SWCG installation in vacation house

[Nitrock28]

Hi!

My in-laws own a vacation house in the south of France. There is a pool there which has been managed using the pool store "1 puck a week" method for as long as it existed. Last year, the pool turned green 2 times, which helped me convince my in-laws to to things the TFP-way.

The problem is, my in-laws or my wife and I are there only part of the year, about 4 months in total. the rest of the time, it's either friends or no one. When we are not there, the neighbor tends to the pool needs, but as his good friend is pool store owner, he knows better than me. As he says, the pool turning green two times a year is totally normal considering the high temperatures, and you have to change the water every four years anyway . I didn't want to be too pushy with my arguments, he is our friend and the only one who cares for the pool when we are not there.

Anyway I thought that installing a SWCG cell would be the solution. we would then only ask him to balance the pH once in a while, and balance the pool (FC, CYA, TA and CH) at the beginning of our stay. this way the chlorine would not fall too much in between.

Here are the characteristics of the pool :

• 52 m³ - 14000 gal.
• In ground with green house cover like this http://www.abrisud.co.uk/sites/default/files/soulerin_31semi-coulissant-abrisud_0.jpg
• Sand filter, air - water heat pump
• There is a slight leak from the pool to the pump, causing a constant bubbling in the returns (could it be a problem considering the gas detection in an SWGC cell?)

Is this project a good idea? what kind (size, type) of SWCG cell should I aim for ? Any advice is welcome at this point

 

[Jimrahbe]

nr,

Sounds like you have a good plan to me...

I would go with a SWCG that is sold and used a lot in France, just so that the installer is familiar with the system. (I have no clue what specific cell that would be...)

About the only advice I can pass on is that the cell needs to be rated for at least 2 x the volume of your pool.

I love saltwater pools, but one huge drawback is that you will need to run the pump a long time to generate the amount of needed chlorine. This is not a problem if you have a variable speed pump, but with a single speed pump and a high electrical rate, it could get expensive. The larger the cell rating, the less time the pump has to run..

Might get more of a buy-in from your neighbor, if you were able to purchase the SWCG from the pool store guy you are currently using....

That is one cool cover, although I would personally find in a little claustrophobic... Ask me how I love MRI's...

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[mgmoore7]

Agree with Jim but keep in mind that an SWCG pool can go green too. I find that the % needs to be adjusted at least 3-4 times a year based on temperature & use. For example if the % is not upped in the spring/summer as the temperature & use increases, the chlorine could drop too low and you would end up with a green pool especially if the chlorine is not being monitored at least weekly.

Otherwise, it is probably the best solution other than having a weekly service.

 

[Technikal]

I installed an swg on my pool earlier this year, and then left town for 6 weeks. I had someone empty the skimmers and cleaner bag weekly, but beyond that it wasn't touched. When I got back, everything looked great and all levels, except pH, we're fine. The pH was slightly high (8.0), but given our full water sits at a pH of more than 9.0, most pools here have that issue. A quick treatment with muratic acid and all was good.

This was during the summer when chlorine loads are higher.

I'm not saying swg pools are set and forget, but they seem the be the closest thing to that.

 

[Nitrock28]

Thanks for the hindsights!

The cover is pretty awesome, it helps a lot with the water temperature, especially in the spring, it can partially open to protect from the wind, and it can be removed during summer

The plan was to go with the neighbor's friend, he seems to know what he does, he already placed the heat pump and the cover without any problem. It just seems that the TFP way is totally unknown around here :???:

Actually we went ahead and asked a quotation for an automation system a few days ago, and he wants to place this cell : http://www.daveyeurope.eu/products/ecosalt/
It's the MES13 version, rated for 13 gr/h or 65 cubic meters at 20°C, which even on paper is too small(the pool is held at 28°C in general). I will ask for the MES26 and see the price difference.

The other solution that he proposes is an ORP regulator (probe coupled with a stenner pump to feed bleach), which would in theory mean that the FC level will always stay in appropriate levels, but I'v read that ORP probes can be tricky to calibrate and may result in too low or too high FC values, plus the fact that we would still have to carry jugs of bleach around. What do you think is the more appropriate system?

He also advised a pH regulator (pH probe and stenner pump), but is that even worth it? In my pool(Belgium) the pH is very stable and I have to adjust it once a month or so, could it be different with a salt water pool?

Thanks again for the advises, I have good hopes that when the neighbor sees the our beautiful TFP water next year, he well be forced to ask how it's done