SWG Proposed Plumbing

[cr0ntab]

Hey All,

As the title indicates I wanted to get some feedback on a proposed plumb in for a new SWG.

Album

Note: I have the temporary cell cleaning connection for the dry fitting as it's easier to manage than the actual SWG.

I'm adding the small threaded tee so I can add an acid stenner pump down the line, but it will be capped off for the time being.

I'm thinking I'll extend the plumbing right after the water heater and go straight up into the flow switch then the SWG.

Flip around and come back towards the control valve with a 45 elbow.

Alternatively, instead of the 45 right before the control valve I could also replicate the existing 90 elbow after the existing check valve. I think this option would give me more space over the pump to pull the cover and basket.

What are the thoughts of the group?

Anything that I'm completely overlooking in the orientation of the cell and such?

 

[cr0ntab]

Didn't get any replies to this but I wanted to follow up with the end result.

Seems to be working well. I had the salt cell at 70% as per the manual and the FC drifted upwards with no additional chlorine added, which was exciting!

Dropped it down to 50% today to see if it levels off.

 

[proavia]

Nice job! That looks much better than your proposed routing in the pics.

Don't forget to add your new SWG specs to your signature.

 

[Dirk]

Sorry no one weighed in. No expert here, and now too late, but what I would have said...

Generally speaking, a check valve is used between a chlorinator and a heater. You don't want super-chlorinated water running back into your heater element, which could damage it. Some would say that is not necessary for an SWG, which stops producing chlorine the moment the pump is off (if you've set things up correctly, or if you have automation that does that for you). But some heater manufactures still insist on that check valve, even for SWG, for warranty compliance. I'm actually thinking of replacing my check valve with the T I'll use for my acid pump, but my SWG is horizontal and lower than the heater. Is it possible yours, being vertical like that, would tend to drain the last of the chlorinated water back into the heater? I also have no plans to ever use my heater, so if my plan to remove my check backfires, I'll never even know.

Hard to see: Did you place your T for the acid before the SWG? (Or is that the flow switch?) Or is it over there before the three-way? Pentair recommends acid injected before the SWG. The idea (I think) is to pump acid into the SWG to help keep the plates free of calcium build up. There might be other reasons.

Not the what and when you needed...

If nothing else I bumped your thread for others to weigh in.

- - - Updated - - -

Come to think of it, acid and chlorine are not supposed to be added together in a pool. Creates a dangerous gas right? How is that reconciled when you're pumping both into a pipe a few inches apart, at the same time, then pumping that mixture right into your pool? Yikes.

 

[ping]

The acid and chlorine generation will not cause any harm in the water, it's in the air when the gases mix is when there will be an issue.

 

[cr0ntab]

Hard to see: Did you place your T for the acid before the SWG? (Or is that the flow switch?)

The flow switch is before the SWG.

The tee is after the SWG before the three-way.

I use the water heater pretty frequently so I guess I'll have to re-plumb with a check valve, I don't want it to get messed up as it's fairly new.

I'll just have to get creative with how I re-do things. New unions for the SWG and a new flow sensor end up being $100 plus the misc elbows I need.

More than I want to spend.

We'll see how things play out.

 

[Dirk]

The acid and chlorine generation will not cause any harm in the water, it's in the air when the gases mix is when there will be an issue.

OK, whew, thanks ping. What I got concerned about is the warnings here about how pouring chlorine or acid into a pool if you just put in the other is so dangerous. Since they would mix underwater, why the big concern?

 

[Dirk]

The flow switch is before the SWG.

The tee is after the SWG before the three-way.

I use the water heater pretty frequently so I guess I'll have to re-plumb with a check valve, I don't want it to get messed up as it's fairly new.

I'll just have to get creative with how I re-do things. New unions for the SWG and a new flow sensor end up being $100 plus the misc elbows I need.

More than I want to spend.

We'll see how things play out.

Seems like there is enough clear vertical pipe in both legs to cut into them and extend them upwards with couplers to add enough room to add the acid T before the SWG, with the check before that. No new unions or flow switch needed. The only thing is whether the acid T can be vertical, which would place the injector horizontal. Can it work like that, or does it need to be vertical, dripping down into the T? Stenner would be the one to ask. Unless they state that in the install instructions...

Speaking of which, is that a Pentair heater? Maybe a call in to their tech support to determine if you need that check valve or not?