Salt Water Pool Care Tips

salt water pool care girl

Salt Water Pool Care

On-site chlorine generators are becoming more popular among pool owners because they introduce chlorine directly to the pool water. When you have a salt chlorine generator installed into your pool’s plumbing, then you eliminate chlorine storage, transportation, and handling.

The salt generator can create free chlorine through an electrolysis process to keep your water sanitized. But even though you have a salt chlorine generator does not mean you are free and clear of taking care of your pool water. It does not free you from maintaining your water weekly and monthly.

What are some Salt Water Pool Care Tips?

Your pool water needs to be tested weekly for the levels of free chlorine and pH. Salt chlorine generator tends to make the pH levels rise over time.  And pH directly affects the ability for chlorine to oxidize matter and kill off organisms. When the pH is too high, then the chlorine is non-effective.  Your pH levels need to be within the range of 7.4 to 7.6. And your free chlorine needs to be 1 to 3 ppm.

For your monthly maintenance, you need to test the pool water for salt, alkalinity, stabilizer, and calcium. You need to get in the habit of knowing your salt levels. The generators will not be able to produce chlorine correctly if the salt levels are too low. And too high and low concentrations of salt can affect your salt cell over time. The blades can weaken faster in high and low salt levels.

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Salt is a dissolved solid, so it does not dissipate from the water. New water added to the pool reduces the salt levels. So, if you have a leaking pool and must continuously add water or live in an area that rains a lot, you will need to test your salt levels more often than a month. You need to check your generator to know the range you need your salt levels.

The salt levels required for your pool is based on how many gallons your pool has and the current salt levels. A great calculator to use to know how much salt your pool needs is https://poolchemicalcalculator.com has a pool salt calculator. Not only does the website let you know how many gallons your pool has and salt required for your pool but will help you with free chlorine, pH, alkalinity, stabilizer, and more.

Alkalinity is the measurement that indicates your pool water’s ability to withstand pH level changes. Your levels need to be 80 to 120 ppm. Stabilizer, also known as cyanuric acid, helps the chlorine in your water not dissipate quickly from heat and ultraviolet rays from the sun. If the stabilizer levels are too low, there will be a high demand for chlorine. And elevated levels of stabilizer will make your chlorine not useful. High calcium levels in your water will make your cell get clogged up with calcium build-up quicker.

If you are noticing your chlorine levels keep coming out zero and all your chemistry levels are within range, then you need to check your phosphate levels. Phosphates come from rainfall, fertilizer, sunscreen, lotions, debris, animals and more. Chlorine does not get rid of phosphates, so it will build up over time causing a high demand for chlorine on your generator. Your levels need to be zero. You just need to add phosphate remover to the water to reduce the levels.

At least every three months you need to inspect your salt cell. Over time it gets calcium build up. Even though most systems that have reverse polarity, which means it changes the charge every 4 hours or more to help prevent build-up. You will still need to clean the cell because the reverse polarity does not prevent build-up. Reverse polarity just slows the process down. Need to follow your generator’s manual instructions on how to clean the cell from calcium build-up. Most suggest 4 parts water and 1 part muriatic acid in a bucket and soaking the cell for a few minutes in the mixture.

salt water pool care safety

salt water pool care safety

If you live in an area that you must winterize your pool, then you will need to winterize your salt chlorine generator as well. The best way to winterize the system is removing the flow switch and salt cell from the plumbing and storing somewhere away from the freezing weather. For pools opened year-round, you will need to run your pump continuously if the weather is expected to freeze.

Salt water pool care does not have to be hard. Maintaining your salt water pool year-round will help keep your pool sparkling clean and safe for you and your family to swim.

Adding Salt to Above Ground Pools

adding salt to above ground pools

When using a salt chlorine generator to disinfect swimming pool water, adding salt to above ground pools is an important factor to keep it safe, clean and uncontaminated. Above ground pool sanitation is critical to ensure healthy conditions in the pool water.

Pool water tends to get contaminated with time and forms algae on the surfaces. Also, if proper measures are not taken this causes unsafe swimming conditions. The pool water will get contaminated with bacteria, germs, microorganisms and more.

When the salt dissolves, the electrolysis process in the salt cell will produce pure chlorine gas for the above ground pool water. And is keeps a continuous flow of chlorine in the water during operation hours based on the amount your pool needs.

Salt chlorine generators are becoming popular because pool owners no longer have to transport or store chlorine. Salt water pools also do not irritate your eyes and skin like chlorine pools.

