I have heard before that salt, like conditioner is something that only needs to be added at start up. It only needs replenishment if there is a lot of evaporation, or splash out. Just looking for some opinions.
Salt pool
- Thread starter Kitty
- Start date
Welcome to TFP!
You are mostly correct. It only needs replenished due to splash out or backwashing. You do not lose salt or CYA to evaporation.
Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short
You are mostly correct. It only needs replenished due to splash out or backwashing. You do not lose salt or CYA to evaporation.
Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short
- Aug 14, 2011
- 61
Hello Kitty! (sorry, I couldn't resist!) 
Dr. Blizzle's Tapa Talk made him all thumbs (he's a neurosurgeon of pools, but a stand up comedian on his phone!), which might have confused you...so here's my clarification and one addition.
You WILL add more salt at some time, due to splash-out, backwash water and salt loss, and also DILUTION if you get a lot of rain and suffer from overflow. I have customers with SWCG pools that have built in overflows in areas that get 120" of rain yearly (some months get 27" of rain)! My biggest user purchases 20 bags of salt at a time and leaves them in the pool room for us to add as needed. If you live in dry areas, you won't have to add much salt...it will concentrate to higher ppm due to evaporation, and when you add the water back, it will return to normal. But watch out if you have an automatic water adding valve, that it doesn't (OOPS!) keep running, thereby diluting your salt and cyanuric acid (conditioner).
Have fun!
Dr. Blizzle's Tapa Talk made him all thumbs (he's a neurosurgeon of pools, but a stand up comedian on his phone!), which might have confused you...so here's my clarification and one addition.
You WILL add more salt at some time, due to splash-out, backwash water and salt loss, and also DILUTION if you get a lot of rain and suffer from overflow. I have customers with SWCG pools that have built in overflows in areas that get 120" of rain yearly (some months get 27" of rain)! My biggest user purchases 20 bags of salt at a time and leaves them in the pool room for us to add as needed. If you live in dry areas, you won't have to add much salt...it will concentrate to higher ppm due to evaporation, and when you add the water back, it will return to normal. But watch out if you have an automatic water adding valve, that it doesn't (OOPS!) keep running, thereby diluting your salt and cyanuric acid (conditioner).
Have fun!
Well thank you for clearing that one up for me. Makes more sense than the statement you should NEVER have to add salt with the exception of start up. How do you feel about a product that adds life to your cell by breaking down the calcium. Like a scale product, called scale free?
- Aug 14, 2011
- 61
Aloha Kitty! (See...I CAN exercise self-control!)
To answer your question, I would have to know more about what type of water you have...people with really hard water DO get calcium buildup on the plates of their generators. Where I'm from, we don't have any calcium in the water (the island is young and still being built!), just silica. So I don't have much experience with those "anti-scale" products. But I do know that there ARE chelating agents and sequestering agents that can help if you have a naturally high calcium concentration in your water. That's probably what scale free contains.
What kind of reading do you get on a Calcium Hardness test?
Aloha!
To answer your question, I would have to know more about what type of water you have...people with really hard water DO get calcium buildup on the plates of their generators. Where I'm from, we don't have any calcium in the water (the island is young and still being built!), just silica. So I don't have much experience with those "anti-scale" products. But I do know that there ARE chelating agents and sequestering agents that can help if you have a naturally high calcium concentration in your water. That's probably what scale free contains.
What kind of reading do you get on a Calcium Hardness test?
Aloha!
Hmmm got to get better at that CH test. Not sure on that one. But the water is pretty hard. I was told that calcium does get into the plates of the cell and after time the cell needs replacing. All to soon at 400 to 500 dollars a pop.
- Aug 14, 2011
- 61
Aloha Kitty!
Nope...we don't let that Calcium get in the way... You only replace a generator cell when it goes bad and refuses to generate chlorine any more. The calcium buildup depends upon how high your Saturation Index is, and you simply service your generator cell (anywhere from every 3 months to once a year--depending upon the buildup) by removing it and letting a diluted muriatic acid mixture "burn off" the calcium, leaving fresh plates to do the generating again. Also, some generator cells automatically reverse polarity every once in a while so the calcium will shift back and forth between the positive and negative plates, never getting a chance to make a solid home on the plates. Your owner's manual will have instructions on how to do the acid soak service. If you don't feel comfortable doing it, you should find someone who does...even a pool service in your area.
And you DO need to know how much calcium is in your water at least once a month, as it is one factor in the Saturation Index. It helps you to know the "balance" of your chemistry--whether your water will tend to buildup calcium on things, or whether the water will etch your metals and tile, or whether it is close to neutral (that's what you want).
We can all help you better if you get a good test kit and let us know what levels your various chemical readings are at.
Aloha!
Nope...we don't let that Calcium get in the way...
You only replace a generator cell when it goes bad and refuses to generate chlorine any more. The calcium buildup depends upon how high your Saturation Index is, and you simply service your generator cell (anywhere from every 3 months to once a year--depending upon the buildup) by removing it and letting a diluted muriatic acid mixture "burn off" the calcium, leaving fresh plates to do the generating again. Also, some generator cells automatically reverse polarity every once in a while so the calcium will shift back and forth between the positive and negative plates, never getting a chance to make a solid home on the plates. Your owner's manual will have instructions on how to do the acid soak service. If you don't feel comfortable doing it, you should find someone who does...even a pool service in your area.And you DO need to know how much calcium is in your water at least once a month, as it is one factor in the Saturation Index. It helps you to know the "balance" of your chemistry--whether your water will tend to buildup calcium on things, or whether the water will etch your metals and tile, or whether it is close to neutral (that's what you want).
We can all help you better if you get a good test kit and let us know what levels your various chemical readings are at.
Aloha!
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