Someone messed with my SWG settings

[vadnad]

I use a service but still check my equipment's indicators once a week. I took a look yesterday (Saturday) and found my SWG set to superchlorinate, 100%, and units changed to metric. I have to assume the pool guy did this the previous Tuesday. He's the only one besides me that touches the pool equipment. I immediately tested the water being concerned that it was superchlorinating for 4 days and here are my levels:
Free Chlorine 1
PH 8
TA 75
Salt 3400
CA 175
CYA 0
What the heck is this guy doing? What should I do? I literally work 12 hours a day and need the help of the service to take care of my pool.

 

[PoolGate]

Wow your numbers are off. Please read the ABS's of pool care. And please get a proper test kit like the TF-100. At a minimum you need CYA ASAP. Your pool is not going to hold chlorine for any length of time without it. And that pool water will be harsh to swim in.

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[vadnad]

Wow your numbers are off. Please read the ABS's of pool care. And please get a proper test kit like the TF-100. At a minimum you need CYA ASAP. Your pool is not going to hold chlorine for any length of time without it. And that pool water will be harsh to swim in.

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

I have a test kit I bought from this site. I'm thinking I will talk to the pool guy when he comes Tuesday and let him know this is not acceptable and plot a course of action with him. I'm thinking I will have to help get this under control because I don't see him coming back at any time frame beyond his normal Tuesday showing. What should be brought under control 1st? The pH is what I would try to lower a bit 1st but should I try adding CYA 1st?

 

[PoolGate]

Your #1 priority is CYA. How long do you run your pool pump? If your SWG has been set to super-chlorinate and your chlorine is only at a 1, you either have algae (or something else consuming chlorine) or else it is super sunny and the chlorine is burning off very quickly. Or - maybe the SWG is not working? Do you also chlorinate with liquid? Either is possible. CYA first though get your CYA up to at least 70. When was the last time you had CYA in the water?

 

[vadnad]

Your #1 priority is CYA. How long do you run your pool pump? If your SWG has been set to super-chlorinate and your chlorine is only at a 1, you either have algae (or something else consuming chlorine) or else it is super sunny and the chlorine is burning off very quickly. Or - maybe the SWG is not working? Do you also chlorinate with liquid? Either is possible. CYA first though get your CYA up to at least 70. When was the last time you had CYA in the water?

I run my pump for 12 hours the majority of the time is slow speed. The water looks very clear and no sign of algae. I wouldn't have know there was any problem had I not tested the water because of the settings. I'm in Florida and it has been very sunny the last couple months with no clouds and no rain. No problems indicated on the SWG. I took it in a couple months ago to get routine cleaning and they said it was super clean upon inspection. I use a service and have never added chemicals myself. I've never had a problem with them before. Last time I tested the water last year, everything was within limts. I did have a switch in pool guys a couple months ago and noticed a couple times in my weekly email reports that he added liquid chlorine. Since I pay them$100 per month, I think I will ask him to supply the CYA and tell him I will help if I need to apply the chemicals when he's not here or if I need to test and text him the results. I know managing the pool chemicals myself would be ideal but I'm just too busy and frequently travel.

 

[zea3]

In all honesty you may be better off finding a teenager or college student to hire to take care of your pool following your instructions. Pool services are going to be reluctant to give you the customized service you need. They tend to follow a set formula of care for each client and don't follow the same parameters we recommend. Also if your pool guy was paying attention your CH wouldn't be so low and your pH wouldn't be so high. He probably dips a strip and goes off of that.

You need to get the pH down with muriatic acid. The pH may be higher than 8, so it could take multiple doses to get the pH within range. I would do this today if at all possible. While you are working on the pH you can add calcium increaser to raise the CH to 250 ppm minimum. You can wait a couple of days to add CYA and have pool guy do it, or you can put 4lbs in a sock, tie it off and drop it in the skimmer to get it started so your chlorine has a fighting chance, and let pool guy add the rest. Use liquid chlorine to boost the FC to where it should be and let the SWG keep it there. SWGs are great for maintaining chlorine levels but they are too slow to play catch-up very well.

 

[vadnad]

Update: I put 3 cups of muriatic acid this morning and tested again after a couple hours. PH was down to 7.6. I then went to the pool store who services my pool with a sample and asked them how we can fix it. They apologized and said they will take care of it 1st thing tomorrow. No need for me to add any more chemicals. I'm going to give them a chance to fix it. They've done right by me in the past with letting me borrow tools, troubleshooting items and lending me a robot.

 

[PoolGate]

Good luck! Realistically tfp's methods are not compatible with your pool service.

 

[DeanP66]

I would not increase your CYA all at once because you more than likely have something growing in the water. In that case, add enough CYA to get to 30ppm and then SLAM away with liquid chlorine and the SWG off. Once you finish the SLAM by passing the 3 criteria, then you can raise the CYA up to 70 or 80 and go from there.

 

[ajw22]

Settings randomly changing can be a display board problem. Read…

Hayward Aquarite SWG - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Superchorinate should only stay on for 24 hours then automatically reset to prior settings.

 

[mguzzy]

In all honesty... you can manage your own pool even if you work 12 hrs a day. Especially with an SWG. Once everything is balanced and the runtimes are set, it takes about 15 min a week to brush and check the various levels. But you are going to have to get it under control first. If you can invest the initial time it will take to understand the concepts here and how they relate to your pool it really doesn't take that much time at all.

If your FC is down at 1 then you likely have the beginnings of a bloom starting and a SLAM would be warranted. And with a CYA of 0, none of the chlorine your SWG is producing is likely staying in the water long enough to do anything.