POOL LAB PL Series User manual

OWNER'S MANUAL
PL Series Automatic Chlorinator
IMPORTANT
Read this manual carefully before operating your
Pool Lab Automatic Chlorinator
Ideal Salinity 3000ppm
KEEP THIS MANUAL IN A SAFE PLACE
FOR FUTURE REFERENCE
rev. 5
Manufactured by Poolpower Australia Pty Ltd
actory 1b, 39-45 Susan Street
ELTHAM, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA 3095
email: [e-mail]
Patented Technology
Patent Technology Numbers:
Australia No. 2004245133
Canada No. 2528374
Europe No. 04736187.8
New Zealand No. 544430
USA No. 7,658,842

IMPORTANT SAFET INSTRUCTIONS
When installing and using this electrical equipment, basic safety precautions must always
be followed.
READ AND FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS
•WARNING: Disconnect all AC power during installation and or removal of the
equipment.
•WARNING: Potential risk of fire, electric shock, or injury to persons if the
installation and safety instructions listed in this manual, and on the equipment itself
are not followed.
•WARNING: To reduce the risk of injury, do not permit children to use this
equipment unless they are closely supervised at all times.
•WARNING: Always wear safety goggles and suitable gloves when handling pool
chemicals, and follow usage directions carefully.
•WARNING: Use of a suitable respirator is recommended when handling
Hydrochloric Acid (aka. Muriatic Acid).
•DANGER: DO NOT ADD WATER TO ACID. Always add acid to water
•SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS FOR FUTURE REFERENCE
•Heavy pool (or Spa) usage, and/or higher temperatures may require higher chlorine
output to maintain proper free chlorine residuals.
•If additional chlorine is required due to heavy bather loads, use liquid chlorine
(Sodium Hypochlorite) to maintain appropriate free chlorine residual.
•High salt or chlorine levels above recommended range may contribute to corrosion
of pool or spa equipment.
•DO NOT add pool or spa chemicals directly to the skimmer.
•Check expiry dates of test kit consumables.
•Use only original Pool Lab replacement cells with identical model numbers.
•ollow all aspects of local and national Electrical Codes when installing Pool Lab
equipment.
•or outdoor pools, chlorine residuals can be protected from destruction from the
sun by appropriate addition of stabilizer (cyanuric acid)
Health and Hypothermia Warnings
•People with a medical condition should consult a physician before entering the pool
or spa water.
•Maximum safe spa water temperature is 40ºC.
•Bathing in water at 40ºC should not exceed 15 minutes.
2

Table of Contents
IMPORTANT SA ETY INSTRUCTIONS...............................................................................2
Health and Hypothermia Warnings.............................................................................................................. 2
GENERAL PRECAUTIONS...................................................................................................4
ELECTROLYTIC CELL PRECAUTIONS...............................................................................4
INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................5
CELL MAINTENANCE...........................................................................................................6
TO REMOVE & INSPECT THE ELECTRODE.............................................................................................6
CLEANING THE ELECTRODE – CALCIUM SCALE...................................................................................7
INSTALLING THE ELECTRODE................................................................................................................. 7
CONTROL PANEL OVERVIEW.............................................................................................8
SETTING THE TIME AND DATE...........................................................................................9
SETTING ON / O TIMERS................................................................................................9
SPECIAL EATURES..........................................................................................................10
USER AUTHORITY LEVEL....................................................................................................................... 10
PUMP PROTECTION MONITOR.............................................................................................................. 10
PLUMBING LUSH................................................................................................................................... 10
HYDROGEN GAS SA ETY....................................................................................................................... 11
DIAGNOSTIC MESSAGES.................................................................................................12
CHECK SALT............................................................................................................................................ 12
CHECK SALT CELL O ........................................................................................................................... 12
HIGH SALT................................................................................................................................................ 12
HIGH SALT CELL O .............................................................................................................................. 12
PUMP PROTECTION ACTIVE.................................................................................................................. 13
LOW LOW............................................................................................................................................... 13
SPA LOW DETECTED............................................................................................................................ 13
DE AULTS USED..................................................................................................................................... 13
MEMORY AULT....................................................................................................................................... 13
CHLORINE PRODUCTON AND CONTROL.......................................................................14
REE CHLORINE LEVEL.......................................................................................................................... 14
ALTERING CHLORINE OUTPUT..............................................................................................................14
WATER BALANCE...............................................................................................................15
pH.............................................................................................................................................................. 15
TOTAL ALKALINITY................................................................................................................................... 15
CALCIUM HARDNESS.............................................................................................................................. 15
SALT LEVEL.............................................................................................................................................. 15
CHLORINE STABILIZER – CYANURIC ACID........................................................................................... 16
Combined Chlorine - Chloramines........................................................................................................ 16
High Calcium (Hard) water sources – the Langlier Saturation Index.........................................................17
WATER CIRCULATION.......................................................................................................18
INSTALLATION....................................................................................................................19
PLUMBING................................................................................................................................................ 19
Cell Installation..................................................................................................................................... 19
Positioning the Cell............................................................................................................................... 19
Plumbing Example................................................................................................................................ 20
POWER SUPPLY AND CONTROLLER..................................................................................................... 21
SALT.....................................................................................................................................22
INITIAL SALT DOSING – IDEAL SALINITY 3000ppm...............................................................................22
SALT ADDITION TABLE............................................................................................................................ 22
TROUBLESHOOTING.........................................................................................................23
WARRANTY IN ORMATION ..............................................................................................26
DOMESTIC APPLICATIONS..................................................................................................................... 26
COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS................................................................................................................ 26
3

