So confused about intex swg

[Cheetos82]

I'm so sorry for my constant questions. I've got it up and running but I'm confused about what fc I should be shooting for with set and what target I should have when I test before it comes on. I lose 3-4 a day sometimes more with liquid chlorine. Its normally 93-100 degrees here...105-108 with heat index and I get full sun.
I bumped my cya to 50 yesterday
I tested and fc is 6.5 this morning at 9 am sun on pool. I ran set yesterday afternoon for 2 hours. I wasn't sure how it was going to work so I bumped fc to 6 with bleach

What is my target fc? High and low
What is my target cya?
How do I figure my run time?
I normally run my pump for 12 hours at night because we have a lot of dust.
But swg needs to run during day?

 

[LFrankow]

What is my target cya? I can only run with 50 ppm cya until mid june, after that I go for 70 ppm, with enough on hand to go to 80 ppm if need be ie swg cannot keep up even with longer run times.
What is my target fc? min 3ppm, target 5 ppm shock 28 ppm, taken from the swg 70 ppm line here...Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
How do I figure my run time? I start long on my runtime then slowly dial it down, always making sure I have enough FC to stay above the minimum
I run my swg at night just because of my piping arrangement, I use pump during the day to circulate in heat from the solar and pump at night to make FC.
Most likely not being able to keep up is the result of a low cya level, also keep an eagle eye on your PH when that rises it can lead to scaling of your cell. If it does scale use vinegar to clean, it takes a bit longer then MA but I feel it is more gentler on my cells.

 

[Cheetos82]

What is my target cya? I can only run with 50 ppm cya until mid june, after that I go for 70 ppm, with enough on hand to go to 80 ppm if need be ie swg cannot keep up even with longer run times.
What is my target fc? min 3ppm, target 5 ppm shock 28 ppm, taken from the swg 70 ppm line here...Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
How do I figure my run time? I start long on my runtime then slowly dial it down, always making sure I have enough FC to stay above the minimum
I run my swg at night just because of my piping arrangement, I use pump during the day to circulate in heat from the solar and pump at night to make FC.
Most likely not being able to keep up is the result of a low cya level, also keep an eagle eye on your PH when that rises it can lead to scaling of your cell. If it does scale use vinegar to clean, it takes a bit longer then MA but I feel it is more gentler on my cells.

Ok. Id rather run it at night when I know for sure we won't be using pool. Its swimming temps at 8 am here lol
I will supplement with chlorine until I set to run this evening. My ph has been staying at 7.5 all summer. I'm gonna test cya tonight and if I'm at 50 add 10 more. So when I test in evening I want to at least be at low end of my target fc?

 

[LFrankow]

So when I test in evening I want to at least be at low end of my target fc? yes as you will be making FC during the night, morning test should be at top of target as your pool will eat from 2-4 ppm of FC per day.
Going slow with the cya addition is just how I do it too, kind of sneak up on it.

 

[Cheetos82]

So when I test in evening I want to at least be at low end of my target fc? yes as you will be making FC during the night, morning test should be at top of target as your pool will eat from 2-4 ppm of FC per day.
Going slow with the cya addition is just how I do it too, kind of sneak up on it.

Thanks so much!. I learned from adding it all at once last time and I ended up with 10 more cya than I needed

 

[Cheetos82]

I've been testing a few times today with oto drops. Its been in 5 range all day. Was 6.5 this morning with fas dpd. Is it that efficient? Its 97 degrees

 

[mknauss]

OTO typically only goes to 5. And at that, not very accurate.

You should use the FAS-DPD test until you are very knowledgeable about your pool water chemistry.

Take care.

 

[Cheetos82]

Ok I only have enough for 2 tests so I've been using sparingly. Thank you for info

 

[LittleTagAlong]

Ok. Id rather run it at night when I know for sure we won't be using pool. Its swimming temps at 8 am here lol
I will supplement with chlorine until I set to run this evening. My ph has been staying at 7.5 all summer. I'm gonna test cya tonight and if I'm at 50 add 10 more. So when I test in evening I want to at least be at low end of my target fc?

If I'm not mistaken, you need to test cya in bright daylight.

 

[Cheetos82]

If I'm not mistaken, you need to test cya in bright daylight.

Yes. Its still pretty bright here in evening. Thanks

 

[LFrankow]

How are things looking today?

 

[Cheetos82]

How are things looking today?

Well I ran it for 3 hours last night and only had 3 fc this morning :/
Is there a benefit to running during day or night? I had 5 fc right after we got out of pool last night so I'm assuming some of that was consumed by swimming.
I did oclt 2 days ago and passed so I know its not algae.
I bumped by cya 70. Can't test to see yet as its raining. I added 3 fc with bleach this morning and at 230 pm I'm at 6.5, that led me to believe I actually goofed on test this am. I don't think I had enough powder in for am test.
Here is where I'm still lost.....
If my target is 3-5 fc and I have a loss of 4 fc a day with no swimmers. And even more with swimmers, what fc am I aiming for?

 

[LFrankow]

So going good
In the last 7 years I think I have tested my pool about 1000 times. Did I make mistakes, darn tooting. Did I panic, darn tooting.
As to the ? About time to run an SWG, daytime is preferred, unless your filtration system works best at night, and totally over ruled by electrical rates. There was a guy on here the other day saying he got free power for 4 hours a day.
I would up your runtime on your SWG.
Test just before your FC additions is the rule of thumb, not enough FC at end of day up runtime.

 

[gtty]

Here in Tx, my pool water is ~90 degrees. I have to keep my CYA at least 70, but no more than 80 (extremely important) and my chlorine ~9ppm. If the chlorine goes down below 7, algae shows up every time. Also my PH always rides up unless I give it a dose of muriatic acid every 3 or 4 days as the SWG tends to raise it. I am also running the intex SWG and have to run it 8hrs a day in this heat.

 

[Cheetos82]

Here in Tx, my pool water is ~90 degrees. I have to keep my CYA at least 70, but no more than 80 (extremely important) and my chlorine ~9ppm. If the chlorine goes down below 7, algae shows up every time. Also my PH always rides up unless I give it a dose of muriatic acid every 3 or 4 days as the SWG tends to raise it. I am also running the intex SWG and have to run it 8hrs a day in this heat.

Yeah we have pretty close to same weather. I'm in Oklahoma. I had 5fc last night and I ran it for 6 hrs it was 8 this morning. I'm on my last fas dpd chlorine test and cant order anymore for a bit.
The rain is going to be an issue for me. Especially if I'm not at home. When it rains it pops the rest button on pump but not swg so swg is running without pump. Wonder if I get storage tote and cut holes in side and store it in box for quick fix if that will keep rain off

 

[gtty]

I put a 4-inch pvc pipe around my GFI on the cord of my SWG and that protected it enough from the rain. The rain always jacks my levels around and dilutes my CYA when the pool overflows. Bump your SWG up to 8-hours and see what happens. Once I did that a lot of my problems went away. I've found our heat really differentiates our needs from those further up north.

You need to let the pump breathe to keep it cool. I mad a little cabana with PVC and awning material that has kept the elements off the equipment. So far its really helped keep my equipment operational.

on the upside, the rain helps keep my PH in normal range