To take care of a salt water pool, you will need to turn your pool’s salt into a self-regenerating supply of chlorine to ensure that your pool maintains the utmost cleanliness at all times.
This also ensures that the water has that beautifully soft feel, immersing you in fresh spa water. Salt water pools are more energy efficient and are easy maintenance which is why so many pool owners are converting their pools into salt water pools.
Follow the advice below to care for your salt water pool, you will need to keep your pump, filter and skimmer in a great operating condition. You should inspect the chlorinator cell and replace it as soon as it is needed in order to maintain the utmost quality to your salt water.
You should also test your water on a regular basis to maintain cleanliness and ensure that your water chemistry is correct.
To maintain the correct water chemistry, use a salt water pool test strip and monitor your chlorine, pH levels, alkaline levels, salt and stabilizer. There are numerous sources online that will calculate the levels that you need and help you to make the necessary adjustments.
If you have been unfortunate enough to have experienced severe weather or where the load has been maximized due to a party, then make sure you are taking measurements as soon as possible. This will make it easier to rebalance your pool’s chemistry.
The main difference between a salt water pool and a chlorinated pool is that in a traditional swimming pool, chlorine is added.
This can be hazardous if the correct measurements are not correctly applied and so the evolution of the pool industry has led to an easier, safer alternative in salt water pools. This is because salt water chlorination is measured by proxy of the pool’s inbuilt regenerating system.
It is therefore a more natural means of sanitization as the salt dissolves into the pool and the system converts it into the necessary amount of chlorine that is required to maintain cleanliness without using unnatural, modified, chemical methods.
You will also save money in the long term as you will not need to purchase chlorine on a regular basis or find a safe place to store it. Simply adding salt to your pool’s chlorinator will allow it to do the chlorination for you.
You may make the common assumption that a salt water pool will become naturally salty. However, this is not the case. Your pool’s salinity level is approximately 1/12 of the salinity contained in the ocean. A drop of water from a salt water pool is less salty than the salt of a human teardrop.
Additionally, salt water has many cleansing properties and it is fantastic for the human skin when used with the correct proportionality.
Salt water systems only require approximately 3200ppm of salt, which is equal to a teaspoon per gallon of water. However, some salt water pools are equipped to operate with salt levels ranging from 2700ppm-3400ppm. When your salt levels overwhelm your salt water pool, most pools will be equipped with an alarm that will warn you to re-configure your salt levels.
You will be able to tell whether your water has become contaminated as the water will become muggy and cloudy. This is similar to a traditional chlorine pool and is indicative of a chlorine deficiency and/or a lack of effective filtration.
Check your pool’s water chemistry as soon as you notice this and then make the necessary adjustments, being careful not to overload the water with too much salt in order to compensate.
To avoid any problems arising with your salt filter, you should keep your filter clean by running the system once a day. This will ensure that the water is ‘turned over’ on a regular basis and that the system is energized to the maximum proficiency.
You should also test your alkalinity levels on a regular basis to ensure that they are kept between 80 and 120ppm. Baking soda can be used to rectify any discrepancies in your alkalinity levels and will raise them when necessary.
Muriatic acid can be used to lower alkalinity if needed. However, cyanuric acid of CYA is the best chemical stabilizer for salt water pools and should measure around 70-80ppm. Your calcium levels should also measure around 200-400ppm to prevent any unnecessary hardening or scaling that will inevitably lead to corrosion.
If you want to change from a chlorinated pool to a salt pool, the process is a lot easier that you may expect. No matter the size of your pool, there are numerous salt water pool companies that can assist you in the process, ensuring that you can convert with ease.
To conclude, maintaining a salt water pool is a convenient, easy process that removes the need for dangerous chemical spillage or overload.
The self-regenerating aspect of the pool is it’s key selling point and as such, you will be able to maintain your pool’s water chemistry without needing to worry about making continual, chemical readjustments and spending an unnecessary amount of money on chlorine.
There are no overpowering chloramines and the electrolysis process of chlorine conversion leaves your pool with a silky, soft texture that never leaves you feeling dirty, even after a pool party!
Your salt water cell should be opened and checked approximately every three months to prevent scale building and corroding the inside and a high powered hose will clean any scale efficiently.
Despite this, the ease and convenience of owning a salt water pool is unmatched in comparison to a traditional chlorine pool and you should definitely consider the benefits of owning one during the winter months where it will be increasingly harder to maintain your pool.
Salt water pools make the process of ‘winterizing’ the equipment a lot easier, especially if you have a removable unit. Above all, a natural process of conversion and amalgamation makes a salt water pool both convenient and attractive from an ecological standpoint.
