Hello, first time posting.
I replaced my Pentair IC40 salt cell a year ago and since the start of the season this year, about 2 months now, the salt cell does not seem to be generating enough chlorine (0-1 on FAC & 1 TAC) when running at 100% none stop. Many times I've had to substitute with chlorine granules and then return the salt cell to normal schedule only to notice the chlorine levels drop again after a day or two. Salt=3500, CYA=68 and pH has been between 7.5-7.7 which is unusually low for a pool with a Salt Cell. So, I haven't had to use acid this year.
On the topic of Cyanuric Acid, I see a mix of recommendations on the internet and from manufacturers. One posting above, says that all manufactures recommend 50-70ppm, but that is not true with Pentair, they say 30-50ppm in the manual of their Intellichlor salt cells (though a Google search found a Pentair manual from back in 2006 that said 50-70). For years, I've been managing my water chemistry using the LSI app from Orenda with much success, but I only recently came to understand that their fourth pillar for proper water balance chemistry is to keep CYA at a minimal...15 for commercial (aligning with CDC recommendation) and 30-50ppm for residential, with 15ppm being an achievable number in their opinion (see this link). Another reference on CYA is from the CDC which suggests lowering CYA to 15ppm before you begin treatment in the event of a diarrhea incident where there could be a concern for contamination of Cryptosporidium parasite. See this CDC link and Orenda's publication on the topic here).
Now, my post is not to argue for a given CYA level, but instead to figure out what is a proper level for my salt pool. There are so many opinions out on the internet from reputable sources, including the manufacturers themselves. All I know is that my cell doesn't seem to be holding chlorine very long at 68 CYA, and the suggestion from TFP is to get somewhere between 70-80 range, which obviously, is well above Pentair's recommendation and I worry that by going so high, my FAC will be "trapped" as those that preach lower CYA say will lessen the effectiveness of the chlorine.
What does one do?
I replaced my Pentair IC40 salt cell a year ago and since the start of the season this year, about 2 months now, the salt cell does not seem to be generating enough chlorine (0-1 on FAC & 1 TAC) when running at 100% none stop. Many times I've had to substitute with chlorine granules and then return the salt cell to normal schedule only to notice the chlorine levels drop again after a day or two. Salt=3500, CYA=68 and pH has been between 7.5-7.7 which is unusually low for a pool with a Salt Cell. So, I haven't had to use acid this year.
On the topic of Cyanuric Acid, I see a mix of recommendations on the internet and from manufacturers. One posting above, says that all manufactures recommend 50-70ppm, but that is not true with Pentair, they say 30-50ppm in the manual of their Intellichlor salt cells (though a Google search found a Pentair manual from back in 2006 that said 50-70). For years, I've been managing my water chemistry using the LSI app from Orenda with much success, but I only recently came to understand that their fourth pillar for proper water balance chemistry is to keep CYA at a minimal...15 for commercial (aligning with CDC recommendation) and 30-50ppm for residential, with 15ppm being an achievable number in their opinion (see this link). Another reference on CYA is from the CDC which suggests lowering CYA to 15ppm before you begin treatment in the event of a diarrhea incident where there could be a concern for contamination of Cryptosporidium parasite. See this CDC link and Orenda's publication on the topic here).
Now, my post is not to argue for a given CYA level, but instead to figure out what is a proper level for my salt pool. There are so many opinions out on the internet from reputable sources, including the manufacturers themselves. All I know is that my cell doesn't seem to be holding chlorine very long at 68 CYA, and the suggestion from TFP is to get somewhere between 70-80 range, which obviously, is well above Pentair's recommendation and I worry that by going so high, my FAC will be "trapped" as those that preach lower CYA say will lessen the effectiveness of the chlorine.
What does one do?
