Help: any opinions on best SWCG: Poolpilot, PentairWatermaid, Aquarite?

We're converting to a SWCG and looking for any experience with one manuafacturer over the other? Appreciate any success or sob stories on make & models for a 20x40 in-ground vinyl liner. Thanks in advance

I have an Aquarite and like it. But I have no experience with the others. I too have a 20x40 vinyl inground and my Aquarite does a fine job of keeping the CL up. I do keep my CYA up in the 60 to 80 range as recommended, keep my FC between 3 to 5. Depending on how cold/warm the water is, it runs at 25% to about 50% setting.

I do add bleach on occasion, primarily after a big rain or large group swim. Even when I turn the SWG up full blast, it seems that it can, on these rare occasions, get behind the curve and have trouble keeping enough active CL in the water to handle the large loads. It only happened 2 or 3 times last year (heavy load/rain, next day pool is cloudy, FC is low) and I use 2 or 3 gallons of bleach to clear it up.

Overall, I'm really happy with it. The one occasion we had to call the support line, they were fabulous and talked my wife through resetting the system and getting it working again.

Lots of info to your questions through this link:

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=6484

I'm partial to my Autopilot, especially from the aspect of having their resident expert as a member of this forum (Poolsean). You should be happy with your purchase as long as you stick to one of the major players (Autopilot, Aquarite, Goldline, etc) and you FULLY understand ALL the pros/cons of SWC systems. Spend a lot of time reading all the posts in the SWC forum.

A SWC will not elimnate the need for pool care, but it sure comes close. (as long as you follow CarlD's advice and stay ahead of your water) ;)

Note that Aquarite, Goldline and Hayward are all the same product (originally Goldline, bought by Hayward). They also OEM to about 4 or 5 other "brands".

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Originally Posted by tphaggerty

I have an Aquarite and like it. But I have no experience with the others. I too have a 20x40 vinyl inground and my Aquarite does a fine job of keeping the CL up. I do keep my CYA up in the 60 to 80 range as recommended, keep my FC between 3 to 5. Depending on how cold/warm the water is, it runs at 25% to about 50% setting.

I do add bleach on occasion, primarily after a big rain or large group swim. Even when I turn the SWG up full blast, it seems that it can, on these rare occasions, get behind the curve and have trouble keeping enough active CL in the water to handle the large loads. It only happened 2 or 3 times last year (heavy load/rain, next day pool is cloudy, FC is low) and I use 2 or 3 gallons of bleach to clear it up.

Overall, I'm really happy with it. The one occasion we had to call the support line, they were fabulous and talked my wife through resetting the system and getting it working again.

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What are your pump run times with the SWG set at 25-50%? I have the same size pool and will be installed an Aquarite this month. In prior seasons, I have run my pump for 2 blocks of time, each 4 hours long. I will liklely start up on that same schedule with the Aquarite, but have a feeling that my run times will increase.

Thanks,
SteveK

I have a Goldline Aqualogic (SWG and pool automation in one unit) and and very pleased with it. Where I work we sell Pool Pilot, Zodiac, and Resiliance SWGs (but can get other units if customers want them) They all work well. IMHO, the PoolPilot Digital is the best unit on the market because of the bells and whistles it has. The newer model Goldline units have included many of the same bells and whistles. Both compaines have excellent customer support. I am not as impressed with the Zodiac units for the price and the Resiliance is an entry level unit that is not very expensive. It does work well but lacks some features of the more expensive ones. Bottom line is this. If you get a unit from a company that has been making SWGs for a while and the company has a good customer support track record you should be fine! Goldline, AutoPilot systems, and WaterMaid have been manufacturing SWGs for a while now and are, IMHO, the big 3 names.
Just my 2 cents.

I run from about 8am to around 5pm (solar heating), then again for about 4 hours at night. I just installed a multi-speed pump (Ikeric), so I will likely be extending my night run but at a much lower speed/gpm.

Due to the way the SWG works, I think (my own opinion) that it is better to run longer but lower so that the pool is more constantly chlorinated. SWGs work low and slow (low level of chlorine added, so more time is needed). You can vary the % of output, but what you are really doing is varying the amount of time during the ON cycle that CL is being generated, not the amount of CL generated (at least with the Aquarite). So, by running longer but at a lower %, the CL generation gets spread out, so (maybe) there is less of a roller coaster effect on FC in the pool. That is one of the reasons for using a 2 speed pump, it reduces the cost of running the pump so I can run it longer. (Hope this makes sense).

G'day WATERBEAR,

We at WATERMAID read this forum daily,for all the news, gossip, and comments, we thank you for your honest opinion of placing us in the three chlorinator companies of your choice.
We have never had an angry customer, who was never satisfied with our product or service, since our incept to the USA, again thank you for your opinion

regards,
Richard Varley. WATERMAID-USA.,Inc.

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Originally Posted by tphaggerty

I run from about 8am to around 5pm (solar heating), then again for about 4 hours at night. I just installed a multi-speed pump (Ikeric), so I will likely be extending my night run but at a much lower speed/gpm.

Due to the way the SWG works, I think (my own opinion) that it is better to run longer but lower so that the pool is more constantly chlorinated. SWGs work low and slow (low level of chlorine added, so more time is needed). You can vary the % of output, but what you are really doing is varying the amount of time during the ON cycle that CL is being generated, not the amount of CL generated (at least with the Aquarite). So, by running longer but at a lower %, the CL generation gets spread out, so (maybe) there is less of a roller coaster effect on FC in the pool. That is one of the reasons for using a 2 speed pump, it reduces the cost of running the pump so I can run it longer. (Hope this makes sense).

