How To Transition To Salt Water Pool

Although common salt h2o pools have been around since the 1970s, their popularity has grown chop-chop in recent years. This is due in big part to their reduced cost in budget. They're also easier on your skin, pilus, and optics, and you've probably heard salt water is healthier than chlorine, too.

Maybe yous've been thinking nigh salt water pool conversion to take reward of all those benefits. But what a hassle that modify would exist, correct? Actually, the conversion process is fairly simple, so if you're thinking of doing it yourself, yous're in luck.

Why Practice a Salt Water Pool Conversion?

Chlorinated pool water can be difficult on you because of chemicals called chloramines. These compounds are created when the chlorine in your puddle water comes into contact with things like urine and sweat, and they tin can be harmful in two means.

Commencement, they aren't effective at disinfecting the water like chlorine, then water cleaning is inhibited. Second, they crusade irritation of the eyes, skin, and lungs. Potent chloramines tin build up in the air surrounding a pool, especially indoor pools. When the air is thick with these chemicals, it can fifty-fifty cause coughing or trigger an asthma assault.

Frequent exposure to chlorine can even crusade some people to develop an allergy or sensitivity to the chemical. And for those who are already sensitive to information technology, swimming in a chlorine pool can cause rashes, hives, and itchy skin across the simple dryness you may feel from chlorine exposure.

If you lot have respiratory problems, such as asthma or allergic rhinitis, y'all may find your symptoms exacerbated past frequently pond in a chlorine pool. If your puddle is causing you discomfort, a table salt water pool conversion could exist only the solution you lot're searching for.

On the less serious side, if yous're a blonde, yous've probably experienced your hair turning greenish in a pool sanitized with chlorine. Colored hair can look great, but this probably isn't exactly the look y'all're going for. So why does it happen? Science!

Merely like a lost penny on the beach turns greenish, copper in your puddle water tin turn your hair greenish, and high chlorine levels can merely brand it worse. Chlorine and copper bail readily, coating your hair in green film. A salt water pool conversion tin lower the likelihood of light-green-stained hair.

If you accept this problem, exist certain to test your h2o for heavy metals. One common cause of copper in your pool water is using copper-based algaecide. Cheque your algaecide, and consider a non-copper alternative.

Our Peak Choice

What's So Great Nigh Salt Water?

So now that you understand why chlorinated water may not be the best option for you and your family, let's talk virtually what might make salt water a better pick.

Salt Water Pools Are Gentler to Your Body

Switching away from harsh chlorine has to be a positive, right? Sure. But the nearly important thing to sympathise is that salt water pools are not really chlorine costless. However, the presence of salt in the h2o reduces the kind of eye and skin irritation you may experience by swimming in a chlorine pool.

A salt chlorine generator creates the same kind of chlorine used in a chlorine pool. Information technology's imperative to keep chlorine levels stable to inhibit the formation of chloramines.

In a salt water pool, when chlorine levels are stable, and chloramines are not present, the salinity of the water is much closer to the salinity of your natural tear ducts.

This is why information technology doesn't hurt to open your eyes in a salt water pool, and why your skin and hair won't feel as dry after swimming.

Hayward Table salt Chlorination System (Salt Water Generator)

This salt water generator (or table salt h2o chlorinator) has a high/low table salt and temperature indicators to help protect your equipment. And the self-cleaning salt prison cell makes regular maintenance easy. Bank check out their models for both inground and above ground pools.

Purchase Now on Amazon

If you click this link and make a purchase, we earn a commission at no additional cost to you lot.

Salt Water Pools Price Less to Maintain

While you may take been led to believe that all you need to do to maintain a salt water pool is throw in some table salt every few weeks, it's really a bit more than involved than that.

The good news is, salt water puddle maintenance can cost a lot less than caring for a chlorine puddle, which can be 1 of the most important deciding factors in making the switch. Exactly how much less expensive table salt h2o is than chlorine over the lifetime of your pool depends on several factors such every bit where you live, the size of your pool, the quality of the equipment y'all use, and how well you maintain it.

The up-front cost of a chlorinator ranges from a few hundred to a thousand dollars or more than. Long-term costs include replacing the chlorinator jail cell—the office that actually converts salt to chlorine—every five years or so, provided you maintain your chlorinator well.

You'll besides notwithstanding need to keep your water balanced, simply another positive aspect of a salt h2o pool conversion is yous'll likely require fewer chemicals to keep the water balanced.

And so while things like test strips or digital testers and a few chemicals volition even so have to be office of your maintenance budget, your monthly chemic costs will still be lower with a salt water pool, than with chlorine.

Salt Water Pools Have Softer Water

You might be surprised to learn that salt h2o pools contain far less salt than seawater. The ocean's salt level is 35,000 parts per 1000000 (ppm), roughly ten times more salt than that water in a common salt h2o pool.

Every bit a result, the water feels quite soft, and yous won't notice the salt in a salt water pool the aforementioned way you do at the embankment. It doesn't even taste salty—only you withal shouldn't drink it.

Preparing Your Pool for Conversion

Before you install the chlorinator and begin the salt water pool conversion process, you'll need to decide how to best introduce the salt to pool water.

