[caberkner]

Originally Posted by lrvalley

Balancing a pool is very easy. Visit TroubleFree Pool and read the getting started articles. You'll have a clearer pool that is far less expensive to maintain. You only need two chemicals for 95% of the maintenance - Muriatic acid and Baking Soda. One raises pH, the other lowers.

Get a good test kit to start with - not strips, they are highly inaccurate. Either get a TF-100 kit from TF Testkits or the Taylor K2006c. Both will give you accurate readings. I would never trust a pool store - they are in business to make money.

TroubleFree pools has an app that tells you exactly what to add based on numbers for either of these kits.

Weekly maintenance is not enough in FL due to the heavy rains and sun. That's why the pool services add so many chemicals - because it needs to last for a week and they over saturate the water so it's sure to last a week.

Once you have balanced the pool, I check twice a week - and usually a day after a heavy rain. That way I add a minimum of chemicals and don't have to worry about any type of issue.

We are exploring the salt water versus chlorine pool and this information is extremely helpful! Thank you so much for sharing what you have learned!

[wisbad1]

Originally Posted by boxcarwilly

Went from PH 7.4 to 7.8 and TA 100 ppm to 120 ppm after 2 plus inches of recent rain..Any pool owners seeing similar?

Wiseman did my pool, ioniser and,ozanater(spelling off) pool uses very little chemicals , no algae, no balance swings. Self cleaning, maybe spend $175.00/year. No cleaning company

[RARO1]

A saltwater pool creates chlorine by electrolysis, one by-product is that ph rises as the acid is used in the process, so you will always have feed the pool acid, it’s basically what’s being turned into chlorine.

Quoted form Wikipedia:
Salt water chlorination produces an excess of hydroxyl ions whilst releasing chlorine from salt, which makes the pool alkaline (sodium hydroxide, NaOH, caustic soda). This requires the frequent addition of hydrochloric acid (HCl, also known as muriatic acid) to neutralise the alkalinity and convert the sodium hydroxide back into sodium chloride (i.e., table salt), which can be split by electrolysis again. Thus the consumable supplying all the chlorine is in fact the hydrochloric acid, with the salt acting as a non-consumed intermediary, being split and reformed.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by Topspinmo

I thought that was the advantage of salt water pools? Less chemicals. Why wouldn’t rain affect PH balance.

I don't think salt water pools require less chemicals. The advantage is that the chlorine generated by the chlorinator, converting salt to chlorine, is less harsh on the swimmer. However, the side effect of the process of creating chlorine from salt creates alkalinity, which needs to be balanced back to a neutral PH of close to 7. There are lots of variables that need to be considered to keep the pool balanced. Sun eats up chlorine, so in the summer, when the sun is high and the days are long, the chlorinator needs to be set to run more often. On the other extreme end, in the winter when the sun is low and the days are short, the chlorinator needs to be turned way down or the pool will be over chlorinated. Also, if you use a pool cover in the winter to hold in the heat, the cover also holds in the chlorine that usually naturally evaporates, making it necessary to turn the chlorinator down even more.

Bottom line, it is trial and error as every pool has a unique personality that needs to be managed. I keep a detailed log of what the appropriate chlorinator setting is for every season. In the summer it runs at about 25 - 30%, in the spring and fall it runs about 15%, and in the winter it typically runs at about 7%, but can need to be set as low as 3% if the cover is on most of the time.

Hope that helps.

[PoolBrews]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

I don't think salt water pools require less chemicals. The advantage is that the chlorine generated by the chlorinator, converting salt to chlorine, is less harsh on the swimmer. However, the side effect of the process of creating chlorine from salt creates alkalinity, which needs to be balanced back to a neutral PH of close to 7. There are lots of variables that need to be considered to keep the pool balanced. Sun eats up chlorine, so in the summer, when the sun is high and the days are long, the chlorinator needs to be set to run more often. On the other extreme end, in the winter when the sun is low and the days are short, the chlorinator needs to be turned way down or the pool will be over chlorinated. Also, if you use a pool cover in the winter to hold in the heat, the cover also holds in the chlorine that usually naturally evaporates, making it necessary to turn the chlorinator down even more.

Bottom line, it is trial and error as every pool has a unique personality that needs to be managed. I keep a detailed log of what the appropriate chlorinator setting is for every season. In the summer it runs at about 25 - 30%, in the spring and fall it runs about 15%, and in the winter it typically runs at about 7%, but can need to be set as low as 3% if the cover is on most of the time.

Hope that helps.

Based on 40 years of pool ownership and maintenance, salt water pools use far less chemicals than traditional chlorine pools. My first pool was an inground pool with a chlorine tab feeder. My monthly cost for chemicals (including chlorine) was in the $150-$200 range. I had this pool for 20 years before I moved to GA.

My pool in GA was where I first heard about salt water pools. After researching it a great deal we went ahead with a salt system. My chemical cost went from the $150-$200 range per month to about $200-$300 for the entire year! The pool water is softer on the skin and far less harsh on the eyes. I would never go back.

I'm sure someone has stated it here, but a salt water pool is still a chlorine pool. The chlorine is generated from the salt in the water, and you can keep your chlorine levels lower as the salt cell is continuously generating chlorine as long as the pump is running.

The problem with ozone or UV systems is that these systems can only disinfect water that passes through them directly. If there are any stagnant areas in the pool (behind the light, ladder, etc) that water never gets disinfected and will cause algae blooms. If you have ozone or UV, you'll still need to add chlorine to insure you don't have issues... and if you have to add chlorine anyway, why worry about two systems?

As an FYI - the pool that cost $150-$200 was a LARGE pool. 50K gallons. The 2nd pool with the SWG was only 40K gallons - but the savings were still substantial.

[bilcon]

I have had a pool for 10 years. Never checked the levels. That's what I hire T&D for. Only once, the levels were so high and could not be brought down, so they emptied my pool and refilled it. The total cost was $80 for the water. Not bad for an 30' pool.