Which Salt Reading do You Use?

[Justdrew424]

I have the Pentair IC-40. Recommended salt level is 3600 per Pentair. The reading I get from the unit itself fluctuates between 3700-3900. When I use the Taylor K-1766 I get 4200. Repeatable with 2 different test kits. I know TFP recommends running a couple hundred higher than the optimal, but I believe 4200 is above the recommended range for my MasterTemp400 with copper heat exchanger. Would I ideally want the salt about 3800 verified by the Taylor test?

Thanks
Drew

 

[ping]

The Pentair SWG's have a normal working range of 2800 to 4500 ppm of salt. Your salt level is near the high end of the range but is not a concern for the SWG. As far as the heart goes, if the warranty would be void if there happened to be a problem then it should be lowered to accommodate that issue.

Most SWG's in Australia need at least 4000ppm of salt to work, so I don't see a problem with the salt level at 4200 for now in your pool.

We'll see if some of the heater experts on the forum have anything to add.

 

[drharris]

The manual says 5000 is the maximum, but I'd expect that's a hard maximum. I would think with copper, pH would be a much more critical parameter to have right. The IC-40 works great even around 3200 (in my experience) with temps above 70, so feel free to lower it if you're concerned with potential for damage. I'd just let splash out and backwash take care of it over this season.

As far as which to trust, Taylor is probably closest. If the SWG is producing and maintaining FC, and not complaining about salt level, then let it ride until you notice something not working up to par.