I have a 16,000 gallon pool with an electric opaque safety cover. The pool consumes no more than 1 ppm FC per day on average during the 7-month swim season with the pool used at least 5 days of the week. That's the big advantage with having an opaque pool cover -- minimal loss from sunlight and rock-solid pH from minimal outgassing and minimal water loss from evaporation.
My 12.5% chlorinating liquid costs me $3.60 per gallon including tax and 1 ppm FC takes about 2 cups for my pool and that's pretty much all I have to add all season long (i.e. no other chemicals). I only have to get a crate of 4 gallons about once a month and they reuse the bottles so there's no plastic waste. That's 26-1/4 gallons or about $95 per season. Electricity costs $0.32 per kilowatt-hour at our tier. The pool pump is a much bigger operating cost at $700 per year and that's after getting a Pentair Intellilo -- my previous pumps (including booster pump for a pressure-side pool cleaner) used to cost twice as much per year. My other high cost is use of the gas heater that extends the season (heating water through solar panels is done for most of the season).
If I were to get an SWG, it would primarily be for convenience, not cost savings, though I only have to add chlorine to my pool twice a week so it's not a big deal. Also, there is no free lunch and none of the downsides (most of which can be mitigated) of 3000 ppm salt pools were talked about.
Richard
My 12.5% chlorinating liquid costs me $3.60 per gallon including tax and 1 ppm FC takes about 2 cups for my pool and that's pretty much all I have to add all season long (i.e. no other chemicals). I only have to get a crate of 4 gallons about once a month and they reuse the bottles so there's no plastic waste. That's 26-1/4 gallons or about $95 per season. Electricity costs $0.32 per kilowatt-hour at our tier. The pool pump is a much bigger operating cost at $700 per year and that's after getting a Pentair Intellilo -- my previous pumps (including booster pump for a pressure-side pool cleaner) used to cost twice as much per year. My other high cost is use of the gas heater that extends the season (heating water through solar panels is done for most of the season).
If I were to get an SWG, it would primarily be for convenience, not cost savings, though I only have to add chlorine to my pool twice a week so it's not a big deal. Also, there is no free lunch and none of the downsides (most of which can be mitigated) of 3000 ppm salt pools were talked about.
Richard