I think I want to go salt.

[estermer]

The only chemicals that have ever been in my pool in addition to the two forms of chlorine already mentioned are Acid, borax, and bleach. After the initial acid washing and needing to raise the PH, chlorine and acid are the only things I need in my pool. My PH creeps up and I usually need about 1/4 to 1/2 gallon of acid per month to keep it at 7.6.

As for an automatic water line, yes I have one. Although it is possible that I have a leak, I really doubt it. We had some heavy rain last week and it filled the pool up. A week later, it's still very full and I know the auto fill hasn't kicked in. When I first had the pool remodeled last year, I quickly spotted a leak as the fill line was almost always on and the water level would drop pretty fast.

So I am thinking that I need to up my CYA to at least 50 and then look at the Autopilot 60.

[scoobiedoob]

Our pool is similar in size to yours, maybe 2000 more gallons. We got our Autopilot 60 last year and love it. I can't say it will be the same for everyone because it appears there are a lot of factors, but it has been a breeze to maintain our pool since we got it. The water stayed beautiful all winter long and since we've had it we've added a total of about 2 gallons of acid and maybe a few cups of clarifier just for good measure. All testing has been excellent with the Pool Solutions test kit, which is a fine kit. We just added a 150 lbs of salt for the beginning of the warm season along with a few lbs of CA. I checked our cell the other day and it still looks brand spankin' new. I can't speak highly enough about it... best move we've made for convenience and ease of pool care.

[CarlD]

OK,
I'm a bit confused: Your numbers look EXCELLENT!

I have no idea why anybody worries about TDS--it has little if any effect on your pool--it MIGHT indicate the presence of metals--but they should be tested for separately. You already have a good calcium and total alkalinity number.

I have no idea why PoolSean thinks your CYA is low at 30ppm. I might consider going to 40 or 50 ppm given your conditions, but I do not like going higher. Your FC is FINE for 30ppm

The only baffling thing is if you are using tri-chlor tabs in a feeder and di-chlor powder to supplement, why is CYA only 30? This has been picked up by the other posters.

There are only two possibilities (also noted by others):
1) You have a leak and are re-filling all the time such as by an auto-leveler (they sound so complicated but they work just like a bathroom toilet's float valve--that simple)
2) Your pool store tested wrong. Could they really do that?????? Well, yes. You can get more accurate numbers from the $15 WalMart HTH 5-Way test kit (if you can still find them in your area--long gone in mine). And, of course, from Ben's kit or the Taylor kits. I suspect your CYA is much higher.

Someone said Ben recommended higher CYA levels. That's not exactly right. Ben HAS said there is no problem with running higher CYA levels as long as you follow the rules of keeping your FC at the approriate levels, and you might see less see-sawing of FC.

But everyone seems to forget that Ben has also posted another article showing that the advantages of higher CYA levels fall off dramatically once you get much above 25-30ppm--you don't protect chlorine much and you lose effectiveness...So which is true?

So I generally aim for 30, and if like the originally poster, I am in for weeks or months of plus 90 sunny weather (and, yes, we get that in New Jersey--my backyard frequently hits 100 by mid to late May), I may run CYA to 40 or even 50, especially if I seem to use a lot of chlorine.

But you have to be careful--despite doing that last summer I had a minor algae bloom--the first in this pool and the first in years. I hammered it 3x a day with FC levels of 15-20ppm and in 24 hours it was gone, and in 48 I was back to normal. I was annoyed and annoyed with myself...I broke my own rules and paid for it.

[Beautye350]

I am trying to decide between the autopilot and aquarite setups for my pool. I like the idea of the integrated automation of the autopilot (I would love for the system to automatically turn on the pool pumps when needed to sanitize, etc...), but I have a concern as to their pre-assembled manifold. I have not seen in their manuals or mentioned anywhere else if the manifold can be mounted vertically? Does anyone know if manifold orientation makes a difference on that unit? The aquarite manual, on the other hand, shows vertical installation as being possible (which is the only way I can do it on my setup without getting super crazy on the piping)? This alone may make the decision for me. Thanks.


Regards,

Mark

EDIT: I'm thinking I wasn't clear enough so I will try and explain a little better. My return line exits the top of my Hayward EC65 and goes about 3 inches into a coupling (so I can easily remove the filter from the system) and then takes a 90 degree turn and goes straight down into the ground. I can only place the generator cell or manifold in that downward piping. I hope that helps explain a little better in case I wasn't clear before.

[Poolsean]

Beautye,

You're fine installing the manifold assembly this way. Hope this helps you with your decision and thanks for considering AutoPilot.

[Beautye350]

Not that I am doubting you, but after I posted my question here I did some more research and came across this statement in the "Digital Total Control Manual.pdf"


The manifold/cell should be installed in a vertical orientation as illustrated in the picture below. This orientation
prevents hazardous gas buildup in the system if the flow switch should fail to detect insufficient flow.




I definitely don't want to create a hazardous situation here. Still stand by your statement that I can install it in a vertical running pipe? Thanks for your assistance.


Regards,

Mark

[Poolsean]

Definately. We want to avoid mounting the manifold upside down (with the manifold loop below the horizontal base. You can mount it vertically as you described.