New Here. Going to Salt???

[SargeRmb]

I've been a slave to the pool store for three years. I have a 29,000 gallon inground pool. Im using Nature 2 . I like the idea of the salt system keeping a steady chlorine level but the cost upfront is going to hurt a little. I am looking at the Zodiak Jandy Aqua Pure Ei. Im not finding a ton of info on them good or bad. Please go easy Ive got lots of questions. Thanks

[Watermom]

I don't know about the Zodiak but someone will. Just wanted to say hi and welcome you to the forum! I will tell you this --- we don't care much for the Nature 2 system. It adds copper to the water. Contrary to popular belief, it isn't chlorine that turns hair, fingernails and pools green, it is copper!

[waterbear]

Not a fan of Zodiac SWCGs ( or Zodiac in general, customer service leave a bit to be desired). Check out Hayward/Goldine Aqua-Rite/AquaLogic, Pool Pilot (Autopilot Systems), WaterMaid, and Pentair Intellichlor.

[SargeRmb]

Thanks for the reply. The only reason I was looking at the Zodiak was ease of installation, but after some reading they all look pretty staightforward. What is the average lifespan of these units? I'm trying to justify spending a grand or more. Thanks, Sarge

[Phillbo]

The controllers should last quit a while but I understand the cells typically last 5-7 years.. Mine is 6 years old.

[kelemvor]

I think that will depend on what size you get and what run percentage you end up using. i.e. if you get a 25k gallon swcg, you'd probably have to run it at 100% and have a shorter lifespan of the cell. If you got the 40k gallon sized cell you could run it at a lower setting and it would last longer.

[SargeRmb]

O.k. that makes sense. You guys really dont like the Jandy do you? My local pool company carries them, and it would have been easy obtaining parts quickly. Oh well whats the front runner for whats left? Sorry for all the questions.....

Another Question. Have any of you mounted the controller indoors? I was thinking I could just extend the wiring and put it indoors to keep it out of the rain and snow permanently. Just a thought, hopefully Im not the first.

[kelemvor]

There's another thread around here where someone was discussing installing a light controller indoors, you might search for that. The swcg controller that I've got has a transformer in the control box and puts out a good amount of heat. Here in Florida, air conditioning is both required almost year round and expensive on the electric bill. Personally, I wouldn't want the controller inside my house for that reason. If you've got a pool house/shed, that might be a good spot to mount it. As you're thinking, keeping the stuff out of the elements should prolong the lifespan. I've been thinking of constructing some sort of enclosure around the pads all my stuff is sitting on for that reason.

[famousdavis]

I've got the Jandy SWCG, but the older model, not the Ei model. My pool builder strongly suggested NOT using the Ei model, as they had had unsatisfactory results from installing that model in new pools, and so they switched back to installing the older model (the non-Ei model) for new installations. Apparently they're not getting any warranty claims for the older Jandy model. I could have pressed the issue and gotten the Ei, but I don't build pools for a living, so I went with his suggestion. So far, it works great (but I'm only 8 weeks into pool ownership, and only 4 weeks into salt chlorination). The salinity read-out various a bit sometimes when I press the button multiple times, but then, the salinity results from the two pool companies I'm taking water samples to read differently than each other, too. Between the SWCG and the two independent test results I'm getting each week, I can generally tell whether my salt level is at the optimal range. The SWCG tends to read a little higher than the two pool companies that give me test results for my pool.

In my 16,000 gallon pool, the SWCG was able to bump up my free chlorine from 1.5 to 12.5 after running it in the Boost mode (24 hours, non-stop).

[famousdavis]

One other thought. The Jandy user manual says the controller is supposed to be installed a minimum of 5' off the ground. The electrian who installed my Jandy SWCG put the controller only 3' off the ground. Not sure why that matters, really, except that being lower to the ground, there's a greater chance of having rain water hit the controller, or having my lawn's sprinkler system hit the controller. When you have them do the install, be sure to tell them you want the controller installed 5' off the ground.

[kelemvor]

One other thought. The Jandy user manual says the controller is supposed to be installed a minimum of 5' off the ground. The electrian who installed my Jandy SWCG put the controller only 3' off the ground. Not sure why that matters, really, except that being lower to the ground, there's a greater chance of having rain water hit the controller, or having my lawn's sprinkler system hit the controller. When you have them do the install, be sure to tell them you want the controller installed 5' off the ground.

I believe Rain/Sprinkler moisture and of course dirt are the main reasons to keep your electrical higher off the ground. In some areas the electrical codes require them to be a certain height. You should check with your city/county and see if there are any rules about it.

[Jimmy C]

I've been a slave to the pool store for three years. I have a 29,000 gallon inground pool. Im using Nature 2 . I like the idea of the salt system keeping a steady chlorine level but the cost upfront is going to hurt a little. I am looking at the Zodiak Jandy Aqua Pure Ei. Im not finding a ton of info on them good or bad. Please go easy Ive got lots of questions. Thanks

I would hesitate before going to salt. Maybe embrace BBB, and pour liquid bleach for the rest of the season. Get a good test kit, and learn the pool chemistry needs as you wean yourself from the pool store. A typical pool owner linked to pool store advice will have run away CYA by this time of the season, that is if the primary means of chlorination is Tri-Chlor tablets. If this is the case, a partial drain and refill might be required before you get control of your pool.

Before going to salt, there needs to be a checklist of prerequisites to consider. This include: pool type, local climate (low average rainfall is bad for salt pools), pool grounding (any electrical currents flowing now between pool parts, i.e. pump, filter, heater, pool rebar, house ground, will be much worse with salt - galvanic corrosion), any metal in the water may corrode, etc. Also some heaters might cap the TDS which exclude salt systems.

Another issue with salt has to do with filter backflushing. Before switching to salt you can usually backflush into the grass. Afterward with salt the backflush will kill the grass. So what do you do? Backflushing in the street leaves a mess (IF DE) which might upset your neighbors, and discharging into the city sewer might be illegal depending on where you live.

Depending on your fill water properties, keeping the water TA (total alkalinity) < 100 ppm might require lots of acid every month. If the TA cannot be controller, then the PH will quickly and constantly rise to > 8.

Bottom line, don't drink the pool store Kool-Aid. Switching to salt has its own set of issues just like the other methods. Sometimes switching to salt might not be practical.

Jim

[Poolsean]

There's no specific code calling for 5' above ground. It's got to be 10' from the edge of the pool (for 110' volts) or 5' (220 volts), according to NEC guidelines.
I agree with not putting the controller indoor. Some will use a quick disconnect connection, rather than hard wired, so that they can remove and take the equipment indoor during the winter months.
Keep in mind that all equipment are designed for outdoor locations, but for winter snow and thaw conditions, at type of exposure would call for the need to remove and put the equipment indoor.

[BigDave]

I'm pretty sure the NEC 1999 permits placement of a recptacle for pump / circulationbetween 5' and 10' of the inner wall of the pool regardless of the voltage. As always, check with you local construction official.

[drband]

You COULD just go to an added salt pool and continue w/ BBB. The water feels better (opinion) and once you get BBB going well, your pool will reach a sort of equilibrium so that adjustments are usually minimal and you will have fewer problems keeping it balanced and sanitized. SWCG pools are not any cheaper to maintain, but may be slightly easier to keep balanced. If cost is a big factor, I would recommend sticking with regular BBB and just adding salt. You don't really need the nature2 to run a BBB pool and that is an expense you could leave off.