Saltwater system

[Cheetos82]

I upgraded my pool shortly after I had bought my intex saltwater system. It’s made for up to 4,500 gallons and my new pool is 6,000. It’s also full sun and 95 here with heat index over 100. Running it 12 hours a day it still can’t keep up. Anything I can do besides buying a new swg?

 

[an1vrsy]

What is your CYA? Your SWG is undersized. You are going to have to run it for more hours.

 

[CT-Steven]

an1versy is correct. A SWG needs to be 3x the water capacity of your pool. You can get by with 2x but the larger the less you have to run it. I honestly do not think that even running it at full tilt that it will be able to keep up. I would recommend selling it and buy a properly sized SWG. Personally, I like the Circupool.

 

[proavia]

an1versy is correct. A SWG needs to be 3x the water capacity of your pool. You can get by with 2x but the larger the less you have to run it. I honestly do not think that even running it at full tilt that it will be able to keep up. I would recommend selling it and buy a properly sized SWG. Personally, I like the Circupool.

The TFP recommendation is for 2 times the pool volume. While more than 2x could be better,
maybe best to say AT LEAST 2X YOUR POOL VOLUME.

 

[Mdragger88]

Do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to rule out algae 1st then
increase cya to the 80’s & supplement with liquid chlorine.
Follow the FC/CYA Levels at all times.
I am able to maintain in the shoulder seasons with my undersized swg but during the heat of the summer I raise fc to 10ppm with liquid chlorine or so every 5 -6 days or so

 

[CT-Steven]

proavia
I am only quoting what TFP has stated in the past.
It has been noted that by the "MOD Squad" and "TFP Expert" SWCG at least 2x and preferably up to 3x your pool volume. There are also others who say to get the largest you can afford as there is "no waste".
Has TFP changed their stance on this as my replies are based on what I have learned here.

 

[Mdragger88]

@Cheetos82
Your pool volume is likely more around 5300 gal since the wall height is 48” but that is not the water level. It looks like running that unit for 12hrs should yield u somewhere around 2.4ppm fc in your pool. The average algae free residential pool loses 2-4ppm/day give or take.
Those little intex units have a finite life span of about 2-3 yrs so u can ride it out while keeping cya in the 80’s & supplementing with liquid chlorine & plan to upgrade to a the larger intex swg (7k gal or 15kgal) when your budget allows , u find a good deal, or the thing dies. The 15k gal intex unit should definitely be plenty for that size pool. On that size pool I had a 7k gal unit & it was ok but switching to the 15k gal unit was great. For context I used both of them together for my current 26k gal pool & definitely had to supplement in the hot summer.
Before increasing cya be sure to do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to rule out algae.

 

[gingrbredman]

It has been noted that by the "MOD Squad" and "TFP Expert" SWCG at least 2x and preferably up to 3x your pool volume

I am not sure I have read that here, and I read a lot here haha! From almost all of the posts I have seen by a lot of the smartest people here, the recommendation is to shoot for a SWCG at least double your volume.

That being said, the only downside to getting one that is 3x or larger would be the initial cost of the cell. You can easily adjust the output settings on the cell to compensate for the larger cell, and it should last a lot longer running it so low.

I would recommend selling it and buy a properly sized SWG

Despite any conversations about 2x, 3x, etc., it is probably agreed the cell being used is undersized, and upgrading to a larger one is a good choice.

 

[Cheetos82]

What is your CYA? Your SWG is undersized. You are going to have to run it for more hours.

Cya 45

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Running it 12 hours a day it still can’t keep up. Anything I can do besides buying a new swg?

You can run your SWG as you normally would and supplement with liquid chlorine or bump up runtime. Do you know the chlorine production rate of your SWG (lbs. of chlorine gas per day)?

You have some room in your CYA level to supplement with tablets if you have some. Discontinue when your CYA reaches 70 ppm.

Increasing CYA to 60-80 ppm should slow down FC loss a bit.

Let us know if you need help calculating things out.

 

[Cheetos82]

You can run your SWG as you normally would and supplement with liquid chlorine or bump up runtime. Do you know the chlorine production rate of your SWG (lbs. of chlorine gas per day)?

You have some room in your CYA level to supplement with tablets if you have some. Discontinue when your CYA reaches 70 ppm.

