Why doesn't everyone use a SWCG

[JoyfulNoise]

See this thread by chemgeek about pH rise in an SWG.

I think you're fine. The biggest indicator for you with regard to calcium scale would be to look at your cell periodically. If it has a lot of scale build up, then you should more carefully monitor CSI. If not, then you're good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Well, me personally, I have been on the fence... I was very infatuated with going salt a month or so ago... I had not been in a saltwater pool in quite a while and the though of not having to get jugs and pour every night sounded appealing. I went on vacation and ended up swimming in a bunch of saltwater pools and honestly I didn't really care for it. apparently I let a lot of water into my mouth when I swim and the taste of the saltwater is just awful. This is from a guy that LOVES salt... seriously you have never seen someone put as much salt on their food as I do.

I am still on the fence... however a big roadblock is initial investment. I'm looking at probably 850+ dollars to convert. I could get a doseing machine for chlorine but I don't really have room for a tank so.

I probably will go salt eventually, just because of the limited pad space. Maybe I will learn to like the taste.

Most SWGs operate at a salt concentration just below the detectable human taste limit. So unless you're overly sensitive to salt or those pools you swam in were over-salted, taste really should not be a determinant. Many SWGs have a very wide operating range that I'm sure you could fine a value that doesn't offend your taste buds.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wayner]

My CSI seems to be about -0.5 but I will have to retest CH to be sure. So I think I should be good.

My cell is new this year - I have a company open and close my pool and after closing for the season they give the salt cell a nice acid bath. I have also done this myself in the past when I had error codes on my SWCG.

 

[wayner]

I went on vacation and ended up swimming in a bunch of saltwater pools and honestly I didn't really care for it. apparently I let a lot of water into my mouth when I swim and the taste of the saltwater is just awful. This is from a guy that LOVES salt... seriously you have never seen someone put as much salt on their food as I do.

That is strange since my water tastes only faintly salty, nowhere near what sea water tastes like. My pool water salt is at 3000 ppm - apparently seawater is around 35,000 ppm.

 

[wayner]

See this thread by chemgeek about pH rise in an SWG.

My pH rises very slightly through the season - I think I just added some MA as it got up to 7.8 - but I think this may be caused by aeration induced by my solar heating system which causes air to enter the system which is visible and audible from my return jets and my understanding is that aeration increases pH. I started a thread on this air bubbles situation last year Solar heating panels introducing air into system

 

[Sparkle]

The recommended CH level on TFP is "CH 0-300 (Don't add)". So what is the correct level if you have a SWCG? I would assume that lower is better, but how do you lower the CH other than draining?

The recommended CH level for SWG and vinyl liner is 50-350. I spend money to raise the CH up to the recommended 250-350. I don't see any scaling.

Isn't lack of evaporation of salt and CYA a good thing as it means that you don't have to worry about these readings fluctuating? Doesn't that make a SWCG even more maintenance free?

Yes, it is. Yes, it does. A "solar blanket" seems to make a big difference, too.

 

[wayner]

A "solar blanket" seems to make a big difference, too.

AKA a pool condom. By the time you get it on (or off in this case) the urge to use it is gone.

But I fail to see how a cover matters for salt and CYA since evaporation doesn't affect them - I can see how it would be useful if your fill water has a high CH level.

 

[chiefwej]

I have a SWG and I love it. Wouldn't want to have a pool without one. But there are some considerations when using one. Living in Tucson means dealing with fill water with extremely high CH and TA levels. Desert temperatures and extreme evaporation rates insure that the CH will start at the very top of the "recommended" level and go up from there and the TA will always stay very high.

One of the side effects of a SWG is constant rising PH due to aeration in the cell. Usually, lowering the TA would help stabilize the pH, but with the evaporation rate and high TA in fill water, it just goes back up. With the very high CH (mine has been well over 1,000 at times), you must carefully balance the CSI to avoid scale. That means very frequent additions of MA to maintain a CSI within a safe range. So even though having a SWG makes Chlorine additions and adjustments a snap, it can make some of the other adjustments tricky. But, I still wouldn't give it up.

 

[Sparkle]

AKA a pool condom. By the time you get it on (or off in this case) the urge to use it is gone.

It's a bit of a hassle without a good reel system, but having dealt with it without one for a while I know the blanket is here to stay. It keeps the heat in the pool, and evaporation is next to nothing after we added it.

But I fail to see how a cover matters for salt and CYA since evaporation doesn't affect them - I can see how it would be useful if your fill water has a high CH level.

The solar blanket significantly reduces chlorine depletion. It's almost like I can't turn the percentage low enough. Shirley, that will affect the lifespan of the SWG cell.

I'm going to buy a $700+ reel system in the spring. It's worth it.

 

[n240sxguy]

Well, me personally, I have been on the fence... I was very infatuated with going salt a month or so ago... I had not been in a saltwater pool in quite a while and the though of not having to get jugs and pour every night sounded appealing. I went on vacation and ended up swimming in a bunch of saltwater pools and honestly I didn't really care for it. apparently I let a lot of water into my mouth when I swim and the taste of the saltwater is just awful. This is from a guy that LOVES salt... seriously you have never seen someone put as much salt on their food as I do.

I am still on the fence... however a big roadblock is initial investment. I'm looking at probably 850+ dollars to convert. I could get a doseing machine for chlorine but I don't really have room for a tank so.

I probably will go salt eventually, just because of the limited pad space. Maybe I will learn to like the taste.

It all depends on the level of salt and your personal ability to taste it. I can't taste mine hardly at all right now. According to my swg it's around 3200. At the beginning of the season it was a little high at 3500-3600, and I could taste it then. I accidentally added too much salt once last year, and it was like swimming in sweat for the last of the season.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[chiefwej]

Sensitivity to salt varies wildly I have a SWG and I can taste salt in the water as low as 2700, but it doesn't bother me.

 

[Agent99]

In regards to CH, for whatever reason, here in San Jose the water has been really soft lately. When I filled my pool after the new pebble sheen 6 weeks ago, I measured my CH at 40! I was shocked. I have data from years back that showed CH more like 200 from the city. Even the guy at the pool store (yeah, yeah...took in a sample to be tested just for grins...kid wanted some toys and I had a coupon ) remarked about the soft water lately. For the first time ever, I had to add some calcium chloride to my pool.

Anyway, a great discussion about SWG. I'm rethinking doing it but just am not sure yet. We often go on vacation for 3-4 weeks and I don't think I can dose the LQ enough to last that long so I would be doing pucks. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm..................

 

[peterl1365]

Mostly, it's cheap insurance that the pool won't go green if I forget to add chlorine for a day or two. Tablets are a double edged sword, because you can put a weeks worth of tablets into a floater, but then you still need to remember to refill it at the appropriate time. Too soon and chlorine spikes. Too late and it drops and you have algae.

For me, the convenience is worth the occasional expense ($500) and hassle of dealing with problems. I can get liquid chlorine for a reasonable price, but factor in the time and expense to buy it, and the cost goes up.

This summer, I've only been checking and adjusting my pool once a week on weekends. With the SWCG maintaining a relatively constant 5-7 ppm, I've never had so much as a hint of algae.