Unclear on the concept of a SWG install

[thespacepope]

I am considering changing to SWG for my pool and am having a hard time finding an answer to a question that I am sure that I am sure should be a relatively easy answer for someone in the know.

I have a Sta-Rite VS Intellitouch pump that has its own programming to turn on and off on a schedule. I also have the "old" Intermatic timer that still "work" but is not connected to anything now that I have the Sta-rite pump.

For the rest of this question let's go with the idea that I would be installing the Pentair IC60 SWG and the Power Center for that.

I have done a little research around the site and with some Googling figured out that one option would be to connect the Pentair PC and IC60 to the Intermatic timer for power.

My very specific question is "If I have the pool pump on one system scheduled to run, do I just use the manual timer to run the SWG during the time that the pump is running or is there some other magic that needs to happen in order to make sure everything is working?" I do see that I could automate both the pump and SWG (heater valves, etc) if I had the Easytouch controller.

I have a quote from a pool guy to install the Pentair IC60 and Power Center for around $1300 which seems pretty reasonable since that would include the 2 year warranty where a self install would only be 60 or 90 days (not to mention the fact that he would do it "right" versus me doing it "acceptably".) I'm not against installing myself but the lowest price I can find for the IC60 and Power Center is around $1000.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

If you don't have an automation system, the yes, you have to put the SWG on a mechanical timer mechanism and sync it's power ON cycle with the run times of the pump. The SWG will have a flow switch in it to detect if there is acceptable water flow and will not operate unless there is (typical minimum is 15GPM). However, the flow switch is a fail safe device and not something you should use as an operational control point.

 

[thespacepope]

Thanks for the response.

 

[thespacepope]

What is the best practice for running a SWG? Is it to run it at 100% for less time or is it to run it at 25%-50% for more time?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

What is the best practice for running a SWG? Is it to run it at 100% for less time or is it to run it at 25%-50% for more time?

It doesn't really matter as it produces the same amount of chlorine. Ideally you'd like to produce chlorine as fast as possible so you don't have to run the pump as long. But some people prefer to spread their chlorine production over a longer period of time so there isn't one huge spike of chlorine for a couple of hours and then no production at all.

I find that I like to run my pool pump for about 4-6 hours per day to get the water cleanliness I like. I then try to spread my chlorine production over that entire run time. Then I dial back my variable speed pump to really slow speed that maximizes the skimming of the pool but is not capable of producing enough flow to activate the flow switch on the SWG.

So just try to run on a schedule that works best for you.