Mystic has already answered your question very thoroughly. I just wanted to add that I also bought a home that had a SWG pool and it was also my 1st pool to own. It was quite a learning curve! After about the 10th year I found that one particularly colder winter I had a need to add chlorine using tabs because below 50-55 degrees the SWG shuts down, and we were continuing to use the hot tub in the cold temps. Now a professional pool person may tell me I'm wrong to do that, but it was a great fast, uncomplicated and cheap band aid to keep chlorine in the hot tub until the temp was consistently above 55 degrees.

I thought I'd mention there's a good website for "pool school" that will give you a free crash course on pool maintenance. The site is troublefreepool dot com. It has loads of free resources.

Yes, the SWG will not operate when the water temperature is below 50 degrees. In seasonal areas, where I work, we won't activate the systems until the water temperature comes up. Generally spring start up temps in pools is in the mid -high 40's. Dry chlorine is used to maintain levels if needed until temps come up.

Trouble free pool has good information.

Mystic, he turned off the SWG because he said "it was apparently not working." To my knowledge he didn't check why it wasn't generating chlorine. When I explained some of the reasons why I wanted to maintain the SWG his response was along the lines of it's still chlorine and if you want it to still feel soft, maintain the salt level. The salt was measuring 3400 ppm for 15000 gallons. We're also in Florida so I can count on one hand the number of nights its been below 50.

The AutoPilot screen read "Check flow." I have a friend who looked at it and said it could be the flow switch.

We're new homeowners/pool owners so it's not at the top of my list for repair the SWG if it is indeed need of repair. We also had a large palm frond come through our screen!

Thank you for your thorough information. I may leave the chlorine for now until the other home repairs are complete, but this is great information for future use. I do eventually want to self maintain the pool.

Service guy is lazy or has no idea what he is doing.

All SWG models have a way to trouble shoot to determine a problem. Most, if not all, manufacturers have a toll free number with a tech to help you trouble shoot.

You would need something specific testing tools to perform this.

It's possible it's the flow switch but there is a specific order to troubleshooting units to determine problems. You don't want to purchase parts on a hunch and wind up spending for something you don't necessarily need.

Your filter may be dirty prohibiting flow. Most Florida pools have cartridge filters. Probably worth your while to replace the cartridge. This way your starting fresh in your new home and you exactly when you installed a replacement. Record the date of the replacement cartridge and keep it handy. Take a photo of the packaging to record the brand and model of the cartridge for future replacement.

I would call Autopilot or visit their site and look for a qualified service company who handles their products or is a certified service company to trouble shoot your area.

All SWG's work the same. Manufacturers though have a different way to get from point A to point B.

Your salt level is correct. In theory, it should be producing chlorine.

@kap328 Ours is Aquarite and my husband and I have called them several times for assistance and they are pretty helpful. You might call Autopilot and get their input. There are a lot of clueless pool service techs; whether it's poor training on the part of their employer or lack of initiative on their part, it is always a great idea to get another opinion. You did right by coming here. Mystic has given you great advice.

I don't use Autopilot for my residential builds, but I have used Autopilot's SWG on a large commercial project 5 years ago. This was a 125,000 gallon pool and it needed a special system. Autopilot was helpful in designing the system needed for this application.