SWG Chlorine Generation too low

[MITBeta]

Lol. So many bubbles to worry about.

My SWG is now mount horizontally and I do get a small bubble at the end of the cell, after the end of the plates, in the small dome created before the transition from 2" to 1.5". I can't imagine that this could downrate the generator by >50%.

Here's what that looks like:

 

[Newdude]

Here's what that looks like:

OK that's way better.

It was worth the ask as nothing else is adding up. Do the high speed overnight test and go from there.

 

[trivetman]

MIT - I’ve got a very similar story with my Universal 55, installed this spring. My output is maybe 35% of what I was expecting running it at 100%.

SWG ratings

Hi all - I installed an SWG (Circupool Universal 55) this year and am finding I have to run it a bit longer than I was expecting. Through May and June I usually go through no more than 2ppm FC daily. This year with the SWG if I am doing the math correctly, I’ve been going through 3-4ppm...

www.troublefreepool.com

I called circupool and the jerkface I talked to told me I’d better check my phosphates and emailed me a bunch of generic information on water chemistry (most of which would be helpful info for someone who didn’t already understand it). Interestedly enough he had the tfp website in the email as a resource! I wrote back asking for some more diagnostic assistance and haven’t heard back.

My swg is keeping up with my chlorine demand for the time being. I am expecting it to have trouble keeping up as things heat up over the next couple months unless I start to run my single pump way more than I had planned. At this point I am just testing daily and debating when I want to call them back.

I found today that my salinity (via test strip) is way lower than I had thought, and I had thought it was low. The test strip showed 2300. My swg reading has been 3000. The unit is supposed to run between 3000-4000. I haven’t gotten any low salt warnings but maybe the salt hasn’t been high enough to run properly? Ive read many times on here that if your unit isn’t flashing low salt than don’t worry about adding more, but I wonder….

 

[Newdude]

I haven’t gotten any low salt warnings but maybe the salt hasn’t been high enough to run properly?

Certainly worth investigating. Do you have a k1766 ?. Get one if not.

All of our pools and devices are unique and maybe yours is bucking the trend of working well at the low end of the ok range.

Beta got 3400 2 days ago.

 

[trivetman]

I don’t have the k1766. I picked up that both the drop test and test strips (aquarite) had similar margins of error, and went aquarite. I was going to add 80lb (400 ppm) salt and see where I ended up, and maybe do it again if I don’t have better performance.

 

[MITBeta]

Update: I ran an ONCGain test on Wednesday night with the pump on high speed.

10:39pm: 10ppm

7.5 hours @ 100% should generate 5.8ppm

6:10am, 13ppm

This seems to confirm the other results.

 

[trivetman]

Beta -

I am right there with you. I added 80 lb salt yesterday morning and ran an ONCGain last night which gave me 1ppm FC gain for an 8.5 hour run at 100%. Allowing for testing error and fc loss offsetting the gain (my ONCL has typically been 0-0.5), maybe there is chance my real FC production could have been a max of 2.0-2.5 when specs say I should have gotten over 5ppm.

I am going to keep testing for another week or so and maybe add one more bag of salt tonight (salinity is now somewhere btw 3100-3600 depending on which test I am paying attention to) before calling Circupool back and pressing the issue. Beta - if you do call them and get anywhere with it please let me know and I’ll do the same.

@Newdude - I know your advice has been we still have beasts of machines even if the measured output isn’t quite up to spec. I hear you, but these are running WAY under what was advertised and I am definitely peeved about it.

 

[Newdude]

I know your advice has been we still have beasts of machines even if the measured output isn’t quite up to spec. I hear you, but these are running WAY under what was advertised and I am definitely peeved about it.

Oh yeah. Peeve away. I'll throw some stones with you.

Typically when we saw underperformed from them it was still 80% (?) efficient per their specs, and less of a stretch. You two have defective units evidently after exhausting the usual suspects.

 

[trivetman]

Update: my FC production has gone up a bunch since upping the salinity level. Salinity level is now somewhere between 3400 (test strip)-3800 (swg reading) and my output is somewhere around 60%-70% of what the specs lb per day say I should get. Thats a big increase from when I had too little salt and was getting maybe 30%-40%. There’s a lot of posts on this site giving guidance that as long as salinity is not so low it’s triggering the low salt warning, don’t worry about the level. In my case the opposite was true.

I still think the production specs are probably overinflated as others have alluded to. And Circupool’s customer service on assistance to diagnose was pretty crappy.

But my unit is working well enough now to keep me from mailing the cell back to circupool for testing along with a paper bag full of dog poo.

Beta - are you still getting output <50% of specs?

 

[Newdude]

There’s a lot of posts on this site giving guidance that as long as salinity is not so low it’s triggering the low salt warning, don’t worry about the level. In my case the opposite was true.

There is always one (or 20) that buck the conventional wisdom. One size never fits all. But. I'm super glad you found a work around for yours.

 

[ajw22]

There’s a lot of posts on this site giving guidance that as long as salinity is not so low it’s triggering the low salt warning, don’t worry about the level. In my case the opposite was true.

You have a Circupool Universal 55 model SWG according to your signature.

All equipment is not a like and recommendations to other people have to be taken in the context of their equipment versus what you have.

Different models of SWGs operate very differently with their salt levels.