Switching to a SWG after years of just liquid. What do I need to know?

[Skenn81]

Been TFP'ing it up for years now and I have my routine set. Going to be switching to a SWG in a couple of weeks so need to know what I am getting into.

Right now I run my variable speed pump for only 4 hours a day and add liquid every other day. Works out fine for the most part. Have the standard Taylor test kit and mostly keep everything in order. Once I get the SWG installed I am reading I need to really up my pump run time and need to do new testing?

First, about the run time, once this thing is installed how long should I start at and do I need to keep it running at full blast? Right now I have it running on high RPMs for 2 hours and then low RPMs for another couple of hours. I dont know what I am supposed to do to adjust as this is all going to be very new to me.

Info in signature.

 

[cowboycasey]

You can use a 30k, 45k or 60k salt water generator.. The size will depend on how long you will need to run your pump..

To determine RPM... start at 800 RPM and go up by 100 or 200 rpm till the SWG turns on, then add 200 RPM to that RPM... I run mine at 1500 just cause but I could drop it to 1300...

Get a Taylor K-1766 salt test kit and test your water before you add salt, your probably already at 1500 PPM..

I test from 2 days to 2 weeks once you know how your pool is doing

 

[Newdude]

In simplest terms, It’s just like adding LC and all you do is tell it how often to add. The season is still the exact season you are used to. FC demand will start low, ramp up, then decrease as the season winds down.

Once it’s dialed in all you have to do is monitor for the next change either up or down depending on where you are in the season. You’ll get 4-6 weeks or so everytime of not needing to do anything. Then you’ll see a little too much or too little being produced. You’ll adjust the SWG runtime accordingly and be good to go for the next several weeks.

In FL you don’t close so you’ll have to switch to LC when the SWG stops working around 60 degree water. Follow your usual ‘winter’ *giggles* schedule with the liquid when that happens.

 

[Oly]

It's good that you have some time to research your options, that will save you $$.
There is some good info here .... SWG How It Works - Further Reading
This will help you evaluate and operate the equipment SWG Generation Cycle Times - Further Reading
This is an amazing pool calculator. Play with it and learn to use it. PoolMath

 

[wireform]

So with liquid chlorine it's get it mixed in well say maximum 30 minutes and the rest of the pump time is owner preference. You want more skimming you leave it longer, you want less you shut it off. Once your chlorine is in the pump isn't needed until the next chlorine bout. With SWCG the pump run time will be dependent on how big of a salt cell you buy/the % percentage you run at which is based on the on and off duration cycle the cell is putting out/. You can run it any way you want as long as the cell is replacing the daily FC loss. It's really very simple.

 

[Skenn81]

Okay, so for the variable speed, normally a salt water system will turn on and off depending on the flow? So first thing I need to do is figure out the lowest speed it will operate and set the pump at that limit for the extended run time?

I need to order something new for my test kit, right? The standard Taylor kit has nothing to test salt. Will I still be testing CL multiple times a week?

I added CL every other day in the summer. How often do I need to add salt? Is there a target? On the rec. levels page there is no target salt like there is for the other chemicals: What Are My Ideal Pool Levels? - Trouble Free Pool

 

[Newdude]

I added CL every other day in the summer. How often do I need to add salt? Is there a target? On the rec. levels page there is no target salt like there is for the other chemicals

The units have different ranges so there is no one size fits all here. The paperwork that comes with it will list the ideal range for you.

You test your current salt level to get a base line and raise to meet the manufacturers specs. Once or twice a season you may need to add a bag or two to replace what the rain/overflow diluted. Each spring you will also need to top off whatever you lost in the off season, which probably won’t be much for you with such a short off season.

 

[cowboycasey]

Once you find the lowest speed it works add 200 rpm to it, just in case the flow slows down with your filter..

Get the Taylor K-1766 salt test..

Starting out you can test FC 2 to 3 times a week and then adjust from there.. I check 1 to 2 times a week unless I am traveling and then before and after I get back

 

[Newdude]

+1. You need to closely monitor it while you ‘dial it in’. Then you need to closely monitor it until you trust it to be doing it’s thing. After that you can decrease daily tests and just watch for the seasonal demand changes happening slowly. This is a great time to learn because the demand will decrease as the UV and season winds down, so when you miss, you will be overproducing.

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 9 (Meh, still ok) 9 9 9 9 10 (whoa boy slow down!!!).

(or similar in whatever arbitrary range you are targeting)

 

[Stoopalini]

I added CL every other day in the summer. How often do I need to add salt? Is there a target? On the rec. levels page there is no target salt like there is for the other chemicals: What Are My Ideal Pool Levels? - Trouble Free Pool

Definitely read all the articles the other guys have posted ... you seem to think the salt is consumed as chlorine is produced, but it is not. Your salt levels will only be reduced when water leaves the pool through splash out or overflow.

In terms of the pump ... running it 24x7 at the lowest speed where the SWCG is producing makes life MUCH simpler with configuring the cell. When you do this, you only need to adjust the cells duty cycle % to control the chlorine generation.

