When to test salinity

[Dawnamie]

We just turned on our Hayward T-cell 15 salt generator yesterday evening and put in 10 bags of salt. My pool is 33, 000 gallons of water, 16x40, plaster. How long do I need to wait to test salinity my app says salinity is at 2294 ppm now, will that continue to go up? Or do I need to start adding more salt now? We are trying to get it to 3600 ppm. Before adding salt my FC was at 5, ph the 7.5, TA 80 and CH at 250. Don’t want to add too much salt to fast, help!

 

[Texas Splash]

It could take 24 hours for the saline level to reach its final goal, so give it time to mix really well before making any other changes.

 

[mknauss]

With a Hayward Aquarite SWCG you should keep the salinity at or below 3200 ppm. The board has components on it that are damaged at high salinities.

Also, be sure to always have the SWCG OFF when adding salt. Once the salt is fully dispersed and tested, then turn the SWCG on.

 

[Oly]

How are you testing the salt ppm?
You should be using a K-1766 Taylor kit for accuracy.

 

[Dawnamie]

With a Hayward Aquarite SWCG you should keep the salinity at or below 3200 ppm. The board has components on it that are damaged at high salinities.

Also, be sure to always have the SWCG OFF when adding salt. Once the salt is fully dispersed and tested,

How are you testing the salt ppm?
You should be using a K-1766 Taylor kit for accuracy.

I tested ppm with both a digital reader which gave me a reading of 2750 ppm, my chlorinator is saying average salt 3330 instant salt 3066, I also tested using the Taylor kit and got 3600. So really unsure on which reading is correct.

 

[Oly]

Mix up a 3000ppm NaCl standard solution in a liter of distilled water and test your test equipment. My bet is on the K-1766.

 

[ajw22]

I tested ppm with both a digital reader which gave me a reading of 2750 ppm, my chlorinator is saying average salt 3330 instant salt 3066, I also tested using the Taylor kit and got 3600. So really unsure on which reading is correct.

Does not matter which number is correct.

You have plenty of salt for the T-15 to generate. I would not add any more salt. The cell should be happy with what you have.

As Marty said, high salt levels can lead to damage the board. As long as the system is happy with the salt level keep it on the low end.

 

[Dawnamie]

So today my numbers are even higher k-1766 is coming out with 3800ppm which I know is high for my T-15 suppose to be at 3200ppm also my FC is at a 10 which is pretty high (pool reeks of chlorine) I lowered my output on my chlorinator to 15%. Do I need to drain water and add fresh?

 

[mknauss]

It rains in Kauai. So you can drain off some water before the next good rain. Or you can drain off some and add fresh, if water is cheap.
The pool should not smell of chlorine unless you have an algae issue.

 

[Dawnamie]

Another question my cya is at 60 right now. I have read it should be at around 70-80 for salt water pools. Should I increase cya when I have such a high FC count? Or wait til I get that down? Sorry totally new to the pool game and just don’t want to mess up my pool or equipment.

 

[mknauss]

At a CYA of 60, the FC is not all that high. Have you looked at FC/CYA Levels?

You can add some CYA after you get the salinity stabilized.

 

[Dawnamie]

It rains in Kauai. So you can drain off some water before the next good rain. Or you can drain off some and add fresh, if water is cheap.
The pool should not smell of chlorine unless you have an algae issue.

No algae that I am aware of. My pool is only a month old and I have kept all my levels correct. Hired a guy to start up the pool (worst waste of money). All levels have been on target ph was high but brought it down with Acid. We were concerned about CH but brought that up to 250.

 

[Dawnamie]

At a CYA of 60, the FC is not all that high. Have you looked at FC/CYA Levels?

You can add some CYA after you get the salinity stabilized.

I think my FC went high when the guy we had start up our pool put our chlorinator at 75% we had been using liquid bleach and tabs for the first 30 days and our FC was staying around 4-5.

 

[mknauss]

The smell of 'chlorine' comes from CC. That is the waste product from Free Chlorine consuming ammonia based organics. So one should not smell 'chlorine' unless there is something in the pool that the Free Chlorine is consuming.

 

[Dawnamie]

The smell of 'chlorine' comes from CC. That is the waste product from Free Chlorine consuming ammonia based organics. So one should not smell 'chlorine' unless there is something in the pool that the Free Chlorine is consuming.

Okay that’s good to know my CC is at 0. Maybe it’s my imagination but I feel like I smell chlorine.

 

[Dawnamie]

One thing to add I live on the Northshore of Kauai usually the wettest spot on earth. We of course have not had much rain since my salinity went wonky (or I added too much salt using pool math). It will rain I just want to keep my chlorinator happy and keep chlorine at a good level.

 

[jedigrover]

For testing salt, you can use the K-1766, salt test strips (not as accurate), a meter if it is well calibrated.
Never depend on the number the system tells you. It's ok on a week-to-week basis, but once a month you should verify by independent means.

I use a meter. I have a 3000ppm standard solution to test it against. 3 years in, it's still holding calibration, but best to verify with a reference solution.