Switching to salt, do I need a new test kit and routine?

[Mdragger88]

I have only ever had units that operate at 100% so i adjust run time.
You have a vsp so you could run it on a low rpm 24/7 then just adjust your swg percentage for electricity savings as well as constant filtering/skimming.
25% for 24hrs is the same fc output as 100% for 6 hrs or 50% for 12hrs. Its up to you & how long u want to run your pump

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

Either way. Most SWCGs actually only run at 100% (newer Circupools like the Edge are the exception, as they seem to using a switching variable supply instead) and turning the percentage down is actually reducing the run time (they pulse on and off, reversing polarity at each pulse).. but possibly in a more controlled fashion as then it's spread over the day maybe better.

But either way will work, and before winter comes, I have to do both here in Arizona... We don't close either as we don't freeze long enough to go solid as long as the pump stays running at the cold snaps... But to give you an idea, I run at like 6% half the daylight hours 4-5 hours or so in January, and 30% 7 hours a day in July...

Off season I don't mind running a little high on Cl... as long as it's under 7 PPM or so you are unlikely to do much damage.... But 3 PPM will hold the pool fine unless you have a storm blow stuff in.

 

[Bperry]

Do most of you make changes to your run times or do you adjust the % at which the SWG will output at?

Today's reading for CL was 7.5, so still overshooting the target.

I reduced the run time by another 2 hours. It's still running at 100% though, havent played with those settings yet.

I only adjust the %output until it gets to 0% then I reduce the run time. Way easier that way for me.

 

[Skenn81]

For anyone reading this who has an iChlor themselves and a Power Center mounted on the wall, does the transformer in yours make noise? I'm referring to transformer hum. That low pitched hum that transformers make when they have power going through them, nothing you can really hear unless you put your head right up against it or on the wall it's mounted to.

 

[Skenn81]

A lot of rain yesterday again, several inches. Have to drain pool today. Salt indicator is red so it looks like I have my first salt addition already needed. I'll test after I get the water level down in a few hours. Draining takes a long time, it's just a single hose hooked up to the pump via a spicket.

 

[Newdude]

Salt indicator is red so it looks like I have my first salt addition already needed

Mix it well first. The SWGs only test once or twice a day. If it ran a self check and got mostly cold rain water skimmed from the top, it read low and won’t get another reading until tomorrow. Rain inches will only dilute you by the exact %. 6 inches in an average depth 60 inch pool is only 10% and likely still ok overall.

3 inches would be 5% and totally ok.

 

[Newdude]

*a perfect example why SWG folks (also any other folks too) need to mix big storms. You might lose a whole day production if the SWG gets a false reading. If you aren’t on top of it because you’re at work/ sleeping / etc, you could hit minimum if you weren’t running hot to start.

 

[Skenn81]

When you say mix, will running the filter for my usual 6 hours be what you mean? It's currently draining now as well because it's up above the skimmer.

 

[Newdude]

When you say mix, will running the filter for my usual 6 hours be what you mean?

If the storm hits while you are already running, yes. If not the rain water will sit for up to 18 hours before the next run cycle. And if the SWG gets unmixed water at startup, it won’t turn on for another day.

Most times you know a big one is coming. Plan ahead. If a pop up storm happens out of the blue, mix at your earliest convenience and then reset the SWG so it gets a good self test after.

 

[Newdude]

*shameless vote for making your VS pump work for you. Running low RPMs for 12 hours cost about $10 a month in electric. We splurged the $10 extra to always run. The pool always had the running water ambiance, and was fully filtered / skimmed at all times. If a storm hit at 2am, the crud it drop got skimmed and the water was well mixed. Chlorine production was around the clock and I was always topped off with little time to lose FC. It took 95% of pool care out of the eqaution and made it all stupid easy.

 

[Newdude]

**. Check your wattage on the pump readout for your 6 hour runtime. Presumably at much higher RPMs to catch up on missed skimming/filtering. Running minimum RPMs to activate the SWG and skim 24/7 is probably cheaper than you’re already paying. Or literally so close you’d never know in the monthly bill that it was $3 more.

 

[Bperry]

**. Check your wattage on the pump readout for your 6 hour runtime. Presumably at much higher RPMs to catch up on missed skimming/filtering. Running minimum RPMs to activate the SWG and skim 24/7 is probably cheaper than you’re already paying. Or literally so close you’d never know in the monthly bill that it was $3 more.

I can attest to that. I run mine 24x7 at about 1900 RPM and almost can’t tell the difference in electric bill when we close the pool for the winter. Though the AC not being on anymore probably hides the pool pump cost a bit.

 

[Skenn81]

I went and checked, it's set for 4 hours or run time not 6. It does 2 hours at 2500 to make the Polaris move around then an additional 2 hours at 1200 rpm to keep the salt production up.

SWG currently set at 75%.

Also because this is Florida the pump runs 365 days a year.

 

[Newdude]

SWG currently set at 75%.

So of your 4 hours of the cell being on, it’s producing for 3 hours. Are you caged or solar covered to explain the low daily demand ? Or just really lucky ?

The pump is off for 20 hours at a time and a lot can happen in that time. When the pump kicks on the SWG will self check and get a bad result if a big enough storm happened since you mixed last. Not everytime, but enough to happen here and there.

At the very least I’d run the pump for 20 mins after a big storm hits. If it’s an all day event, I’d mix more than once. Or just run low all the time that you don’t need the Polaris and never care again. You might even find that with the water always moving, less falls to the bottom and the Polaris could go to weekly and not daily. That power savings (-6 days of 2500 RPMs) would probably cover the extra run time at 1200. The cell would need about 15% at your current daily loss. You would monitor that and adjust as necessary the same way you already do.

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

*a perfect example why SWG folks (also any other folks too) need to mix big storms. You might lose a whole day production if the SWG gets a false reading. If you aren’t on top of it because you’re at work/ sleeping / etc, you could hit minimum if you weren’t running hot to start.

One day generally isn't enough for a "green pool" though. More like a week. Your pool service guys go a week, after all. But salt does stratify and it takes probably a good three days for a major change in salinity to stabilize. The bigger problem with big storm is overflow on the pool diluting the salinity. I lost almost two bags worth during a monsoon storm here. Luckily not enough to shut the unit down.

 

[Newdude]

One day generally isn't enough for a "green pool" though. More like a week

Of course anyone currently on top of things has some leeway. Many are already on the fence one way or another and it makes a lot of ‘Help I’m green after a storm’ posts.

 

[Skenn81]

I'm still trying to sort out my run time. For the first couple of weeks it was running 12 hours at 100% at the CL readings were over 10. Then I turned it down but left it at 100% and got it to 8. Running it what it's set at now has the CL to 6, so finally close to the target.

It's a pool in a big screen cage, so nothing gets in it like leaves or anything. I'll check the CL tomorrow.

Back to the low salt level, you were right, I went out and took a look a little bit ago and it was back to green. So it was indeed because of the rain. Monthly salt check coming up for the first November weekend so I'll have a new reading to see what happened. It's green again today, Saturday, so it was a false alarm.

 

[Skenn81]

Checked CL levels again after a few days of running in normal operation after the storm. We're still sitting at a 7, so if anything I can turn it down even more until the weather starts heating up again!