We want to switch from chlorine to salt

[tarabp]

Hello-

We have what I THINK is 29,000 gallons
Liner pool (in ground).

8 ft deep end
3.5 shallow end
20x30 ft (approx)
In sunlight most of the day in South Ga near GA/FL line- with only some scattered shaded areas toward the end of the day.
We just paid $6500 for a new liner in 2022.

Received an estimate today for “jandy 35k gallon cell”
for $2500 “with a 3yr warranty”.

I’ve been reading the forum info, & had convinced myself we needed a 60? Cell? Based on our size pool.?

We want to save costs in chemicals & electricity running the pump - & to improve the harshness on the skin.

But the more I try to research this, the more confused I am.

Is it still chlorine essentially on the skin?

What is a 35k cell?

Is Jandy good?

This price seems high - so if I ask for a 60 (if you’re supposed to double your gallons (& ours is 29k gallons?)

I’m just overwhelmed w this decision.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Tara,

You need to buy a cell that is rated for at least 2 x the volume of your pool.

This is because cells are 'rated' when running at 100% output 24/7.

Saltwater pools are still chlorine pools. Instead of adding chlorine tablets or Liquid Chlorine, you let a Saltwater Chlorine Generator, just use the salt in the pool water to make all the chlorine your pool needs.

When you get out of a normal chlorine pool, you feel like you need a shower. When you get out of a saltwater pool, you feel like you just took a shower..

The one downside to saltwater pools is that you might have to run your pump longer. This is not much of an issue if you have a VS pump, but can be an issue if you have a single speed pump, which is what it appears you have.

How long do you currently run your pump each day?

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Bperry]

Hello-

We have what I THINK is 29,000 gallons
Liner pool (in ground).

8 ft deep end
3.5 shallow end
20x30 ft (approx)
In sunlight most of the day in South Ga near GA/FL line- with only some scattered shaded areas toward the end of the day.
We just paid $6500 for a new liner in 2022.

Received an estimate today for “jandy 35k gallon cell”
for $2500 “with a 3yr warranty”.

I’ve been reading the forum info, & had convinced myself we needed a 60? Cell? Based on our size pool.?

We want to save costs in chemicals & electricity running the pump - & to improve the harshness on the skin.

But the more I try to research this, the more confused I am.

Is it still chlorine essentially on the skin?

What is a 35k cell?

Is Jandy good?

This price seems high - so if I ask for a 60 (if you’re supposed to double your gallons (& ours is 29k gallons?)

I’m just overwhelmed w this decision.

As mentioned above, yes it’s still a chlorine pool. But if you’ve been following some of the outdated chlorine recommendations on the internet, it’s very likely that chlorine is not the issue and if you read through the pool school articles on TFP, they’ll explain why that is. The salt water chlorine conversion is very worth is as mentioned above.

 

[proavia]

Does your pool have automation?
If so, you should stick with the same manufacturer as your automation and pump.
If not, look at the Circupool RJ60+. It's rated for a 60,000 gallon pool.
Since we recommend sizing the SWG for at least 2 times your pool volume, a 60k SWG should work well.

What pump do you have? Single speed, two speed or variable speed?

 

[markayash]

When you get out of a normal chlorine pool, you feel like you need a shower. When you get out of a saltwater pool, you feel like you just took a shower..

Jim is exactly right, that alone is the reason I would never go back to traditional chemicals.
One thing most of us have learned is there is no need to try and keep your FC at the minimum values. A FC of 4 feels the same as a FC of 10 to me. I couldn’t say that when I used tablets!

 

[tarabp]

Thank you all for the tips & answers.
We have a plain 1.5 horse power pump. There’s no automated part. The timer can be set with the “clips” to adjust on/off timing.

We currently run the pump 12 hrs a day minimum during spring/summer.
We have tried to cover during the winter, but both times it ended up just being green - filled w algae. I’m not sure how else to answer the automation question.

Sorry - I am very adept at diy & reading/learning, but the pool has not been something I have worked with closely. So the jargon is new to me.

I’ll take a pic of the pump & filter tomorrow in the daylight.

I was surprised about the $2500 for what sounds like it’s half the size we need?. Again, I don’t know what the pool comp meant by their terminology:

Quote:

“It’s a Jandy 35K gal cell” “with a 3 yr warranty.”

I don’t know what that means.
:-/

 

[PoolStored]

“It’s a Jandy 35K gal cell” “with a 3 yr warranty.”

I don’t know what that means.
:-/

Jandy is a brand name. Cells are typically rated for the pool volume. A 35K cell is for a 35,000 gallon pool. HOWEVER, two 35K cells can have different outputs (volume of chlorine). The 20K, 35K, 40K is used to simplify it for consumers.

However, we recommend buying a cell that is AT LEAST 2x the size of your pool. You have a 30,000G pool, you should get a 60K cell. It will last longer, you will run shorter pump times, cell should last longer and if you have a high demand day (sun, swimmers etc.) a larger cell can handle it.

Hope that helps on what it means.

If you don't have automation, I would look at the Circupool RJ-60+. This is what I ended up with, too, no automation. Has worked really well, good warranty support and good reviews here. I did mine DIY. Circupool honors owner installed warranty. If you are DIY, you can get this cell up and going for about $1600 DIY.

