Swimming Pool options

[MossRoad]

Unless your dogs will habitually drink out of the pool, chlorine won't hurt them.

Salt water systems in pools means you're adding salt, instead of chlorine tablets. But then, the salt(sodium chloride) is split apart so you still end up with chlorine in the water, the way you introduce it is different. Chlorine tablets when improperly stored/used can be dangerous and cause burns, so I guess salt has that going for it. If you had no chlorine suspended in the pool algae would grow on the surfaces with nothing to kill it. Even with chlorine, I still get a bit of algae.

I only add salt at the start of the year when I top off the pool. I add enough to bring it up to 3500ppm. Then I don't have to add any more salt for the rest of the year, unless we get a huge rain that overflows the pool and dilutes the salt.

Salt cannot evaporate. Therefore, once it's in the pool, it stays in the pool, regardless of how much water evaporates. So as your pool level drops due to evaporation, the salt level increases. As you add water to the pool, the salt level decreases.

Chlorine tablets have to get added constantly and consistently throughout the year, wether it's by an automatic system, or manually.

If you forget to add chlorine to your automated system, or to your manual system, you'll be out of chlorine eventually, whereas with salt, you don't have to worry about forgetting, because you never have to add it regularly, because it's always suspended in the water.

The only thing you have to worry about is a power outage that kills the saltwater chlorine generator, but then, your filter pump will be dead too, and so would your automated chlorine dispenser if you had one.

 

[dragoneggs]

I only add salt at the start of the year when I top off the pool. I add enough to bring it up to 3500ppm. Then I don't have to add any more salt for the rest of the year, unless we get a huge rain that overflows the pool and dilutes the salt.

Salt cannot evaporate. Therefore, once it's in the pool, it stays in the pool, regardless of how much water evaporates. So as your pool level drops due to evaporation, the salt level increases. As you add water to the pool, the salt level decreases.

Chlorine tablets have to get added constantly and consistently throughout the year, wether it's by an automatic system, or manually.

If you forget to add chlorine to your automated system, or to your manual system, you'll be out of chlorine eventually, whereas with salt, you don't have to worry about forgetting, because you never have to add it regularly, because it's always suspended in the water.

The only thing you have to worry about is a power outage that kills the saltwater chlorine generator, but then, your filter pump will be dead too, and so would your automated chlorine dispenser if you had one.

That seems to be the beauty of saltwater system in a nutshell, and why I want to go that way next time. Less maintenance assuming your plumbing can handle it.

 

[fatjay]

But still chlorine is present in the water, even if there is an addition of salt. I steadily add chlorine to my system through tablets much in hte way your salt system steadily converts salt to chlorine. Your pool salinity is much higher in the start of the year compared to the end of the year i suspect if you only add once though. But the chlorine level is constant in ideal circumstances. The point is salt isn't a replacement for chlorine as an either-or, salt is converted to chlorine steadily through a system that separates the chlorine and sodium. Which means a salt water system would be as hazardous to animals as a regular chlorine system.

 

[hunt4570]

Eddie, do yourself a favor and go salt water!! I've had both, add chemicals all the time kind, and the one I have now with salt water. A salt water pool is still a chlorine pool. There is a chlorine generator that basically turns the salt in the pool to chlorine. Its as close to maintenance free as you are going to get!
All my cats and dogs drink out of it all the time with no ill effects. Think about it... billions and billions of kids are in pools all the time, they have to make that stuff safe! Yes you have to pay attention to it, but with the salt system generator that is very easy to do. I'm in a warm climate like you are and my pool is open all year long, lots easier than closing and then opening every year!

"Trouble free pool" .com is a good source of information but some things on there (yes I belong) you have to take with a grain of salt.. they are kind of pool snobs on there. My pool is pristine all year long without going through all the hoops they want you to!

 

[riptides]

...My pool...

Nice. And nice layout too.

 

[hunt4570]

Nice. And nice layout too.

Thanks, Its been a project. We started with a little farmhouse.. re did it, added the pool and cabana and all the good stuff. Is about where we want it now.

 

[MossRoad]

But still chlorine is present in the water, even if there is an addition of salt. I steadily add chlorine to my system through tablets much in hte way your salt system steadily converts salt to chlorine. Your pool salinity is much higher in the start of the year compared to the end of the year i suspect if you only add once though. But the chlorine level is constant in ideal circumstances. The point is salt isn't a replacement for chlorine as an either-or, salt is converted to chlorine steadily through a system that separates the chlorine and sodium. Which means a salt water system would be as hazardous to animals as a regular chlorine system.

My pool salinity is constant all year long. I keep it at 35000ppm by adding water back to the normal level as needed due to evaporation.

As I've mentioned twice before, the only time I have to add salt is if we have torrential rains that overflow the pool and dilute the salt. Then I take advantage of the excess water and backwash the filter to get the pool to normal level, measure the salt level with a test strip, and add enough salt to bring it back to 3500ppm.

 

[Big Barn]

Another vote for salt water pool.

 

[dragoneggs]

Another vote for salt water pool.

View attachment 661952

Can't wait for our hot August... will bring my suit. Wife said, 'I hope so'.

 

[dodge man]

I will throw out another thought, vacuuming your pool. I had an above ground and did it by hand with a pole or climbed in and did it, which was usually easier. I always wanted one those that crawled around on the bottom automatically but I do not think they work on above ground. Just keeping the pool vacuumed goes a long way on keeping the water clear.