To Drain or Not To Drain

The good news is, you don't have to drain your pool. Notwithstanding (You knew there would be a however, right?), if y'all currently apply an antibacterial agent in your puddle, draining the pool may be a good idea.

The active ingredient in this type of pool sanitizer is polyhexamethylene biguanide, a chemical that is non uniform with chlorine. Because your salt water puddle will contain chlorine, if this amanuensis is not offset removed from the water, your puddle h2o volition not be properly counterbalanced, and the chlorine will exist less effective at keeping your water clean.

Yous have two options in this case—drain your pool and beginning from scratch with new water, or "fire" the antibacterial agent out of the water with a high dose of chlorine.

This option will turn your pool water white, and it will take several days to misemploy. Once it does, you can brainstorm the table salt water conversion process.

salt-water-pool

Test Your Pool Water

Before you begin altering your pool water chemistry, you first need to test for free chlorine, pH, cyanuric acid (stabilizer), alkalinity, calcium hardness, heavy metals, and common salt. If you demand to make pool chemistry adjustments, do then in this order: chlorine, alkalinity, pH, stabilizer, calcium hardness, then metals.

The order matters because each adjustment can affect the other measurements. It's also important to make the adjustments over time, so take that into account while choosing when to install your chlorinator. After your water is counterbalanced, you'll be ready to add salt to your pool.

Have Precautions for Your Puddle Liner

If y'all have a vinyl liner, you lot'll be happy to know you can use a salt chlorinator system in your pool without taking whatever extra precautions. The liner will be exposed to lower levels of chlorine, so it may even extend your liner'due south lifespan.

However, many inground pools have galvanized walls behind the liner. If your liner springs a leak—even a small-scale leak—allowing salinized water to seep out against the steel wall, the wall will eventually corrode.

Similarly, higher up basis pools with a lot of metallic parts can rust over time due to exposure to salt water. If y'all have a resin above ground puddle, you tin can make the switch without this concern.

Choosing a Chlorinator

A table salt h2o chlorination system works by passing an electrical current through salinized water, causing a chemical reaction via electrolysis that creates chlorine from table salt molecules.

The 2 main parts of a salt chlorinator are the prison cell and the control lath: the cell is where electrolysis takes place to create chlorine; the command board allows you to adapt how much chlorine is generated.

When choosing a chlorinator, keep a few things in mind:

Size – Choose the size you need based on your puddle chapters in gallons. If you lot're non certain how many gallons your puddle holds, use pool reckoner to effigy it out.
Price – Purchase a chlorinator that is both priced within your budget, but of the best quality you tin afford. Chlorinator costs bridge a range from a few hundred to a thousand dollars. Cheaper doesn't necessarily mean worse, but don't forget to consider lifespan and replacement costs in your search.
Features – Select a organisation that offers all the bells and whistles you need according to where you live, and how much automation y'all desire. Basic chlorinators allow you to adjust the amount of chlorine they'll create and not much else.
Fancier systems offer digital readouts, salt levels, automatic cell cleaning, menstruum control, and freeze protections, among other things.

Pool Volume Estimator Click on your pool shape to calculate the book of water.

rectangle pool Rectangle

rectangle pool Round

Frustrated by adding chemicals and trying to keep your pool articulate all the time?

Nosotros cutting out all the defoliation of pool maintenance in this piece of cake-to-read illustrated ebook and video course. It'll help you salve $100 correct away on puddle care!

Click Here to Acquire More

The Pool Care Handbook

The Salt Water Puddle Conversion Procedure

The procedure of converting an existing chlorine pool to a salt h2o pool is much simpler than you might imagine. Once y'all've invested in a quality chlorinator, you're ready to install information technology, and begin the conversion procedure.

Installing a Chlorinator

After your water is properly balanced, installing the cell and control board will accept about one day. Be sure to close off the power with the circuit breaker before you lot begin. Keep it off until you're set up to test the unit, and so shut it off again while yous consummate the installation.

Yous'll be working with water and electricity, then keep with caution. If you're not confident working with electric wires, basic hand tools, and cutting and gluing PVC pipes, we recommend letting a pro handle the installation.

If you feel yous have the skills to tackle it, y'all tin can do the installation yourself.

To get an idea whether do-it-yourself installation is something you lot tin tackle, review the basic installation steps.

Balance the water in your pool per installation manual specifications. Note: You exercise non need to drain your puddle.
Add the required amount of salt to reach the desired concentration. Notation: The installation manual should provide a table detailing the amount of salt needed based on the book of water in your pool.
The salt should exist broadcast across the pool surface. It may take up to 24 hours to fully dissolve.
Mount the chlorinator controller on a wall near your pool equipment pad.
Wire the chlorinator controller for power according to the manual specifications. Notation: Some systems come with a ability cord that plugs directly into a ground mistake circuit interrupter (GFCI) protected circuit.
Others can be wired to an existing fourth dimension clock, or can be wired direct to the pool pump to get their power. Also, the controller will come up with grounding wire and bonding wire for condom electric connections.
Install the chlorinator cell into the pool plumbing after the filter. Note: The chlorinator prison cell should be the final piece of equipment on the pool pipe earlier the h2o returns to the puddle.
Connect the chlorinator cell to the chlorinator controller.
Plow on the pool pump, and check for leaks. Operate the pump for several hours to assistance circulate water and dissolve the salt.
Turn on the salt chlorinator and start enjoying your salt water pool.

