thanks let me know what other info is needed!

I am currently having issues with a 1 year old Circupool unit that failed. I am currently negotiating a remedy. By contrast, i had a hayward unit that was idiot proof and they gave me a new salt cell 3 week after the warranty expired. No warranty however it lasted for 5 years before failure. Purchased the circupool due to reviews and price. Read all reviews before purchasing. By the way, to extend the life of my units, i turn them off in the cold months and also use tabs for the chlorine and the cyanuric acid since it is needed to work with the clorine. My pool is crystal clear year around.

 

[Nochain]

Yes they do - but given the OP is in the Phoenix area of Arizona, they would be better served with an RJ45 or RJ60 cell.

How old is the current SWG?
What is wrong with the present cell and controller?

The unit is about 14 years old. The error is “No water”. Circupool told me that they cant tell from that if its the control unit or cell. Given that the unit is this old and they don’t support any parts other than cells it’s a gamble shortly after……

 

[tcat]

I have a 1 year old Edge-40 on my 17kg pool, no issues. Runs at 25% for 10 hours and keeps up with no issues in Texas. 1.5hp Pentair VS with 2" lines like yours. Was easy diy.

 

[Nochain]

So 1 pos for Circupool edge, 1 neg for some Circupool unit…… Anyone else have any recommendations? I would have thought that this thread would have been filled with many opinions………………..

 

[trivetman]

I think circupool can be hit or miss. I got a dud from them last year. Ill give them some credit as they gave me a full refund though it was a bit of a hassle to get there.

I bought a Hayward on my second try and its been fantastic with half a season under its belt. I have high hopes for season #2.

I would not trust the Circupool lbs of chlorine per day chart. Those numbers can’t be realistic. But a lot of people on this forum love their circupool so they can’t all be duds even if they’re not producing quite what the advertisement says.

Ultimately either should work. I think the Hayward is a little less likely to cause trouble. It comes at a premium $$

 

[proavia]

If you are going to keep that single speed pump, get a large capacity SWG. You will be able to run the pump for a shorter amount of time to produce the necessary chlorine that larger the SWG is.

I've had a good experience with my Circupool RJ45+ and wouldn't hesitate to buy another if needed.
Give DSP a call and see if they will provide a repeat customer consideration. Worst they can say is no....

 

[Newdude]

I would have thought that this thread would have been filled with many opinions………………..

It's still early in the season with half the pools in the land closed. Many, many members have gone Circupool with good results. All manufacturers have a failure rate, especially these days, but Circupool is no worse than anyone else's.

I say this as a biased Pentair guy, and I'd love to be able to say that mine is the best, but fair is fair. Even with Circupool overstating their production #s, they still produce what the others do with comparable models.

They have jacked up prices and then have a forever sale going on where people upgrade for a couple bucks, which to me is shady, but in the end its still a great price no matter how you got there.

The warranty is pro rated and not as great as it seems at first, but if they're going to give you 40% off a new one on year 3 or 4, 20% on years 5+ (havent read the details in a while but its something like that) thats a heckuvalot better than the others with 0% after years 1-3 (depending).

 

[tcat]

I'm not sure my Edge-40 output isn't at least the 1.7# per day they claim. 100 degree summers, 17k gallon pool, and 10 hours at 25% keeps up (so running at 10%). No bells and whistles on the Edge, less to do wrong. I turn it to off or 12% in "winter" (Texas )

 

[Nochain]

Good inputs guys thank you!

 

[bbillingsley1985]

I'll offer up my 2 cents as somebody who probably researched almost every brand there was.

I am assuming you have no automation? Here's a simple version of how I would break it down.

1. If you have automation, buy the system that goes with your automation (if you can afford it and price is relatively reasonable). You will thank yourself down the line.
2. If you do not have automation, buy the circupool.

In my case, I had automation through hayward and I was basically 50/50 on buying circupool or hayward. Finding a good deal on the hayward finally was enough to make me get it for the automation and I'm very glad I did it. Love that it syncs up with everything else and that I can control it remotely. If your pentair happens to have automation then you maybe look at something like the pentair ic40.

In your case, without automation and the fact that you already have circupool, I'd honestly stick with circupool. To me you have 2 options. Option A would be just buy your cell replacement if your panel is still good. It'd take 2 seconds to swap it out and all is well. As others posted, they are correct that the 30 is a little undersized for your pool, but we are talking $450 to make you last years down the line. If it were me and I was relatively happy with how the rj-30 was producing, even though its undersized a bit I'd just buy the replacement cell, unhook my old cell, rehook that new one in and call it a day for $450.

If the entire RJ-30 needs to be replaced, then absolutely I agree go with a 40+ size. Your options in that case would be the edge-40 (which I was really close to buying), RJ-45 and RJ-60. With today's current prices, I would honestly say splurge and do the RJ-60 and here's why......Money. As of today (probably through April 3), here are prices. I'll link to the pages where you would click the red button that says "Add *larger size model* for $20 more"

1. Edge 40 would cost $1210 after discount ( CircuPool EDGE-25 Salt Chlorine Generator | Discount Salt Pool )
2. RJ-45 would cost $1299 after discount ( CircuPool RJ-30 PLUS Saltwater Chlorinator | Discount Salt Pool )
3. RJ-60 would cost $1399 after discount ( CircuPool RJ-45 PLUS Saltwater Chlorinator | Discount Salt Pool )

So for basically $100 more you can get the RJ-60 and get near 4x the size of your pool which will last you a very long time. I priced out the RJ-60 last year when I bought mine and it would of been $1710 at the time....so the discount specifically on the RJ-60 is very good right now.

So to summarize, here's the short version of what I would do. If the RJ-30 panel is fine, spend $450 from the link mknauss provided above ( CircuPool RJ-30 Replacement Salt Cell | Discount Salt Pool ), replace the cell and call it good. If you have to look at a whole new setup....I don't think you'll find a better deal than the RJ-60 right now.

 

[setsailsoon]

My $.02 on swg performance that seems to vary a fair amount...

• The manufacturing process is difficult and requires a very thin coating of catalyst. This process will invariably result in thickness variation. The manufacturer's quality system probably has a spot test for thickness and uniformity. And clearly all manufacturers have some failures. I wish we had real data on each one but we just don't.
• Pool water chemistry definitely affects performance and longevity.
• Cleaning the cell reduces life. We don't know how often cells have been cleaned and this would make it tough to compare results
• Catalyst compositions vary

With all these variables I think the best choice is a major brand that has a good reputation here. Would be really great if somebody would devise an independent test for actual chlorine production and run all the major brands through it. At least then we'd have a good starting point for one measure of comparison.

Chris

 

[setsailsoon]

PS I know swg is way more expensive than it used to be. But wow! I saw chlorine at HD the other day "on sale" for $9.99 per gallon (10%) I used to buy 12% in bulk for $1.35 with coupons. Economics for swg used to be about break even. Now it seems it would be a slam dunk!

Chris