test kit numbers say salt is high. panel says i'm low -leaving for vacay

[outdoorsgal]

i have been trying to get my pool dialed in before i go on vacay saturday and today my salt panel is saying low salt. The card on the panel says my pool should have 2700-3400 ppms of salt. a mth ago i tested the salt and got 3800 and panel said 2700. we cleaned the cell a few weeks ago, too, as well. today the light on the panel is lit up saying "low salt." I tested it more carefully today and with the Taylor K-1766 kit, again, tested @ 3600. With a clean cell and last I saw my CYA was 55 and I added some so it's possibly up to 70 now, at day's end FC was 3. CC=0. I thought 55% for the salt cell was pretty high to only have 3 FC although it was a sunny Phoenix day and pump hasn't been on since late morn.

Should I take the water to the pool store to see what they come up with or trust my kit? i'm thinking of turning up the salt cell while we're gone, asking neighbor if they can add some acid and calling it a vacay, and continue to dial it in when we get back, but whether it do it now or when i get back, do i need more salt is still the question.

thx!

 

[needsajet]

It would be best if a Hayward chlorinator expert comes along, but in case this is time sensitive...

Always trust your own testing over a pool store. Sadly, getting their number is likely to just cause more challenges.

Whenever you fall below the FC level you want (say around 7 or 8 ppm FC) raise it up with chlorinating liquid and then let the SWG maintain it.

How long a vacay?

Your water should be plenty warm, so a concern is that your SWG controller is mis-reading the salt level. When salt gets very low, most controllers shut off the SWG, but it hasn't done that yet, so you're probably OK.

Yep, if you're falling below minimum or the pool is at minimum a lot, then turn up the SWG. A bit higher chlorine while you're away is good insurance. Another alternative is a floater in the pool with some trichlor pucks in it, which will help keep the FC up and also help keep the pH down. If it's just a week or so, I would turn up the SWG to 70%, raise the FC to shock level (28 ppm FC for 70 ppm CYA) with chlorinating liquid, and go enjoy the time away!

 

[outdoorsgal]

needsajet. thanku! i can't remember, is too much chlorine bad for pebble? i thought i read that. r u thinking i should pour liquid chlorine just in case? i'll consider pucks but i was also thinking of measuring out some acid and having the neighbor pour in my pre-calculated amt in a week. i am going for 2 weeks. it's hot here. 115 degrees out today. the pool is plenty hot. i don't own a floater although it is a good idea, it's a bit more to think about i guess; CYA and acid. I thought i read once that 4 pucks adds 10 CYA? thanku

 

[needsajet]

None of the chlorine rates recommended in the [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA] as part of TFPC will be harmful to the pool, your equipment, or to people. It's more or less a fundamental principle of TFPC to only do things will not cause harm.

Yep, pre-measured acid amount is a good way to go, based on your typical weekly need.

I put out a request to someone who knows the chlorinator really well, so you might get new info in the morning, but if not, I think you're fine with just turning it up a bit (because it's not been producing quite enough anyway, and might also allow for the hotter weather) and taking it up to shock level before you go. If you're not comfortable with 28 ppm FC for 70 ppm CYA, take it up to 20 ppm FC, and I think it will also be fine. Worst case is that it turns green and you SLAM it when you get back, so it's not that bad either way.

And yep, that's right, 4 trichlor 3" pucks add about 10 ppm CYA.

 

[JamesW]

What are all of the diagnostic readings?

Once you get the readings, press and hold the diagnostic button for 5 seconds, then move the switch to off, recheck all readings, wait 5 minutes and then move the switch back to auto, wait 30 seconds and recheck all readings.

 

[outdoorsgal]

thx needsajet!!

- - - Updated - - -

JamesW. i'll check in a minute and post

 

[outdoorsgal]

What are all of the diagnostic readings?

Once you get the readings, press and hold the diagnostic button for 5 seconds, then move the switch to off, recheck all readings, wait 5 minutes and then move the switch back to auto, wait 30 seconds and recheck all readings.

nothing happened when i pressed the diagnostic button for 5 seconds and there is no switch for off but i pressed the service button and it shut off the system and i think it reset. before pressing setting button numbers were:
check system low salt (this still pops up)
chlorinator off (I think it said off-took a pic and it was in the sun) NO FLOW
Instant Salt Chlorinator Off
Flow Switch No FLow
cell temp sensor 88 degrees
water sensor 90 degrees
air sensor 115 degrees


vsp speed/ power- off- (this pic must have been when i shut if off)- then i turned it back on and took more pics of the screen:
main software revision 4.46
display software revision 3.12
RF Base Software r3.00 ID: 2629
Flow Switch Flow
next screen reads:
+25.94V + 6.579
88degrees 2600 ppm
instant cell 2700ppm

not sure if u needed all the screens and my apologies if i messed some up. before i reset it it said no flow and now it says flow, so that's good. does that mean i turned something back on or is that simply resetting the screen for what i'm seeing has been in effect in the pool? thx! off to measure my FC..