Life with a Salt Water Pool

Now that you've completed your salt h2o pool conversion, what will maintenance be like? Your salt water chlorination system only creates chlorine from common salt—information technology does not balance your water. Yous'll all the same need to examination your water regularly, sometimes adding chemicals to balance information technology.

These chemicals are the aforementioned ones you'd use in a chlorine pool. Just recall, your h2o volition no longer require the big amounts of maintenance chlorine for sanitizing.

Testing and Cleaning

Follow some simple steps to maintain make clean, clear water and extend the life of your chlorinator cell:

Skim to remove debris daily, or as often as possible.
Test for costless chlorine and pH weekly.
Check and clean your filter, skimmer, and pump weekly.
Examination alkalinity, calcium hardness, cyanuric acid, metals, and full dissolved solids, and salt levels monthly.
Scrub the sides of your pool and vacuum at least once a calendar month.
Check your cell for buildup every three months, and clean it with muriatic acid as needed.

Choosing a Common salt Type

This is one of the most important decisions you'll brand when it comes to maintaining your new salt h2o pool. Just as you wouldn't utilise rock salt at the dinner tabular array, you don't want to use table common salt in your puddle. Just pool-grade salt will do.

The most important aspect of choosing pool salt is impurity levels—that is, minerals and metals contained in the common salt. If yous dump salt full of impurities into your pool water, yous'll spend fourth dimension and coin fighting imbalances, metals, or calcium carbonate buildup.

The salt's purity is ordinarily displayed on production packages equally a percentage. Choose a high-quality pool-form salt to avoid issues. Also make sure you're using enough table salt for your pool'southward volume to maintain a level between ii,700 ppm and 3,400 ppm, with the platonic level being 3,200 ppm.

Our Top Pick

Puddle Salt for Salt Water Pools

Professional Pool Salt crystallizes early to match the fastest dissolve rates on the market place - no more waiting for hours for chlorine tablets to deliquesce and produce beautiful clean water.

Buy Now On Amazon

If you click this link and make a purchase, we earn a commission at no additional toll to you.

A Few Potential Concerns

Table salt water pool conversion may be a simple process, just it'southward still a big decision, so yous may still have some concerns. We'll try to put those to rest for you.

Galvanic Corrosion

Y'all may have heard virtually ane potential issue with table salt water systems chosen galvanic corrosion. If you've ever lived nigh the sea, you lot've seen what happens when salty air and water beat upward on metal over time.

Is this actually a trouble with common salt water pools? It can be. Information technology doesn't just occur on metal objects outside your pool, but can also happen when metals are present in your pool water. You can aid prevent this is by installing a zinc anode.

Pet Safety

Is it OK for your pets to drink from a salt water pool? The salinity of your puddle h2o is very depression, unlike the ocean. Also, the chlorine levels are no college than what you lot'll find in your own tap water. Even so, this doesn't mean y'all should allow your pet to beverage from the puddle.

If you accidentally swallow some salt water while you're pond, it's not going to hurt you. But drinking from your pool every day would presently begin to have negative effects on your body, particularly your kidneys.

The same is true for your pets. If they sneak an occasional beverage or two, they'll be fine. But you must accept steps to ensure it doesn't go a habit, or that they come to think of the pool as a good source of drinking h2o.

If your pet has whatever wellness issues, such as heart disease, kidney disease, or table salt restrictions, information technology's even more important to ensure they never drinkable from the pool at all.

dog-drink-from-pool

Puddle Surface area Damage

A mutual concern is whether the area around your pool volition be damaged past a common salt water pool conversion. Probably no more than information technology would be afflicted past chlorine. Metal pool furniture and fixtures may suffer corrosion over fourth dimension, and then it's best to avoid those materials, if possible.

If salinized h2o is regularly splashed onto plants around your pool, their health may suffer. Concrete coping and stonework may also be affected if not properly sealed, or at least hosed down after utilize.

Exist a Pool Owner Worth Your Table salt!

While a salt water puddle will salvage you money on chlorine, remember that your puddle volition still need budget to maintain make clean, crystal articulate h2o. But if you're concerned virtually the pitfalls of chlorine—and you're tired of light-green hair—salt water conversion may be the perfect solution for you.

Happy Swimming!

Matt Giovanisci is the founder of Swim University® and has been in the pool and spa industry since 1995. Since then, his mission is to make puddle and hot tub care piece of cake for anybody. And each year, he continues to help more than people with water chemistry, cleaning, and troubleshooting.

Download Our FREE Pool Care Crook Sheet

This free printable cheat canvass helps keep your inground, higher up footing, or Intex pool clean and articulate without messing with confusing h2o chemistry.

Become The Gratuitous Crook Sheet

Recommended Guides