Shock and SWG

[waterbear]

3ppm isn't high at all. In a pool with a SWC, 3ppm is probably too low due to the high CYA levels usually used with a SWC.

Not according to Poolsean and to the tech support at Goldline controls.

[waterbear]

the irritated eyes are from the HTH algecide which is a linear quat. The reason your Cl levels are higher than 3 ppm is becuase the SWG is generating chlorine! You have to ajust the cell output and pump run time to get your chlorine levels in line. Get a full set of test results and post them and then we can better advise what to do.

[Maxout]

3) Should I turn on the SWG (after getting my salt readings correct), and will this help bring the chlorine levels down to the proper levels?

Sounds like it is off now so it would not be producing chlorine.

I agree with testing for CC, (and everything else for that matter )

[OffTheDeepEnd]

Thanks for the responses. I thought I recalled reading on some posts here that around 1.5ppm chlorine was ideal for the SWG. At any rate, the unit is not generating chlorine right now, as the setting is at 0%. It simply is controlling the pump run time, which is why I was wondering if setting the unit to x% (maybe 30-40%) would help balance out some of my chlorine issues. If I understand correctly, I thought part of the generation process involved the elimination of chloramines in the cell, thus brining my "good" chlorine levels more in line with where they should be. I know that I still have some unknowns as I'm patiently waiting for Ben's kit to arrive.
If the HTH algaecide is causative of the irritated eyes, how long should it be until that dissipates? Again, it's been almost 3 weeks now since that was initially added.

[PatL34]

Do not wait for Ben's test kit. Get a sample to a pool store and post the results as Waterbear suggested. Make sure the store does NOT use test strips. We cannot help you without a full analysis.

Pat

[JohnT]

Not according to Poolsean and to the tech support at Goldline controls.

Since the SWC is off, you wouldn't be getting the benefit of the "mega-shock" in the chlorinator though, so you are then dealing with a (potentially) high CYA, non-SWC pool that requires a high Cl level per Ben's table.

[waterbear]

Sorry, I missed that the SWG was not turned on yet!

[OffTheDeepEnd]

Well, now I'm really confused or something. I decided to turn on the SWG just for kicks, and it did kick on for a few minutes, but then it went off again. Has anyone else seen this with their autopilot digital? It is set to power level 1, and I set it at about 30%. The word ON. came on, but then it says OFF. again. I did the test autopilot, and my voltage says it's 24V to the cell, which if I recall, is not good. The Check System light is not on, and I have no other indications that anything is wrong. The salt is about 2700-2800ppm (a smidge low), but other than that, nothing is wrong according to the system. Has anyone else seen this with their Autopilot? So far, I'm not having a good experience with the SWG

[nater]

That is normal operation. The cell will cycle on and off according to the % you have selected. I'm not sure of the cycle time, but for an example, if you have it on 50%, then in a one minute period the readout will say "on" for 30 seconds, and "off" for 30 seconds. If you are running above 50% all the time to maintain you CL level, I'd take the unit up one power level and reduce the % on time. That should help increase your cell life.

I would also add more salt to get to 3200-3400 ppm.

[nater]

Eric, I re-read the thread and noticed you've not posted any CYA values for your pool. I'd really stress getting this tested ASAP. When you have that number, you can use the best guess chart to know where your FC should be:

Stabilizer . . . . . . Min. FC . . . . Max FC . . . 'Shock' FC
=> 0 ppm . . . . . . . 1 ppm . . . . . 3 ppm . . . . 10 ppm
=> 10 - 20 ppm . . . . 2 ppm . . . . . 5 ppm . . . . 12 ppm
=> 30 - 50 ppm . . . . 3 ppm . . . . . 6 ppm . . . . 15 ppm
=> 60 - 90 ppm . . . . 5 ppm . . . . . 10 ppm . . .. 20 ppm
=> 100 - 200 ppm . . . 8 ppm . . . . . 15 ppm . . .. 25 ppm

You sound a little frustrated at this point. I was in a very similar situation several months ago so I'll add my .02 cents worth below....remember, POP (Pool Owner Patience) is the best thing you can add right now

If you find your FC is low according to your CYA, I'd use bleach to get the FC where it needs to be ASAP. This will stave off any potential algae problems. It will take several days for the SWC to get to a stable FC residual, especially if you're fighting a Chlorine demand.

Balance your water according to the advice on this forum (pH 7.2-7.6, TA 80-150, etc.) This will help keeps things under control while your SWC does its job.

Do you have the manual for the Autopilot? If not, you can find it on their website. I'd re-read it again just for fun.

In the meantime, crack open a coldie, and take a dip if your water's warm enough!