Getting a Jandy TrueClear replacement SWG cell

[edgarortiz1]

Aloha! I will be getting a new/replacement TrueClear SWG cell. I live in an island so ETA for the cell is about a week. The control panel of the SWG cell is intermittently reading to check cell and chlorinating at 30% (my setting). I did clean out the cell to make sure it just needs cleaning. I will replace it no matter what. My questions are; 1) Can I just keep the SWG running as-is (it's going to be replaced anyway) or do I turn it Off? 2) If I turn it Off, I just have to monitor the pool water chemistry and keep it balanced until I get the new SWG cell. Do I go back adding Chlorine tablets in the mean time?

I have another issue. The pool is leaking. I did the bucket test and I've been refilling every 2 days. Before it was at least a week before I needed to refill. Also, our water bill doubled. Leak test kit is ordered and ETA about a week. Hopefully, I can fix the leak myself.

Water chemistry
10/8/2024 10/10/2024
pH 8.2 8.2
FC 3 9 (after adding 10% liq. chloring on 10/9)
CC 0 0
TC 3 9
CH 525 525
TA 60 70
CYA 40 40
Salt 2200 2400

Ever since I've been maintaining our pool myself (Thank you TFP!!!!), my CH was always high 900+ so I've been adding MA quite often based on CSI recommendation. But, I suspect, because of the leak and constant refilling, my CH dropped. I will check my water chemistry later. Question: If Salt and CYA level is the same, and FC is around 6, per Pool Calc, I need to add Salt and Chlorine stabilizer. Right?

I will update my post with latest pool water numbers. I use a TF-100 test kit.

Thank you!

 

[Mdragger88]

Yes use
PoolMath
And keep fc up with liquid chlorine as needed until you get the cell replacement.
Follow the target FC/CYA Levels
You’ll want to consult your cell’s manual for the ideal salt levels.
Ideally a swcg pool’s cya would be 60-80ppm depending upon what part of the season you’re in. (Blazing Hawaiian summer = 80)
But…..
Before increasing cya it may be best to do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to ensure you’re algae free just in case you got in a little trouble with the cell acting up.
It’s much easier to do the
SLAM Process if needed at a cya of 40.

 

[edgarortiz1]

Mdragger88, thank you for your response. So I just turned off my SWG since it was just saying "check cell - waiting - check cell". I did test my water after sunset and the results are:

pH - 8.2
FC - 3
CC - 0
TC - 3
CH - 525
TA - 60
CYA - 40
Salt - 2200

I also had to refill my pool since it was getting below the skimmer line.

I will check FC again tomorrow morning and hopefully it's stays at 3

 

[Mdragger88]

3ppm fc is minimum when manually dosing so bump that up to high target.
No reason to skirt minimum, its all risk and no reward.

TruClear Salt Requirements​

Turn the power pack off by pressing and holding the ON/Off button for 6 seconds before adding any salt.

• 3,000 ppm of salt is recommended for optimum water conditions.
• Low salt concentration below 2,500 ppm will cause premature cell failure.
• High salt concentration above 6,000 ppm may cause corrosion damage to pool fixtures.

Excerpt from:

Jandy TruClear SWG - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[edgarortiz1]

Ok, so I just tested my FC and it was 2.5 ppm. Within the limits of the OCLT. I'll be adding Liquid Chlorine (10%) to bump up my FC to 7 ppm. Question: Since my SWG right now is kaput and I am still waiting for the replacement to arrive, can I hold off on adding the salt? Reason being is that my pool is leaking and whatever I add right now until I fix the leak will just drain. I will ensure to keep algae out so I'm ok adding the liq. chlorine. I'm hoping I do not have to drain my pool completely when I find and fix the leak.

 

[ajw22]

No reason to add salt until you get a new SWG.

Follow the guidelines for liquid chlorine use for your CYA level...

.

 

[edgarortiz1]

Got it! I'll hold off on my salt. Just added luguud chlorine to raise it to 7 ppm. One more question. Should I add chlorine stabilizer so as not to use up my chlorine too much?

 

[ajw22]

Got it! I'll hold off on my salt. Just added luguud chlorine to raise it to 7 ppm. One more question. Should I add chlorine stabilizer so as not to use up my chlorine too much?

CYA 40 is ok. In Hawaii with full sun on the pool you may want to bring it up to 50-60.

What island are you on?

 

[edgarortiz1]

Big Island in Kona sa full sun all day. I'll get some dry stabilizers. Thanks!

 

[ajw22]

Big Island in Kona sa full sun all day. I'll get some dry stabilizers. Thanks!

I will be out there in January.

