Shock and SWG

[OffTheDeepEnd]

Thanks a lot again for the responses. I'm planning on taking a water sample on Monday to get my figures until Ben's kit arrives. Hopefully then I'll be able to post some numbers. About the autopilot, I don't remember reading that the cell is on/off for periods of time, but I guess that would make sense now that I think about it. I thought the % meant that less of a charge was sent to the cell, but now I understand that a % of time makes more sense. You guys are lifesavers. In fact, it's 90 degrees out now, and the pool temp is 86, so it's time for a dip

[OffTheDeepEnd]

OK - I finally have some numbers, but I can't be certain as to their accuracy. I took water to the pool place, but they used the dreaded test strip But here it goes -

Total Alkalinity - 70
pH - 6.3
CYA - 120
CH - 290
TC - 3.8
FC - 3.8
Salt - 3200-3300ppm

Now, the chlorine #'s seem OK compared to my simple drop test kit, but the pH seems way off. I get around 7.0 with the drop kit compared to their 6.3. The alkalinity, I get about 100, they get 70. So which #'s do I believe? I have the SWG running now at about 50% at power level 1 just for kicks. Does anyone have any suggestions about my current readings and where to go from here?

[PatL34]

Add some 20 Mule borax STAT to raise that pH up to 7.2. You could damage your liner. At least one full box.

Find a pool store that does not use test strips, and get another sample to it ASAP. The TA of 100 ppm is Ok if you are testing it with your drop test kit.
The salt value is Ok as well.

If you are getting or waiting for Ben's test kit, I would get a Taylor 2006 kit in the meantime, or equivalent.

You mentioned in a previous post that DC volts was 24. You should also be able to see the amps associated with that. 24 volts is Ok if the amps are in the region of 5 - 6 amps.

Pat

[OffTheDeepEnd]

Well, Ben's kit finally arrived, and here's my #'s:

FC 6.5
CC .5
TC 7
pH 7.2
Alk 100
Cal 140
CYA 115
Salt 3600-3800

I'm rather confused about the salt level, as my Autopilot is saying my salt is around 2800ppm. Could the calibration be off that much? I thought it seemed high, as a lot of folks here say that they cannot taste the salt, but I definitely can, which is why I figured it was higher than what Autopilot was saying. Any ideas on my #'s and the salt calibration?

[PatL34]

How are you measuring the salt level? Meter or drop test. The drop test should be used to calibrate the meter.

If the salt meter is agreeing with the drop test, then the Autopilot has to be calibrated upwards.

On the Autopilot scroll through the menu to get to the Maintenance Menu and select it.

Scroll down to Calibrate Salt, and select it. Then use the up and down arrows to set the salt level to the test level.

Your numbers look good, except that there should be no CC at the FC level you have. The CYA might be the problem here as it is higher than recommended (60 - 80 ppm) and needs to be lowered by draining.

Hope this helps.

Pat

[OffTheDeepEnd]

I used the drop test that came with Ben's kit. I figured I'd have to drain some to get the cya levels down, but I'm waiting until after our pool party this weekend. I'll set the calibration on the Autopilot.

[rbonin]

Just to give you another data point, I keep my CYA at 50 (rather than the 60-80 recommended by the manufacturer) because my pool is in direct sun all day, and I set my SWG to maintain 5ppm free CL. No algae problems, no chlorine smell and no stinging eyes.

~Rick~

[waterbear]

I used the drop test that came with Ben's kit. I figured I'd have to drain some to get the cya levels down, but I'm waiting until after our pool party this weekend. I'll set the calibration on the Autopilot.

There have been some problems with the salt test reading high. Ben has been working on a fix for it...get your salt level checked at a pool store or check it with an "AquaCheck White" salt test strip and see which is closer...the drop test or you readout.

[Sardian]

I would NOT calibrate the AutoPilot yet. I would wait. It seems that many folks are having trouble with the Salt kit in Bens kit being accurate. I would find somewhere that can do a good test for salt and see what they come up with. If you look at the forum for the kit test you'll see the post about problems with the salt test.

Your's may be right but I would try and find a good second opinion and see what they say.

Russell

I used the drop test that came with Ben's kit. I figured I'd have to drain some to get the cya levels down, but I'm waiting until after our pool party this weekend. I'll set the calibration on the Autopilot.