The general consensus on this board, as far as I can determine, is that SWCGs are MUCH more convenient AND more costly than manual chlorination. Whether or not the extra expense is worth it or not is a HIGHLY personal decision based on YOUR needs and desires. Even if you decide to go with a SWCG, you STILL need to get your pool started and chemical levels correct BEFORE you turn on the SWCG to maximize the life of the SWCG. ALSO, if you do run into a problem (algae) it is best to turn the SWCG off and clean up manually so as to maximize SWCG life expectancy.

Pappy