AGP and Salt Water Concerns

[tommyd123]

Hey all!

I am curious about the actual concerns of running a salt water system with an above ground pool that is not designed for use with salt water. I am very well aware of the risks of increased corrosion and all, but what is the real world risk? My pool is 4 years old, and looks to be in good shape with no leaks. I am not really concerned if the pool lasts for 30 years, so if I get another 4 years out of it and don't have to worry about tabs or chlorine jugs, then it is worth it to me. So whats the realistic impact of pool life when running a salt water system on my AGP?

Thomas

 

[Pooldoctor]

The risk is with any possible dribbling leaks near the return, the skimmer and splash out over the sides. That salt water will accumulate on the bottom ring which holds the wall on place. It won't take long for it to dissolve that metal. Once the bottom ring is gone, you are in danger of full collapse. I wouldn't do it. That pool has over 20,000 gallons of water in it, that's a serious amount of pressure being exerted on a possibly damaged bottom ring.

 

[pooldv]

Lots and lots of people here have above ground pools with saltwater chlorine generators. Certainly above ground pools with metal walls and bottoms are going to rust over time, with or without salt, I have not heard of any catastrophic failures. Pools will rust, spring leaks and give you plenty of information as time goes by. I wouldn't hesitate to make it saltwater.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I bet if you tested your current pool water's salt level (chloride ion concentration, Cl-), you'd probably see that is already pushing 2000ppm just from all the chlorine, tabs and acid use of the previous 4 seasons. Salt water pools typically only need ~3600ppm chloride ion concentration to operate. That's about 10X less concentrated than sea water. Your pool shell isn't going to corrode any faster than it already is. The area of most concern would be if they used cheaper, dissimilar metals in contact with one another thus creating the situation where galvanic corrosion can occur. However, that will happen with or without salt present.

I agree with pooldv's assessment, the benefits and ease of use that occur with the installation of an SWG far outweigh any additional risks imposed by saltwater corrosion.

That said, adding an SWG might very well void any remaining warranty you have on the pool so you'll need to accept that as a possibility if you choose to convert.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006