SWC high salt when solar turned on

[PatL34]

Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem.

When the solar is turned off and then back on, I get a high salt warning. After I reset the SWC, the salt level is fine (3200 ppm). I don't get another warning unless the solar is turned off and then back on again. The warning is fairly repeatable and I can watch the salt level rise on the controller when the solar is first turned on.
When the solar is turned on, the solar panels have to be refilled with pool water. What you are seeing is a combination of water and air, and the poor old salt sensor is being thrown for a loop seeing water and air. Don't ask me what it is trying to measure at this stage. The next time you turn on the panels, put your hand on the cell, and check to see if you feel vibration. That is the mixture of air and water going through the cell, and will continue until all the air is removed. The PoolPilot sees this as low flow and shuts off the power to the cell, otherwise you can have a mixture of hydrogen being generated from the cell mixed with oxygen from the air, and the chances of having an expolsion are pretty good.

I suspect that the panels do not fully drain while the pump is on because of the pressure on the one-way valves. Salinity in the 20 ft vertical pipes up the house probably rises to the top over time making some of the water a higher salt ppm.
I do not think the salinity is a factor here, because of what I said above, but I may be wrong on this.

This is not a huge problem but the Aqualogic controller has a 100 minute cycle which means I lose chlorination during that cycle. Unfortunately, the controller does not turn the cell off for a delay when the panels are turned on. For changing the spa/pool valves, it does delay the cell.
With the PoolPilot I do not seem to have this problem, but Poolsean may be able to clear this up. No matter when the PoolPilot is shut off, it remembers what part of the cycle it is in and continues from there. Again Poolsean will have to clarify this.

Thanks

Hope this helps.

Pat

PS. Sean just beat me too it. He appears to know the competition better than I, but I take nothing back from what I have said.