Some questions about SWCGs

[ForceEdge]

Was looking to purchase an RJ 60 plus. Just wanted to see what everyone’s experience has been with them

How long do they usually last, any common issues, do salt water chlorine generators run 24/7, can you/do you still shock the pool with liquid chlorine etc?

any info would be greatly appreciated!
This would be my first time dealing with salt

 

[Texas Splash]

In most cases, once you convert to salt you don't care to go back to adding liquid manually. The convenience is too nice. SWGs "should" last about 5 years. Do some people have issues with relatively new SWGs (of ANY make/model)? - sure. Do some SWGs last ore than 5 years? - yes. The service life of a salt cell varies based on how well the water chemistry was maintained and how much demand was placed on the cell (run time and percentage). That is one reason we recommend sizing a cell for twice the capacity of your pool. Once you add salt and have the SWG programmed for optimal FC production, you normally don't have to add liquid chlorine unless you have a large one-time demand like a big pool party and/or get algae.

 

[gingrbredman]

I can't specifically comment on the RJ 60 Plus, but can say in general, a SWCG is going to be a great investment. I have a Pentair IC40, and love the ease of my chlorine being the right levels all the time. Do they run 24/7? Depends on your needs, but mine generally runs low and slow with my pump and produces all the chlorine I need.

can you/do you still shock the pool with liquid chlorine etc?

Can you? Sure. Would you? probably not. I laugh because I think of the old Matrix quote.



Are you telling me I can shock my pool with a SWCG? No, I'm telling you when you have one, you wont need to.

 

[Jimrahbe]

FE,

Most salt cells last 5 to 7 years..

I have 3 saltwater pools that have been under the TFP pool care process for a total of over 20 years. In all that time, I have never added a single bag of pool store shock, never shocked them in any way, and have never had an algae bloom.

I like running my pools 24/7 because I like making a little chlorine all the time and I love skimming all the time.. I do this because I have a VS pump that costs me less than $20 bucks a month to run. If I had a single speed pump, I would turn the cell's output up and only run long enough to generate the amount of chlorine the pool needs.

As stated above, the most important thing about buying a SWCG is to make sure it is at least 2 x the volume of your pool. In this case, bigger is always better.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Oly]

I finished my first season with the RJ-60+ and it was a positive experience overall. My cell produced FC until the water temp dropped to 50f. Now I add FC manually once a week until water temps rise and have removed the cell from the system and stored it inside with the controller. Be aware that more attention (and understanding) of your pool and fill water chemistry may be required to avoid frequent maintenance of your cell especially during peak season and higher water temps. Review the relationship of TA and pH relative to CSI and how the conditions in the cell during production can result in rapid scale formation on your cell plates. Every pool system is unique so expect a learning curve and test frequently as you get it figured out.

 

[nobody291]

I also have the RJ60+, which has been up and running since the middle of last year. I couldn't be happier. It's made pool ownership so much simpler. At the peak of last summer, the highest I ever set it was 45% (I run my VSP 24 hours/day 100 rpm above the lowest setting). My pool water has mostly stayed above 55 so far this winter, but when it drops below that the RJ60 shows low temp. I have added 2 gallons of liquid chlorine over the course of the last month when the water temp has dropped below the minimum for the SWCG to work.