Intex Krystal Clear Saltwater System with E.C.O. (Electrocatalytic Oxidation)

[pakrh8r]

Hello,

I am considering purchasing an Intex Krystal Clear Saltwater System with E.C.O. (Electrocatalytic Oxidation). I attached a picture of the model I saw on Amazon. It says it is the newer version of the one I originally chose. I saw some posts that state this may have copper plates, but the description states Titanium. Does anyone know if it does have copper? I also read how copper will stain and folks are draining their pools to get rid of the copper. I'd rather not have to do that. I have a 5,500 gal above ground pool and also read that some folks recommend sizing the SWG for 2x pool capacity. This comes in 7,000 and 15,000 gal versions so I'd need the 15,000 gal version if that's true. Last, does anyone have reasons why this model would not be recommended? I was curious because it seems much less expensive that other models. I'm guessing less features but was wondering if anyone has experience with this model. Thanks.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

The ECO part of it is just a gimmick. The idea behind it is that the ECO plates will split water molecules into hydrogen, oxygen and hydroxyl radicals. Hydroxyl radicals are very potent oxidizers but here's the problem - their ECO probably creates very few if any hydroxyl radicals and so it's nothing more than a water electrolysis cell (turns water into hydrogen and oxygen gas). Hydroxyl radicals can only be produced under very specific water conditions and it usually requires peroxide (H2O2) or ozone (O3) as a precursor. Since they are not required to disclose what the unit produces and because they pair it with an SWG, they can get away with calling it a "magic water ionizer that will rejuvenate your spirit!!" and, in the legal fine print, state that an approved form of water sanitizer is always needed in a swimming pool.

If you want to get an Intex system, then just get one that is sized appropriately for your pool (2X is best) and avoid all the gimmicks.

 

[jeffchap]

I'm pretty sure all of the Intex SWGs come with the ECO system now. This replaced the old copper bar system, so you can use this with no worries. As Joyfulnoise noted, the ECO system is more of a gimmick than anything. But this is otherwise a perfectly acceptable SWG. I agree, get the larger one and it should serve you well for a couple of years.





The cells in these usually give out after 2 years, but you can order replacements from Intex for around $80. But if you check the end of year clearance racks you can sometime pick up the entire unit for about the same price. I used to try to always keep a spare in reserve.

 

[pakrh8r]

Thank you to both JoyfulNoise and jeffchap. I appreciate the info and input.

 

[domct203]

I have the earlier model Intex 15K SWG and love it.

In the peak of the season, I found I needed to run it 8-10 hours in my 6700 gallon pool to maintain FC or I was supplementing with bleach. I will try running my CYA a bit higher this season and see if that helps with runtime, but I think it’s more about the 4-6 kids and 2-4 adults in there daily.

I was given the first one free, and liked it so much I bought a second one to run in parallel to cut run time in half (link in my signature).

Intex’s ratings are a bit misleading though. The unit is rated for a 15K gallon pool (0.6lbs/day if I remember correctly), but that chlorine output is when running in boost mode for 24hrs. The built in daily run timer of the SWG only allows a max runtime of 12hrs, effectively cutting the rated chlorine production in half.

Regardless, I feel they are a good value for someone interested in utilizing a SWG, but are swayed by the cost of the mainstream units.

 

[jeffchap]

Intex’s ratings are a bit misleading though. The unit is rated for a 15K gallon pool (0.6lbs/day if I remember correctly), but that chlorine output is when running in boost mode for 24hrs. The built in daily run timer of the SWG only allows a max runtime of 12hrs, effectively cutting the rated chlorine production in half.

If you plug it into an external timer, you can overcome this. Just set the SWG to maximum run time and then set the external timer to turn it on as many times per day as you wish. As long as you turn it on at least once every 12 hours, you can run it around the clock.





This also gives the flexibility of running it multiple times per day to keep your FC more stable. I used to run mine a couple of hours right before sunup, then during the afternoon when the pool was normally in use.



I let the timer control both the SWG and the pump, so that they always ran in tandem. The only problem was I had to replace the GFCI on the pump's power cord with a regular plug, because it would trip every time the timer turned it on. The entire circuit was already GFCI protected at the house. The GFCI on the SWG was not a problem, so I left it alone.

 

[domct203]

I do have mine on their own timer, set to run during the pump timer window.

You are correct, you can just keep cycling that 12hr timer every 12 hours, but for a simple setup, who wants to run their pump 24/7?

And the Intex rating is still misleading IMHO, but no different than any other brand I guess.