 

[outdoorsgal]

my FC is 4.5 with cell at 55%. i am planning on turning it up to 100% tonight and pouring in some liquid chlorine at a minimum if i don't have time to get pucks.... have to run out so i'll report CYA later.

 

[JamesW]

You have AquaPlus or ProLogic. Your system is working. The only reason that it's giving a low salt warning is because it's reading the salinity as 2700.

You can add a little bit of salt, but with your high water temperatures, you run the risk of getting a high salt error warning which happens at 8 amps for some systems but yours might be different.

Double check the salinity with a different test kit to see if your original test is accurate.

 

[outdoorsgal]

You have AquaPlus or ProLogic. Your system is working. The only reason that it's giving a low salt warning is because it's reading the salinity as 2700.

You can add a little bit of salt, but with your high water temperatures, you run the risk of getting a high salt error warning which happens at 8 amps for some systems but yours might be different.

Double check the salinity with a different test kit to see if your original test is accurate.

JamesW, thankyou. The testkit is a TF Test Kit. Do you have another you'd recommend? If my test is right I'd hate to have too much salt.

 

[JamesW]

Either the salt is 2700 or the cell is failing or the cell is scaled.

Double check the salinity, check for scale. If the salinity is good and the cell is clean, it might be time for a new cell.

If the box is more than 800 low, replace the cell.

If within 3 years, file a warranty claim.

 

[outdoorsgal]

Either the salt is 2700 or the cell is failing or the cell is scaled.

Double check the salinity, check for scale. If the salinity is good and the cell is clean, it might be time for a new cell.

If the box is more than 800 low, replace the cell.

If within 3 years, file a warranty claim.

i think this is my 3rd time checking salt within the last few weeks so that's that as far as my readings. We cleaned the cell 2-3 weeks ago and usually can go a few mths so that's taken care of. so, i guess I could use the pool store in this case to check the cell?
may i ask why u think it could be failing? could another option be the panel does not read the salt well? this morning it said "service cell" or something. ugh, ofcourse right before going out of town. didn't even get in bed last night. packing/prepping for trip all night. 4.5 FC this morning on 55% so I turned it up to 100% and will dump a gallon of chlorine. had no time to go to pool store for pucks or salt. pool is only 2 yrs old so we haven't added salt yet and i was hoping to get more life out of the cell but our light just went bad and pb had to replace the whole pump cuz the size was not correct for our in-floor cleaning system, so i wouldn't be surprised if the cell is going with our luck.

I do have to say, it's 115 in the days and lots of sun on the pool but I checked it first thing this morn. i think there should've been higher FC.

One thing I didn't mention was I had black algae recently. My CC is 0. Could black algae be eating the chlorine? There's still the issue with what the panel says, I know, but this is still something I wanted to consider.

thx!

 

[robl45]

I think you need to raise your CYA level too. I think your main problem is its ridiculously hot there and the chlorine is burning off. You need more CYA to stop the chlorine from burning off.

 

[outdoorsgal]

I think you need to raise your CYA level too. I think your main problem is its ridiculously hot there and the chlorine is burning off. You need more CYA to stop the chlorine from burning off.

yes, i find that i'm measuring CYA wrong or something-maybe being too conservative thinking I don't see the black dot when i think i might because I really don't want to add more. I was reading 55 and then added a couple pounds and read 50. i poured in the rest of the bag (maybe 1/3 -1/4 just today). I hope that's ok that i didn't put it in a stocking in the skimmer and just poured it in in a hurry. will it clog? I'll buy more when we get back.

 

[JamesW]

Your system is working correctly and producing the amount of chlorine that it is rated for.

It will work until it gets to 2400 ppm salinity. It gives a low salt warning at 2,700 ppm but it still works.

I would raise the salinity to 2,900 per the box.

The prologic has a timed reminder to check the cell. To clear, press the ">" until the screen shows "check cell. Push "+" to clear", then push + to clear.

Have the salinity checked by the pool builder. I suspect that the box is likely correct.

If the box reading for instant salinity is more than 800 below actual, file a warranty claim for a new cell.

What speed are you running?