Increasing CYA to 60-80 ppm should slow down FC loss a bit.

Let us know if you need help calculating things out.

I just realized my salt is low. An accident caused a lot of water loss. I’m down from 3600 to 2600 but I’m not sure how B much salt to add. I’ve had difficulty figuring out how much out put for my unit. I’m thinking 1 more bag of salt?
I think it said somewhere in manual 4 per hour which was confusing to me

 

[Mdragger88]

Those intex units usually like salt around 2900 ppm - any higher & u get the dreaded high salt alarm & no production.
How are u testing the salt?
Strips & meters can be off by +- 500ppm.
The Taylor k1766 kit is +- 200ppm which can really matter in a small pool with a unit that has tight parameters for happiness.
Use PoolMath to calculate amounts & err on the side of caution. Turn the unit OFF when adding salt. Give it several hours to mix & dissolve with small amounts & a day with large amounts before turning it back on.

 

[Cheetos82]

Those intex units usually like salt around 2900 ppm - any higher & u get the dreaded high salt alarm & no production.
How are u testing the salt?
Strips & meters can be off by +- 500ppm.
The Taylor k1766 kit is +- 200ppm which can really matter in a small pool with a unit that has tight parameters for happiness.
Use PoolMath to calculate amounts & err on the side of caution. Turn the unit OFF when adding salt. Give it several hours to mix & dissolve with small amounts & a day with large amounts before turning it back on.

Strips. I can’t really afford to buy anything else right now. It’s so hot I’m loosing so much chlorine and even water. I swear I’ve lost 3 inches to evaporation

 

[Mdragger88]

Just err on the side of caution when adding salt - add 3/4 of what PoolMath calls for.

Fyi- Salt & cya are not removed by evaporation only by actual water exchange.
As the water in the pool evaporates the cya & salt become more concentrated due to less volume but when u add water to the pool to get back to the previous volume this just dilutes the concentration back to the previous amounts.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

I think I found your SWG. Intex Krystal Clear...4,500 gallon

They claim an output of 4 grams per hour = 3.4 ounces per day. That's running 24/7 @ 100%.

Under Pool Math "Effects of Adding..." 3.4 oz of chlorine gas will raise FC by 4.5 ppm (24 hours @ 100%).

Most pools consume 2-4 ppm per day in summer.

You may need to run 24/7 to keep up with FC demand when you factor in bather load.

 

[Cheetos82]

Just err on the side of caution when adding salt - add 3/4 of what PoolMath calls for.

Fyi- Salt & cya are not removed by evaporation only by actual water exchange.
As the water in the pool evaporates the cya & salt become more concentrated due to less volume but when u add water to the pool to get back to the previous volume this just dilutes the concentration back to the previous amounts.

Well my husband accidentally left the filter on backwash even though it was turned off we lost a quarter of our pool water
Cya was still 45 but salt went down to 2600

 

[Mdragger88]

Always set a timer when filling or draining ⏱ been there, done that!

 

[Cheetos82]

Well I hooked up my new sand filter which is more powerful and it’s causing pressure to building up. I’ve backwashes and rinse twice but I figured out it’s the swg. When I unhooked it the pressure goes down. Odd.
I’m just going to leave it off and use chlorine for now

 

[Mdragger88]

Do u have it going from the outlet of the filter to the swg then to the return jet of the pool? There are arrows on the swg indicating flow direction. If it’s backwards the flow switch flap will impede water flow.
Also did u bleed the system of air? You may need to do this multiple times if you didn’t fill the sand filter 1/2 way with water before putting in the sand.
I have a 1.5hp standard above ground pool pump & a 200# sand filter & never had a flow/pressure issue running the intex swg’s.

 

[Cheetos82]

Do u have it going from the outlet of the filter to the swg then to the return jet of the pool? There are arrows on the swg indicating flow direction. If it’s backwards the flow switch flap will impede water flow.
Also did u bleed the system of air? You may need to do this multiple times if you didn’t fill the sand filter 1/2 way with water before putting in the sand.
I have a 1.5hp standard above ground pool pump & a 200# sand filter & never had a flow/pressure issue running the intex swg’s.

I may of had it backwards I’ll look. I have it hooked up after output of sand filter and then to return.