9 years later - my SWCG

In 2006 I installed an Aquarite SWCG in my 30,000 gallon in-ground pool. I live in NH so it is seasonal. No shade.
I figured I'd post an update about the system from a longer term user perspective since much of what is on the forum is related to newer experiences or questions.

In short - the SWCG in combination with my Aquabot, has made pool maintenance an absolute breeze.

I have replaced the cell once and may be due for another soon.

At the beginning of a season I typically add a few gallons of 12.5% chlorine to get chlorine levels up to normal. I usually add 4-6 bags of $5 salt to get the salt level back up to normal. I also add calcium for hardness and maybe some CYA stabilizer. I might add a little more of these chemicals during the summer to replace splash loss, but not much.

From then on, the SWCG maintains a proper level of chlorine with very little effort. I run the filter about 6-8 hours per day and adjust the chlorine output accordingly, but it rarely needs it.

I really enjoy the fact that the water is gentle on the eyes. You can open your eyes under water without irritation. You don't really notice the salt - maybe a slight bit of taste if water gets in your mouth.

If you are interested, here is a link to when I first converted from Baquacil and my early experiences.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthr...4537#post54537

I am lucky in that there are no trees directly overhead so not much blows into the pool. (This is a contributing factor to a fairly level chemistry as there isn't a lot of foreign matter getting in to mess things up.) After one manual vacuum when I open the pool, all I do is throw in the Aquabot every week or two to clean it up.

Jeff

Thanks for the report!

Awesome! I'm on SWCG as well, and although shorter my experience sounds a lot like yours (so far).

Thanks for the report. :)

I also have an Aquarite SWCG that came with our pool; installed in March 2004.

Our first cell had to be replaced in 2008 (still had some warranty left). I learned after that not to use the cell for anything other than FC maintenance. The second cell, with proper use and care this time, lasted 7 years; I just replaced it a couple weeks ago.

The main board had to be replaced in 2009 (still had some warranty left).

I love the convenience it offers and would go with a SWCG in a heart beat should we ever move and get another pool. :)

We've had an Aquarite SWCG for 4 years. It's been a roller coaster ride. Motherboard was replaced after a couple years (under warranty). It seemed OK for a few months but then started giving screwy readings on the salt level in spite of barely working well enough to keep the pool algae-free (most of the time). Then this spring, I had to become an electronic engineer and solder on a new thermistor onto the motherboard. Worked well for a couple months but now the cell is dead. I considered giving up on the SWCG and going back to manual chlorination, but after spending so much energy on fixing the controller, I'm going to give it another chance.

My take on the SWCG: it does make maintenance a breeze-- when it works. I feel like I need to spend 10-15 minutes every single day on checking chemistry AND whether or not the SWCG is actually working that day. We had a bad problem with pH rising the first 3 years, too. So, all in all... Not sure it's saved me much labor or money. I still have at least one algae bloom to fight each year. We don't use the pool that much so I don't pay as much attention as I should to all the details. I guess I had stars in my eyes thinking I could just check things once a week and the thing would keep plugging away :). It doesn't help that our pool temperature is always >90 degrees and has sun blazing on it about 10 hours a day. Keeping it covered helps except that you can't see the water when it starts to turn green.

Thank goodness I learned how to deal with algae on this forum. At least I know what to do when it happens.

Bottom line for us: SWCG has been unpredictable and we would be smart to check chemistry and equipment on a daily basis or maybe even twice a day!