 

[robl45]

yes, i find that i'm measuring CYA wrong or something-maybe being too conservative thinking I don't see the black dot when i think i might because I really don't want to add more. I was reading 55 and then added a couple pounds and read 50. i poured in the rest of the bag (maybe 1/3 -1/4 just today). I hope that's ok that i didn't put it in a stocking in the skimmer and just poured it in in a hurry. will it clog? I'll buy more when we get back.

I always pour the CYA right in the skimmer and mix it around a little so it doesn't clog. it gets sucked through pretty quick and then I brush whatever makes it through the filter. I have a pretty small pool though. Remember it takes like 48 hours for the CYA to show up.

 

[outdoorsgal]

It's been a while but I wanted to give an update. Pool was fine when we came back from vacay. Neighbor put acid in pool but never put chlorine in the pool. I added a gallon the day we left. 15 day vacay. a few days later pb came out to repair a light that went out and I explained situation to them. They helped me clean my salt cell (i've gotta learn to use the tool to do it myself without so i don't have to rely on my husband). Cell was full of calcium. that was 7-29. cell working well again. I got lazy for a few days and didn't check FC and after a couple neighborhood kids joined my kids in the pool Sunday I made sure to check FC on Monday. There was zero FC! I was surprised there was no algae until i went in and looked with goggles. I found 4 or 5 pea size spots of black algae. i've been pouring chlorine in all week while i wait for tomorrow when hubbie will help with the salt cell. I imagine it's full of calcium again. I realize we haven't been checking acid like we should since getting back from vacay. we've waited a week between adding more and a couple days ago it went from 8.2 one day to me adding the amt of acid from pool math calculator and the next day it was 7.8. either the acid was bad (I dont' think so), i measured wrong (I don't think so), or acid disappeared quickly (I think so but don't understand the chemistry on why yet).

my calcium #s r really high so i imagine we'll try to empty 1/2 the water in the pool at the end of the season or beginning of next season. we'll try to be more consistent with checking FC and pH. My husband said he refuses to clean salt cell every 2 weeks and i know it'll be better for it if we keep up on the calcium. This is our 2d year having the pool, though and seems like a waiste of water to empty 1/2 the water every year or 2 but it's also wearing on our salt cell and pebble..., probably on our pipes and hardware. We're not getting out there to check pool daily unfortunately. I'm still glad i am learning this method, though.

 

[outdoorsgal]

I always pour the CYA right in the skimmer and mix it around a little so it doesn't clog. it gets sucked through pretty quick and then I brush whatever makes it through the filter. I have a pretty small pool though. Remember it takes like 48 hours for the CYA to show up.

One reason I haven't posted is confusion with #s I got when I went to the pool store. I know I was told it would cause more confusion and it did. pool store is telling me i have 70 CYA. I thought this was interesting since i had a bag of CYA ready to purchase and they told me i don't need it as i'd have too much. I checked again today and got 50 I had been getting 40 but I remembered what you said about it taking 48 hrs to get through whole system and I thought I'd check it again while i'm adding extra bleach to take care of black algae issue. then i thought i'd test indoors like the pool company does and I could see how pool company gets 70 depending on the light. I usually measure with the sun to my back. i measured again a couple of times and thought it may be closer to 60 so I'm going with 60 but with 2 pool stores saying 70 i am nervous about adding more cya, especially when i see how many gallons of bleach i need to pour into the pool now that my salt cell is out.

 

[outdoorsgal]

Your system is working correctly and producing the amount of chlorine that it is rated for.

It will work until it gets to 2400 ppm salinity. It gives a low salt warning at 2,700 ppm but it still works.

I would raise the salinity to 2,900 per the box.

The prologic has a timed reminder to check the cell. To clear, press the ">" until the screen shows "check cell. Push "+" to clear", then push + to clear.

Have the salinity checked by the pool builder. I suspect that the box is likely correct.

If the box reading for instant salinity is more than 800 below actual, file a warranty claim for a new cell.

What speed are you running?

I got water checked at pool store since i went there to buy salt and cya. they said i didn't need cya or salt which i thought was wierd with all the talk of the pool store trying to cell us stuff we don't need. Although they did try to sell me a $75 bottle of phosphate remover for phosphates of 2500, which I've learned on here that I don't need. they said i'll get algae with such a high number of it in the pool. I left with just acid and cleaning the salt cell and resetting the board took care of the problem. their salt number matched the panel much more closely than mine. makes me confused about why my numbers seem to be so far off.

 

[outdoorsgal]

btw, last time i measured my calcium wa 6-17. i got 650. pool store said i had 420 on 7-17. they said i had 3000 salt. i kept getting 3800 and pool panel said 2700. i'll have to take a look at it tomorrow before and after we clean the salt cell. thx