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Salt Instructions

After installing generators by professionals, many pools owners are not instructed correctly on the core upkeep for the pool water and the salt generator system. For example, a lot of homeowners need to know how much salt to add? How to add the salt to the pool? What type of salt is best?

First, check your chlorine generator manual to find out the operating level of your generator. Some of the salt chlorine generators have their operating salt level on the system’s power supply. Usually, generators operate between the ranges of 3000-4000 ppm. So, for proper operating conditions, you need to bring the salt level to the range required for your system.

Second, you need to determine the current salt level of the water. A new pool will have 0 to low salt levels. If you have already added salt to your pool at one time, you will need to test your pool water for the current salt level. Salt is a total dissolved solid, so it will not leave your water. But rain or adding new water will reduce your salt levels.

If you want to find an accurate salt level of your pool, you may check it by using salt water test strips. Remember to make sure the expiration date is not expired. If it is, you will get incorrect salt levels. You can take a water sample and get your salt concentration level checked at your local pool store. Or use a digital salt level reader.

Once you know your current salt level, now you need to know how much salt your pool needs. Using https://poolchemicalcalculator.com is an easy way to find out the calculations for your desired salt level. On the Salt PPM Calculator, you enter your gallons, current salt levels, and desired salt levels for your pool and this awesome calculator will calculate the required salt amount for you.

If you do not know how many gallons your pool holds, https://poolchemicalcalculator.com/ has a Pool Volume Calculator. You can select your pool shape and enter your dimensions. Then it will give how many gallons your pool holds.

When it comes to the salt for your salt chlorine generator, the best salt to use is basic sodium chloride. You do not want salt that has additives and minerals; it can cause salt level errors with your system. Additives and minerals affect the salt readings by making them high readings for your system.

Adding salt to above ground pools is easy. There is no complicated process when adding the salt. You simply pour the salt in the pool water. It is best to pour it around the whole pool and not in one spot. Do not brush the salt after pouring it into the water; it could cause damage to your pool liner. It takes about 24 to 48 hours for the salt to dissolve. After that test the water to make sure you have enough salt for proper operation.

Allergic to Chlorine? Get a Saltwater Pool and Take a Dip Whenever You Want

Allergic to chlorine

Swimming is an excellent way to pass the time. You get to work and have fun at the same time. But for people with asthma or allergic to chlorine, taking a dip in a swimming pool treated with chlorine causes a lot of discomforts. Furthermore, chlorinated water may cause or aggravate asthma.

Chlorine Can Cause Asthma

Numerous studies show that Olympic swimmers have higher chances of developing asthma. The studies revealed that amount of time spent in the water was directly proportional to the likelihood of developing asthma. In fact, a quarter of the competitive swimmers surveyed for the study had asthma.

Now, a quarter is a significant number by any proportions. It’s safe to assume spending too much time in a chlorinated pool increases your chances of developing asthma by at least 25%. And that’s not the bad news for most people out there.

Chlorine Causes Skin Irritations

Apart from asthma, some skin types react violently to chlorine. If your skin becomes irritated or itchy after a few minutes in the pool, then you are sensitive to chlorine.

That doesn’t mean you can’t still go for an afternoon dip, however. If you want to keep asthma at bay as well as that awful itch you get after a swim, you should think about a salt water swimming pool.

What makes saltwater pools better than chlorine pools you may ask?

What Are Saltwater Pools

A saltwater pool is just another sanitation system you can use on your pool. Just like the chlorine-based sanitation system, the salt water generator works by converting salt to chlorine to kill the microorganisms in the pool. Other products oxidize organic compounds in the pool like perspiration, sunscreen, and urine.

Saltwater pools do not oxidize contaminants in your pool. You can, however, add ultraviolet disinfectants to your saltwater pool to get rid of organic contaminants.

Now for the best part. By installing a saltwater pool, you don’t have to use chlorine in your pool anymore. If you are allergic to chlorine or you are afraid of getting an asthma attack after a swim, get a saltwater pool.

With a saltwater pool, you get all the sanitation of a chlorine pool without exposing your chlorine sensitive skin to chlorine.

Another benefit of installing a saltwater mechanism in your pool is that the system saves you lots of time, and money compared to a chlorine pool. With a saltwater pool, you don’t have to manually add chlorine to the pool, or hire someone to do it for you.

Just press a button, and the automatic system generates enough salt to sanitize your pool. What’s more, some of the newer saltwater pool systems have built-in cleaning features. Installing such a system would save your loads on pool cleaning fees.

And those few reasons are why in the saltwater vs. chlorine pools battle, saltwater pools always win.