I run my pump 24x7 at 1300 RPM, and kick it up to 2500 RPM twice a day, for one hour each time (just for improved skimming action). It costs me $0.30 a day to run the pump like this ... so roughly $110 a year in electricity.

The variable speed pump shines in this sort of situation

 

[Newdude]

^^^^^. +1. I will only run mine 24/7. Too many benefits like full time skimming/filtering/SWG production at a cost of $10 or less a month in electricity.

 

[wireform]

Hey, you'll need to up the CYA too.

 

[Skenn81]

In terms of the pump ... running it 24x7 at the lowest speed where the SWCG is producing makes life MUCH simpler with configuring the cell. When you do this, you only need to adjust the cells duty cycle % to control the chlorine generation.

I run my pump 24x7 at 1300 RPM, and kick it up to 2500 RPM twice a day, for one hour each time (just for improved skimming action). It costs me $0.30 a day to run the pump like this ... so roughly $110 a year in electricity.

I see a few people posting this, running the pump 24/7 now instead of the few hours a day I do now. Will that cause the motors to burn out much sooner?

 

[Stoopalini]

I see a few people posting this, running the pump 24/7 now instead of the few hours a day I do now. Will that cause the motors to burn out much sooner?

On the contrary. Motors undergo the most wear and tear during startup. Running the motor 24x7 is less wear on it than starting and stopping it several times a day.

 

[Newdude]

+1. Those of us running full time are doing so with low RPMs which is much easier on the pump than the High RPM shorter run times. Plus all the starting and stopping. Mine has the proverbial ‘highway miles’ on it.

 

[Skenn81]

Well then, I guess I have some programming to do. The conversion is still a few weeks out as the pool is being refinished and sitting empty in the backyard right now.

In the mean time I will order the extra test component and keep reading up on the links posted here.

I'll report back in a month or so or whenever this huge job gets done and start getting into the details when it's up and active, but even once its dont I was told we wait three weeks before adding salt as the new quartz has to cure before the conversion.

 

[Mdragger88]

Well then, I guess I have some programming to do. The conversion is still a few weeks out as the pool is being refinished and sitting empty in the backyard right now.

In the mean time I will order the extra test component and keep reading up on the links posted here.

I'll report back in a month or so or whenever this huge job gets done and start getting into the details when it's up and active, but even once its dont I was told we wait three weeks before adding salt as the new quartz has to cure before the conversion.

Just catching up on this thread- have u already purchased the swg? If so there should be some info on how many lbs/day of chlorine it can put out. You can put this info in PoolMath effects of adding (select swg) along with your pool volume & determine an approximate run time . I suggest u do this now to be sure you have the size swg that allows you to run your pool as you wish & have an abundance of fc. There are many popular swgs listed in poolmath but just manually inputting the lbs per day is also an option.

 

[TexEdmond]

I chose the Pentair SWG because of the communication with my EasyTouch brains. The unit has a built in circuit that measures the salt concentration in the water, so I don't have to use a salt test. I used the AquaChek salt strips (10 strips for $10) to determine my starting salt PPM, PoolMath calculator told me the amount of water softener salt to buy from Home Depot. I added half the amount and let it circulate for a few days, checked, and it was right on with the calculations. When I added the second half of the salt and turned on the salt cell, after everything settled out and mixed, I found the readout from the salt cell itself in the ScreenLogic app was 50ppm different from the test strips, and those only have a 300ppm resolution. Well within the reasonable bounds of accuracy, and now I just use the SWG itself for testing.

I've read from a number of experts on this site, salt cells will work across a wide range of salt PPM levels and only get angry if the levels are way low or way high. Aim for just slightly higher than the recommended manufacturer's level (mine was 3600ppm) and understand that splashout and draining will lower that number slowly over time due to refill water having no salinity. Evaporation will have no net effect on salinity, it'll just slightly increase with evap and return to normal on refill.

Okay, so for the variable speed, normally a salt water system will turn on and off depending on the flow? So first thing I need to do is figure out the lowest speed it will operate and set the pump at that limit for the extended run time?

Correct. 25% SWG setting means for every 1 hour of pump runtime, the SWG will be active for 15 minutes. PoolMath and the archived thread with the SWG calculator runtimes google spreadsheet are your friends.

It's pretty amazing having one. Having been here awhile, you're probably used to having a very stable, low-maintenance pool. I read someone post here: "Be readyt to be completely bored with your pool maintenance after you add the SWG." I just left town for 5 days. Before I left I dropped the pH to 7.2 (I've got rising pH issues you might not have), nudged the SWG output up 5% and put a couple tabs in the feeder. Came home, emptied the skimmers, did a quick rake, dumped some acid to get pH down, and that's it. I'll check and clean the robot this afternoon. FC was up 1.5ppm net from last Wednesday to today. Some folks simply raise their pool to SLAM level before leaving on vacation.