What Speed & Time Schedule for Pump w/ SWG

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Naxia Lascif said:
Unfortunately, I didn't check or record the filter pressure after I washed the filter. So, I may just need to wash it, yet again, and record the pressure then
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Cartridge filters rarely go up in pressure unless they are really, really dirty. Mine can go literally all season and not show a pressure increase.
 
Naxia Lascif said:
Anyone have any further tips on why I would need such a high speed on my pump to get the SWG to activate?
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My neighbor just had a Pentair SWCG installed. He needs 2,200-2,300 rpm to get the flow light to turn green. Based on feedback here, it seems his install is the problem. He has a 90 degree elbow just prior to water entering the cell. The manual says the cell should be installed with 12-18" of straight pipe for water to enter the cell. Not sure what your Hayward cell requires for installation.

My SWCG works at 820rpm!
 
N,

I looked at your equipment pad pics and there is not a lot that could cause the low flow through the cell.

1. Your skimmer basket is full
2. Your pump basket is full
3. Your filter is dirty
4. Your flow switch is bad.

Pretty quick to check 1 and 2
For 3, I'd run the system and record the speed required to turn on the flow switch. Then I'd clean the filter and run the same test again. If the flow switch works at a much lower RPM when clean, you will know it is the filter. If not much of a difference is noted, you will know it has to be something else, and that only leaves the flow switch. You do have an incredible small filter.

Do you use hairnets in your skimmer?

Edit.. Don't get confused over where other people can run their pumps. Keep in mind that you have a small VS pump, while many others have much larger VS pumps.

Edit.. again... I guess the cell itself could be clogged with something, so that would also be something to look at.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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N,

Just something for the future. Once your filter is clean, stick your hand in front of a pool return and see what it feels like, flow wise. Store that info in your brain.

Next time you have a flow issue you will have something to compare it against. :mrgreen:

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Thanks, I'll clean the filter again later today or tomorrow and note all this stuff.

I do remember last week that the SWG turned on when it was only 1400 RPM so I will see if that is the case again.

Dunno how my filter could already be sooooo dirty after a week, but it is the start of spring, and plants and trees do be shedding pollen and other fine particles like crazy....
 

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N,

When you use hairnets, they will tend to float up when empty and the pump is running at a low RPM. I put a rock in the skimmer basket to keep the hairnet from floating up. Important to use a rock that is too big to go into any of the pipes.

I have a spare set of skimmer baskets with the hairnets already installed. When I go out to clean them, I can pull the dirty ones out and stick the clean ones in. Then I can take my time to clean them, stick on new hairnets, and then put them on the shelf waiting for the next change out.


Hair Net 3.jpg



Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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Okay, so I just cleaned my filter for the 4th time in the past 5 weeks -- lol

Now this just feels like voodoo magic....
With a freshly clean filter, the SWG seems perfectly content with generating at 1200 RPM (just happens to be my default speed for this time of day). Guess I will check again tomorrow to see if it stay happy, or gets grumpy on me again.

Weird question: Could there have been a trapped air bubble somewhere messing stuff up? Or would it be impossible for a bubble to survive a week+ of constant pump operation?
 
N,

You do not have any kind of air bubble or "magic" issues with your filter.

The very first sign of algae is that your filter clogs very quickly. The smaller the filter, the quicker the clog.

I recommend that you do what is called an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test or OCLT. Overnight Chlorine Loss Test

If might be something else, but you need to rule out algae before looking elsewhere.

What is your CYA and what is your current FC?

I took a look at your pics above and it sure does not look like you have algae, but it is best to make sure.

I can't think of anything else it could be. Did you inspect your salt cell while you were cleaning the filter?

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
About 4-5 weeks ago my pool was pretty clear, and had been most of the winter. And then on April 2nd (iirc) there was a flash flood here in Dallas, and the next day my pool went from clear to swamp.

Took about two weeks for it to get completely clear again, and that's why I've had to clean my filter so many times. But when I cleaned it a week ago, it's been very clear this whole week, which is why I was scratching my head that the filter would be dirty again so fast.

I guess there was still lingering stuff that wasn't visible in the pool itself, but enough to clog up the filter again?

I did remove the salt cell last week, look inside it, and even sprayed some water through it. Did the same thing just this afternoon, too. Both times the cell looked quite clean, and I didn't notice any debris or stuff inside of it.

My FC's are are around 5-6 right now, because I threw in 8oz of shock this morning because it was down to < 1

When I tested my CYA about 10 days ago, I think it was around 50 (that darn test is soooo subjective...)
 
N,

It is very important to keep your FC in the proper relationship with your CYA all the time, not just once in a while, if you want to avoid algae.

See the saltwater section of this chart. FC/CYA Levels

You want to stay at your FC "target" or above, you do not want to try and stay between the minimum and your target. Pretend your minimum is a cliff that you never want to fall off. I try to stay well away from my minimum.

Should be dirt simple to do this with a saltwater pool.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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I tried mine at 1200 last week. I ran it for a week at 1200. For fun, yesterday, I changed the speed to 3k. When the speed jumped a TON of bubbles came out of all returns. I suspect hydrogen. So in my case, 1200 was enough to close the flow switch of the SWG but not really enough to keep the hydrogen from building up in the lines. This is how SWGs explode your lines. Not sure this ever would have happen by the time the hydrogen backed up into the SWG that may have turned it off but that is a lot of hydrogen. So I changed my speed to 1500 and today I'll see if that is enough to keep the lines relatively clear.
 
Yeah, I usually see a fair bit of bubbles coming out of my return whenever my pump primes itself after I adjust the settings in the pump menu

So I imagine I wasn't totally crazy with the idea that there might be bubbles lurking about
 

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