Which SaltWater Chlorinator

[Poolsean]

WHEW....finally back! Hello friends.
I think the replies are there...though sadly, not enough AutoPilot users. Aquarite makes a good system. It's really all a matter of what you are looking for. Sure AutoPilot offers a bit more bells and whistles, but all in all, the views of this forum are fairly neutral for both systems.

This new format sure is weird and will take some getting use to. But sure am glad it's back in operation.

[waterbear]

WHEW....finally back! Hello friends.
I think the replies are there...though sadly, not enough AutoPilot users. Aquarite makes a good system. It's really all a matter of what you are looking for. Sure AutoPilot offers a bit more bells and whistles, but all in all, the views of this forum are fairly neutral for both systems.

This new format sure is weird and will take some getting use to. But sure am glad it's back in operation.

I do have to say that if I had not opted for automation I would have chosen the Autopilot becuase of some of it's features lacking in the Aquarite and Aqualogic.

[Mark_WATERMAID]

Beerman touched on it but I think that it needs to be made clear. We dont recomend putting a salt system on an above ground pool unless it has composite walls and bottom track. A typical above ground has painted steel or aluminum walls that are held at the bottom by a U channel. water that splashes out of the pool runs down the walls fills the track and evaporates. It keeps doing this untill there is a very high and corrosive salt level in the channel and the pool corrodes.

Mark Manning
Watermaid Canada
www.watermaid.ca
mark@watermaid.ca

[Phillbo]

Any opinions on the Ecomatic system?

[ohpoolboy]

I have a question about installing an Autopilot system yourself. My pool builder has given me a quote to install an Autopilot system in our new ig pool. The quote seems to be about 50 to 60% higher than the price of the system on the Autopilot web site. I understand the cost of installation, profit, etc but that seems to be a little too high of a markup.

Being an engineer and a fairly handy individual, I was toying with the idea of purchasing the system and installing it myself. Posts by rrwcn and hzz have given me encouragement.

However I have a few questions.

1) What are the benefits of having the pool company install the system (warranty, service, etc)? Is it worth the additional cost? Actually, a better question might be "what are the pit falls of NOT having the pool company install it?"

2) If I do opt to install the system myself after the pool is built, what plumbing considerations do I need to be aware of while the pool is being built?

Right now I have ordered an in-line chlorine system that would be replaced by the Autopilot.

Thanks,

Anthony

[rrwcm]

1) What are the benefits of having the pool company install the system (warranty, service, etc)? Is it worth the additional cost? Actually, a better question might be "what are the pit falls of NOT having the pool company install it?"

2) If I do opt to install the system myself after the pool is built, what plumbing considerations do I need to be aware of while the pool is being built?

My advice:

1) The installation is very simple - download the manual and check it out. I see no advantage to paying someone to do this. Many times I have paid extra to have someone do a job for me and then later dissapointed in the service after the sale!

2) Plan now for the AutoPilot! The Control box should be mounted out of direct rain and sunlight. I simply inserted a small piece of plywood into the bottom of a topless Rubbermaid box and mounted it on a post (my location was behind a fence and out-of-sight), cut the lower end out, and the Control box fit nicely inside. I then used two pieces of 3/4 inch liquid tight conduit to protect the wires connecting the AutoPilot to the Manifold and Cell (the conduit lies across a foot path and I wanted to protect them). These wires are 12 feet long so be sure to figure this in when deciding where to locate the AutoPilot Control. The Manifold assembly needs about 26 inches between the filter return and the pipe out of the ground - I had only 14 inches after removing my tablet chlorinator so I had to rotate my DE filter to get the return pipe further away.

The AutoPilot is well engineered and the installation is simple. You can do it!

[ohpoolboy]

Thanks for the reply.

Is there any special procedure for converting a pool from chlorine to a SWG?

[KurtV]

Is there any special procedure for converting a pool from chlorine to a SWG?

No, an SWG pool (or SWC as some prefer) is a chlorine pool. The chlorine is just introduced in a different way (produced by the SWG cell vice pouring it in in the form of bleach or adding it through an inline chlorinator, or through a floating chlorinator, or etc.).

[Pool_Mike]

found out I will be go'ing with the Aqua Rite SWCG and not the Zodiac since my builder only warrenty the Aqua Rite. So my main question is on the cell, how ofter would you need to add a new one?1-3 years?

[waterbear]

cells are rated in hours of use so it depends but if you watch your salt levels, pH, and calcium; clean the cell when needed; and don't use the unit to superchlorinate but shock with bleach instead a good estimate would be maybe 5 years if the cell is sized properly for your pool (the bigger the pool, the shorter the life since you will need to run it at a higher output percentage to maintain the chlorine level).