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Yes, makes sense. Thanks!

tphaggarty, nater & waterbear,

thanks for inputs on SWCG companies and models. Good to know few companies make most models and to stay with them. What are advantages of more "bells & whistles?" Usually that phrase ignites fears IMHO of more things to go wrong.

I did a self install of a Pentair IntelliChlor 40 in my pool in August of last year. Install was really easy. I kind of went with a cell that was way more than what I needed for the size of my pool. I figured I could run it at a lower power cycle for my pool, and the cell would last longer that way. Cost wise between the IC40 & IC20 was minimal, so I just went with the larger cell. :)

The reason I picked Pentair over the others, was because the rest of my pool's equipment is Pentair brand and I TRUST the brand.

I'm completely happy with the results and how the IC40 has kept my pool sanitized. The pool never looked or felt so good, with so little manual labor or chemicals. Pool just needs a few oz of Muratic acid every few weeks to keep the PH under check.

Since, I'm also new to the SWCG, I don't know or have experience with the other brands. But, I sure glad I went with a SWCG system. One of the best upgrades I've done to my pool.

Bells and whistles means such things as a true salt meter and not just measuring conductivity to approximate a salt reading, being able to calibrate the unit, a manifold assembly for the cell (poolpilot), variable power levels, digital readout, and so on. Different companies include different features and many of them are very useful.

People keep telling me I should get an SWG, and I am tempted ("Get Thee Behind Me!").

I am curious: I've noticed that several claim you plug your pump into them and they act as the timer.
How does this work with a 220V pump, with a twist-lock plug?
Or does it?
Is it really necessary?
Do you have to have an electrician wire it in?
If your pump is on a timer, can't you just set the SWG to go on when the pump is on?
Do they run off 110v, 220v, or both?

I've also noticed that there are some non-plumbed versions, very cheap.
Has anyone tried them?
Do they work?
For how big a pool?

I've also noticed that some of the less expensive SWGs, ($999 and under) have cells that cost fully half as much to replace--like the Hayward costs 1K and the replacement cell costs $550! Is this a normal ratio, or does it get better with the pricier units? That is, do the cells last longer, or do they cost less to replace?

These are the details of SWGs that I am totally ignorant of.

I installed (followed directions) the electrical wiring for the SWCG power unit to some of the same posts that the pool pump was wired to in the timer.

The timer turns the pump and SWCG on at the same time. The SWCG computer then runs the cell according to the Sanitizer output settings (20%,40%,60%,80%,100%) on my IntelliChlor IC40.

From Pentair IntelliChlor manual. Power Center = SWCG power unit.
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/9175/swcgmw1.jpg

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I am curious: I've noticed that several claim you plug your pump into them and they act as the timer.
How does this work with a 220V pump, with a twist-lock plug?
Or does it?
Is it really necessary?
Do you have to have an electrician wire it in?
If your pump is on a timer, can't you just set the SWG to go on when the pump is on?
Do they run off 110v, 720P, or both?

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Carl, I just installed a PoolPilot Digital, so here's the scoop on that one:
If you want the PoolPilot to act as a timer for a single-speed pump (more on two-speed later), you need to run the power from your breaker or disconnect switch to the PoolPilot (either 110v or 220v can be accommodated via jumper changes) and connect via screw terminals inside the control box. This connection powers the PoolPilot's electronics and salt cell AND is connected to a 30 amp relay which is used to switch the pump on/off. The pump wiring must also be connected to screw terminals in the control box; there is no built-in provision for a twist-lock plug though one could be added to an external junction box if needed. The PoolPilot's timer can then be programmed to operate the pump.

Conversely, you can continue to use an external timer to power the pump which is what I have done. In this case you need to run a power connection from the pump terminals on the external timer to the PoolPilot to supply power to the electronics (and salt cell) when the pump it running. The PoolPilot has an internal battery to keep it own clock timer running when the pump is not running.

Lastly, if you have a two-speed pump, you need to use a single external timer which supplies the "master" power to the PoolPilot. The 30 amp relay in the PoolPilot is then used to switch between high and low pump speeds based on a timer program you set up in the PoolPilot. This is a bit more complicated to manage as you have to coordinate the on/off settings on the external time with the pool pilot's high/low-speed timer settings.

Unless your local code requires, you can do the wiring yourself; it's not complicated.

I paid someone to install my Polaris SWG but after watching them, I certainly could have done it myself. Mine is a 230v unit wired into an Intermatic mechanical timer which supplies power to pump and SWG. Then I just set the SWG controller to generate a selected number of hours. My Autoclear has very few bells and whistles. Besides the adjustment for hours to generate, there is a button for running a test. The test gives volts drawn, amps drawn, and a system code of 90, 91, or 92. 90 indicates no issues found and the others indicate possible problems. Last, there is a yellow light that will flash to indicate 'low salt'. Performance has been excellent but it would be nice to have some of those other features. Bought mine new-in-box on ebay for $450 delivered. Quite happy!
:D
Hal

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Originally Posted by bbroglio

tphaggarty, nater & waterbear,

thanks for inputs on SWCG companies and models. Good to know few companies make most models and to stay with them. What are advantages of more "bells & whistles?" Usually that phrase ignites fears IMHO of more things to go wrong.

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FYI All, we went with the Autopilot dig 220. More when we're up and running.

bbroglio,

Thanks for selecting Pool Pilot. Let me know if you have any questions!

I know that if I cannot get to your question fast, others here will.

Again, thanks.