 

[Mdragger88]

When you do add your salt give it 24-48 hours to mix well before turning on your new cell.

 

[edgarortiz1]

Mdragger88, will do. I just hope that when I find the leak on my pool it's not a big problem to fix

 

[edgarortiz1]

Ok, just a quick update. I added 64 oz. liquid chlorine and 2 lbs., 4.7 oz. of dry stabilizer (all per pool calc.) Ran the pump for 24 hrs. now and took some data:
pH - 8.2
FC - 4
CC - 1
TC - 5
CH - 525
TA - 70
CYA - 40
All numbers seems to be in order for a liquid chlorine pool, right? How about my pH, do I lower it with MA? We hardly use the pool. It's just my wife and I at home. I'm still waiting on my replacement SWG cell and leak test kit.

 

[Mdragger88]

Yes- aim for a ph of 7.6/7.8 with Muriatic acid.
For fc aim for high target - 7ppm for a cya if 40.
This will give you a good buffer so you aren’t broaching minimum before your next dose.
The elevated cc’s is a little concerning. Be sure to clean your test cylinder with alcohol to eliminate any possible interference due to it being dirty.
If the elevated cc’s persist you may need to slam.

 

[sande005]

Since you have a leak, you may want to test your fill water for TA and pH. It could be a battle if you are trying to move your pool in one direction, when the fill water is taking it in the other.
In general, adding MA will drop your pH fairly quickly (let it mix for a day or two between testings). It also drops your TA - but to a much lesser extent. So it can be a process of dropping pH to 7.2-7.4, waiting until it rises to 8.0, and repeating. Eventually when your TA gets in the 50-60 range, you'll find the pool tends to stabilize in the high 7's.

 

[edgarortiz1]

So I added 12oz. MA and 42 oz. liq. chlorine (per pool calc.) at around 7AM. Pump has been running since I added chemicals. I did a test at 11:00 AM and results are:
pH - 7.8 (dropped from 8.2) House water pH is 7.8
FC - 6 (increased from 4)
CC - 0 ( dropped from 1) Maybe I just did not read the previous data correctly. Sometimes it's just hard to tell the color change.
TC - 6.5 (increased from 5)
CH - 525 (still the same)
TA - 70 (still the same) House water TA is 90
CYA - 40 (still the same)

I will add 14 oz. of liq. chlorine per pool calc. to get FC to 7.

SWG cell arrived but will hold off on installing it until I find the leak and run my pool using liq. chlorine. Or should I add salt and get it my salt level to 3000 ppm and install the new SWG.

Sande005, I've been battling with my pH ever since I maintained my pool myself. I've always had to add MA every 2-3 days since my Calcium Hardness Test is always high (1000+). I guess the leak dropped the level down. With my house water pH (7.8) and TA (90) levels determined. I should drop my pH to 7.2-7.4 and keep it at that level until my TA drops to 50-60? And my pH should stabilize more. Am I understanding it correctly? I'll bone up on pH and TA relationship. Still a newbie you know

 

[sande005]

Your CA level has no bearing on the pH. So yes, you can do the drop to the low 7's to decrease the TA. Pool math's effects of adding predicted that with the12 oz MA, your pH should have dropped by .3, and your TA by 4 ppm. Given the estimations involved, and the precision we have in testing with our kits, it gave good advice. The current TA will "convert" into higher pH over a few days, so when it gets up to a pH of about 8, repeat with the acid. Since the acid only drops the TA 4 ppm at a time, it will take some repeats of the cycle.

But meanwhile - do the OCLT test to see what is consuming your FC. If you don't pass, more important is doing a SLAM to kill any algae brewing. Worry about the TA later after the SLAM is complete.

 

[ajw22]

Lower Total Alkalinity

A lower Total Alkalinity level can help a pool owner stabalize their pH increase. We'll explain how to lower TA with a little help from muriatic acid.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[edgarortiz1]

My high TA is definitely the culprit for the pH rising quickly and calcium build up. I've been using pool math CSI to keep my calcium scaling to a minimum but I still see bits of calcium in my pool. FYI, we hardly use our pool. Only when we have visitors from out of town that the pool gets used. So aeration doesn't happen unless intended. I will look into getting a solar power water fountain or see if I can fit something into the returns.

I will do another OCLT this evening.

 

[edgarortiz1]

I just completed my OCLT. Evening result FC - 7, CC-0. Morning result FC - 6, CC-0. Turned On the light in my stirrer to see the color better. So is the change in FC normal? Thank you everyone for taking the time in responding to my post. I did not think I would be maintaining my pool. We never really wanted a pool but it came with the house. No regrets through but I just don't want to screw it up.