 

[markayash]

Thank you all for the tips & answers.
We have a plain 1.5 horse power pump. There’s no automated part. The timer can be set with the “clips” to adjust on/off timing.

We currently run the pump 12 hrs a day minimum during spring/summer.
We have tried to cover during the winter, but both times it ended up just being green - filled w algae. I’m not sure how else to answer the automation question.

Sorry - I am very adept at diy & reading/learning, but the pool has not been something I have worked with closely. So the jargon is new to me.

I’ll take a pic of the pump & filter tomorrow in the daylight.

I was surprised about the $2500 for what sounds like it’s half the size we need?. Again, I don’t know what the pool comp meant by their terminology:

Quote:

“It’s a Jandy 35K gal cell” “with a 3 yr warranty.”

I don’t know what that means.
:-/

If you can cut and glue PVC and do basic wiring you can install it yourself.
Lot of folks here have the circupool RJ60 and they are sold to DIYerz

 

[woodyp]

3 years is the expected run time life of that cell. If you don't have to have Jandy to match any automation you have.....you can quite easily beat that price and get a 60 k cell to boot. Look at discountsaltpool. Install easily yourself. AND a 7 year warranty on Circupool.

 

[markayash]

This might help explain what involved in then installation.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

If you are DIY, you can get this cell up and going for about $1600 DIY

Do this. We can help.

 

[woodyp]

We'll send Rancho right on over!

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

We'll send Rancho right on over!

Good to know TFP has a healthy travel budget.

 

[proavia]

And since you were considering spending $2500 for a SWG about half the size of the RJ60+ (for under $1500), you are saving around $1000. That's a great head start toward buying a variable speed pump to replace your single speed pump.

A variable speed pump will save on electric cost. I run my VS pump 24/7 for less than $20 per month?

Discount Salt Pool usually runs some type of upgrade promotion on the Circupool units. Today you can order an RJ45+ SWG and upgrade to the RJ60+ SWG for $20 more.

The video in post #10 shows the install. It's pretty easy for someone with basic to moderate DIY skills. And you can probably find a local handyman for any areas you aren't comfortable with.

 

[duraleigh]

& to improve the harshness on the skin

This has not been addressed and should be. A full set of test results would be my suggestion. I doubt an SWG of ANY size will address this issue correctly.
tarabp, describe the harshness you are experiencing. Can you post test results? Is that your biggest concern?

 

[jamesey]

Don't worry OP! I just took the leap and purchased the RJ60+ and new variable speed pump a couple days ago.

You and I are in the same boat. We got this!

 

[woodyp]

My RJ-45 Is on at least a 2 speed pump.

 

[Thehobe]

Hello-

We have what I THINK is 29,000 gallons
Liner pool (in ground).

8 ft deep end
3.5 shallow end
20x30 ft (approx)
In sunlight most of the day in South Ga near GA/FL line- with only some scattered shaded areas toward the end of the day.
We just paid $6500 for a new liner in 2022.

Received an estimate today for “jandy 35k gallon cell”
for $2500 “with a 3yr warranty”.

I’ve been reading the forum info, & had convinced myself we needed a 60? Cell? Based on our size pool.?

We want to save costs in chemicals & electricity running the pump - & to improve the harshness on the skin.

But the more I try to research this, the more confused I am.

Is it still chlorine essentially on the skin?

What is a 35k cell?

Is Jandy good?

This price seems high - so if I ask for a 60 (if you’re supposed to double your gallons (& ours is 29k gallons?)

I’m just overwhelmed w this decision.

Calculate the electricity cost first before switching to SW. In California, the cost of running the pump for a long enough time to generate the chlorine level required (~8 hours) would cost me about $16/day so I am sticking to using about 1 gallon of liquid chlorine every 2 days for my >30,000 gallon pool. Liquid chlorine (10%) is currently costing $6/gallon or $3 per day in the Summer months. My cost of electricity in California is about $0.40/kWh.

 

[Thehobe]

And since you were considering spending $2500 for a SWG about half the size of the RJ60+ (for under $1500), you are saving around $1000. That's a great head start toward buying a variable speed pump to replace your single speed pump.

A variable speed pump will save on electric cost. I run my VS pump 24/7 for less than $20 per month?

Discount Salt Pool usually runs some type of upgrade promotion on the Circupool units. Today you can order an RJ45+ SWG and upgrade to the RJ60+ SWG for $20 more.

The video in post #10 shows the install. It's pretty easy for someone with basic to moderate DIY skills. And you can probably find a local handyman for any areas you aren't comfortable with.

Are you SURE about your cost to run the pump 24/7? Even if your electricity cost is $0.10/kWh. a month is 24x30=720 Hours; Assume your pump is 1KW (Mine is over 3 KW) it uses at LEAST 720KW/month, that's $72/month if your pump is 100% efficient. HOW MUCH IS YOUR ELECTRICITY?

 

[PoolStored]

My VSP runs between 150 and 190 watts, 24 x 7.

At 200W, electrical costs of .10, it will consume about 144kWh for the month, or about $14.40.