Should I use AutoClear SWG - or not?

[haeffnkr]

Hello,
I have a 13,500 gallon fiberglass pool, with an AutoClear SWG.
I plan to open it in a couple weeks and get it ready for it's 3rd year of service.

Last Fall it the pool was drained and a few minor gell coat cracks were repaired by the installer, This was also done the first year - it was then that it was painfully noticable that the pool was a grey and somewhat scaly. The new gell coat was white and the rest of the pool was a dull grey.
The installer stated it was from the SWG- he did not use them normally use them but I insisted I wanted one.
After the repairs last fall the pool was filled and cleaned with Citric Acid - the pool was now one color and all the gell coat patches and original gell coat was one color and it was whiter brighter like the new gell coat - about that time I found this site - I got the PH at 7 and had the Chlorine at shock levels with bleach...put in a the tablet floater and had it winterized...It looks good so far when I have peeked under the cover.

I have had a new 234s kit on order for some time now...but in the past I did not use a salt testing kit and only used test strips for checking PH and Chlorine - my water was very clear and I was happy with overall use of the the SWG - but not the grey sides of my pool and the scale. Once I got the water setup both of the past 2 seasons then added the salt (both times the pool was drained the fall before) I only had to tweak the amount of time the SWG ran depending on the outside temp and how much the solar cover was on. My PH and chlorine stayed on and my maintenance was so easy.
I added about 375 pounds of salt, based on the chart in the "AutoClear" manual - based on my gallons of water - not sure if that was OK/high/low/etc. I never added any more the rest of the year, both years.

So - after giving you my background - should I use the SWG again?
If I monitor the salt PPM and keep a closer eye on the chemicals via the new test kit will my pool stay white and scale free?
Was the "greying" I had really from the SWG?

I plan to open my pool in a couple weeks - giving it another shot of citric acid and starting it up.

Any input on from SWG owners would be really appreciated.
thanks Kevin

[haeffnkr]

I just looked at my AutoClear manual - it states
3000 ppm for the salt is needed
80-100 for the CYA
1-3 Free Chlorine

Are these paramaters valid?
Does the CYA really need to be that high?

thanks again - Kevin

[PatL34]

Hello,
I have a 13,500 gallon fiberglass pool, with an AutoClear SWG.
I plan to open it in a couple weeks and get it ready for it's 3rd year of service.

Last Fall it the pool was drained and a few minor gell coat cracks were repaired by the installer, This was also done the first year - it was then that it was painfully noticable that the pool was a grey and somewhat scaly. The new gell coat was white and the rest of the pool was a dull grey.
The installer stated it was from the SWG- he did not use them normally use them but I insisted I wanted one.
After the repairs last fall the pool was filled and cleaned with Citric Acid - the pool was now one color and all the gell coat patches and original gell coat was one color and it was whiter brighter like the new gell coat - about that time I found this site - I got the PH at 7 and had the Chlorine at shock levels with bleach...put in a the tablet floater and had it winterized...It looks good so far when I have peeked under the cover.

I have had a new 234s kit on order for some time now...but in the past I did not use a salt testing kit and only used test strips for checking PH and Chlorine - my water was very clear and I was happy with overall use of the the SWG - but not the grey sides of my pool and the scale. Once I got the water setup both of the past 2 seasons then added the salt (both times the pool was drained the fall before) I only had to tweak the amount of time the SWG ran depending on the outside temp and how much the solar cover was on. My PH and chlorine stayed on and my maintenance was so easy.
I added about 375 pounds of salt, based on the chart in the "AutoClear" manual - based on my gallons of water - not sure if that was OK/high/low/etc. I never added any more the rest of the year, both years.

So - after giving you my background - should I use the SWG again?
If I monitor the salt PPM and keep a closer eye on the chemicals via the new test kit will my pool stay white and scale free?
Was the "greying" I had really from the SWG?

I plan to open my pool in a couple weeks - giving it another shot of citric acid and starting it up.

Any input on from SWG owners would be really appreciated.
thanks Kevin

I see no reason for you not to use the SWG, but I would wait until you have cleared any algae and debris from over the winter before putting the SWG in service. Once you can maintain a good water chemistry with the PS234 kit, you can then turn on the SWG. Don't be afraid to use a lot of bleach and only bleach to get it back in shape first. Post your water analysis after you test, and we can give you better advice.

I don't think you want to use citric acid any more, but I may be corrected on this. Also not sure where the greying could come from. Some of the other members with pool construction experience could help on this.

Provided you keep the calcium hardness less than 300 ppm, you should have little problem with scaling on the walls or the cell.

Hope this helps.

Pat

[haeffnkr]

I am getting the salt tonight for the autoclear.

I have the chemicals all good, but the manual states 80 cya.
Why?
If I have a constant stream of CL why do I care what the CYA is, lower the CL the better right?

thanks Kevin

[tphaggerty]

I'm sure that PoolSean will pitch in here, but as he has said in the past, an SWG is "slow and steady". If you don't maintain the CYA, then the SWG has a hard time keeping up with a demand spike.

I think of the higher CYA as a way to "bank" the CL produced by the SWG for when it is needed. Even in superchlorinate mode, it isn't like dumping in a couple of gallons of bleach after a pool party. There are many people that run their CYA at a lower level than recommended by the manufacturer and a lot that run at the low end of the range (I do myself, but that is still 60ppm).

[haeffnkr]

OK - will wait to here from the experts.

My CYA is 25 now and my CAL is 200.
Is my CAL too high for a fiberglass pool?
Any more suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks for the help.
Kevin

[waterbear]

OK - will wait to here from the experts.

My CYA is 25 now and my CAL is 200.
Is my CAL too high for a fiberglass pool?
Any more suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks for the help.
Kevin CAL is fine...not really needed in a fiberglass pool unless you have grouted tile work or a heater. I keep mine at 200 to 250 ppm for these 2 reasons.
Most SWG manufacturers recommend 60 to 80 ppm CYA and I keep mine there. The explanation from the Tech department at Goldline Controls was it's because the way the chlorine is introduced at very high concentrations in the cell and 'supershocking' the water in the cell whenever it is generating.
BTW, my pool is white and I have no scaling. Where do you keep your TA and do you monitor your pH and add acid regularly to keep it down. SWGs cause a constant upward shift in pH and high pH can lead to scaling! Test strips just don't have the accuracy to depend on! The pH test is really bad because most of the strips jump from 7.2 to 7.8 and that is just too big a range to really know where you pH is.

IF citric acid removed the stains then they were caused by metal. Fiberglass pools are prone to staining by mangenese, iron and copper. Don't know if citric acid works on calcium scale but muriatic does. You might want to use a sequestering agent on a regular basis to help prevent this.