SWG pros and cons

[hawkeye]

I have been looking into getting a swg for the pool,and my lps guy always tells me that its too hard on equipment and i only spend 50.00-60.00 on chlorine a summer so he wouldnt suggest installing one on my pool,and when i ask him why he says "it eats the pool sides and rails away and has seen lots of damage they can cause" so i always wimp out is there any truth to this statement? i finally got to open my pool yesterday!!

 

[JasonLion]

Problems with corrosion are extremely rare. There is really only a problem if you have some of the softer kinds of natural stonework. For most people a SWG comes out about even with what they would be spending on chlorine otherwise. Still, if your chlorine costs really are that low, then it will cost more to get a SWG. A SWG is very very convenient and the vast majority of the people who get one are very happy they did and would never go back.

 

[NWMNMom]

Exactly what Jason said. We used only chlorine products with our old pool and are on the 5th year using salt in this pool. We replaced the liner last spring and inspected for rust, it was no different than the amount of wear n tear, rust or corrosion we had with chlorine only. What IS different is how much less work we do since the swg does the adding automatically. Up front cost, after that just top off salt in the spring

 

[beezar]

Problems with corrosion are extremely rare. There is really only a problem if you have some of the softer kinds of natural stonework. For most people a SWG comes out about even with what they would be spending on chlorine otherwise. Still, if your chlorine costs really are that low, then it will cost more to get a SWG. A SWG is very very convenient and the vast majority of the people who get one are very happy they did and would never go back.

+1 on never going back, at least on my pool. unfortunately bought a house with a separate spa with a flagstone waterfall and can't use SWG there, but really really really wish I could, b/c it is so much more a pain in the rear than the pool.

 

[dmtreff]

I love my SWCG. Would not consider going back. I have several neighbors who chlorinate using tablets, and they always seem to work harder at maintaining their pool than I do. Not that I neglect mine, it just needs less fiddling around now that I have the water balanced.

There are some differences in the way you should balance your levels with a SWCG, but once you have it locked in, it truly is less work. See the following link for more info: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/water_balance_saltwater_generator

You can get a CompuPool unit for around $500-$600 and if you're fairly handy, they can be installed without hiring a pool guy.

Good Luck!