GENERAL PRECAUTIONS
•Do not use bromine based products in the pool. Use of bromine will void the
warranty on your chlorine cell.
•It is the pool owner's responsibility to ensure water is regularly tested and balanced.
Your local pool professional can advise you on appropriate testing frequency and
balance criteria in your area.
•Where calcium hardness of the pool / spa water exceeds 200ppm, the water must
be balanced as per the Langlier Index to ensure water is not scale forming. Consult
you local pool professional for advise.
•Do not assume the chlorinator is faulty if a chlorine test reveals a low free chlorine
level. There are many factors that relate to chlorine demand in the water. Refer to
the troubleshooting guide in this manual for more information
•Regular manual 'super chlorination' or 'shock dosing' may be required in pools
where chlorine demand or bather load is high.
•Manual addition of liquid chlorine may be required to supplement chlorine
requirement during peak usage periods.
•Test salt level before calculating your salt addition requirements, even on a new
installation – especially where liquid chlorine had been used previously.
•ree chlorine levels above 4.0ppm may void manufacturer warranties on your
equipment.
•Unnecessarily high salt levels may contribute to corrosion of pool and spa
equipment.
•Pool Lab recommend the use of Cyanuric Acid (Stabilizer) at a concentration
of between 50-80 ppm for outdoor pools to help protect chlorine in the water
from destruction by sun light
ELECTROL TIC CELL PRECAUTIONS
•It is a condition of the warranty that the pool owner ensure that the cell is
inspected and maintained in accordance with the directions in this manual.
•The chlorine cell is generally self cleaning, but certain water conditions can inhibit
the effectiveness of this function. Therefore the cell should be visually inspected on
a regular basis to ensure it is not fouled with debris or accumulating calcium. Refer
to instructions on cleaning the cell in this manual if required.
•If calcium scale is allowed to build up on the electrode plates to the point where the
calcium bridges the gap between the plates, this can permanently damage the
electrode and will void the electrode warranty.
•If you have water conditions that cause calcium to build up in the chlorine cell, then
the cell MUST be cleaned on a regular basis as per the instructions in this manual.
As a general rule, if the cell requires more than 15 minutes to clean, then it must be
cleaned more regularly.
•It is the pool owner's responsibility to ensure all materials in contact with the
pool or spa water are compatible with and intended for use with an
electrolytic salt chlorinator.
4

INTRODUCTION
Congratulations, you have wisely purchased the most technologically advanced salt water
chlorinator in the world. The benefits of doing so will be evident for many years to come.
Pool Lab’s research and development team is committed to producing the finest
chlorination systems and being recognized world wide as the leaders in salt chlorination
technology.
Your Pool Lab chlorinator will eliminate the need to store dangerous quantities of chlorine,
daily manual chlorine dosing and the risks associated with these practices. It is automatic,
clean, safe and economical and for these reasons, salt chlorination as a method for
treating pool water is increasing world-wide.
Mild salt water is gentle on eyes and skin and is said to benefit asthma sufferers and those
people who find conventional chlorinated pools irritating. The salinity of seawater is
approx. 35,000ppm or 3.5%, while Pool Lab chlorinators require only 3,000ppm or 0.3%.
The human body has a salinity of approx. 4500ppm and fresh water is zero. It is the
similarity between the salinity of the human body and that of a salt pool that make for a
silky luxurious swimming experience.
The chlorinator comprises two basic components, the power supply and cell. It is within the
cell that the electrolytic reactions occur. Chloride ions in the water are converted into
chlorine gas, this dissolves immediately into the water to ultimately form sodium
hypochlorite (liquid chlorine). The chlorine oxidizes bacteria, algae and other harmful
matter in the pool water and through this process reverts back into available chloride ions.
The major by-product of the reaction in the cell is the liberation of Hydrogen gas at the
cathode. This explains the small bubbles often seen passing out of the pool returns. Pool
Lab’s patented vertical cell is the worlds safest and ensures the excess hydrogen gas can
not accumulate to dangerous levels.
No salt is lost through the electrolytic process. The necessity to top up the salt level is only
due to loss of salt water from backwashing or splashing out etc. Water loss due to
evaporation does not cause any loss of salt. All Pool Lab models contain digital time
clocks with two programmable ON/O periods available for fully automatic operation of
your pump & chlorinator.
All models have a built in back up power system that will keep the timer clock
running for up to 7 days. This is particularly useful where the mains power is
interrupted.
Pool Lab PL Series does not contain batteries.
5