adding salt

[suzannemomof3]

I have a bag of Morton's Fine Solar Salt. It says on the bag, "Salt, Yellow Prussiate of Soda", it also says for agricultural feed mixing, we bought it before knowing about the pool at all....can I add this to the pool or NO? I can purchase another bag of actual pool salt for 13$ or so, but thought I'd put this in if possible so it's not wasted???

Thank you!

 

[JasonLion]

You don't want to add any Yellow Prussiate of Soda to the pool. It can cause staining.

Solar salt crystals, sold for water softeners, without any additives is fine for pool use and is typically $4 to $5 for a 40 lb bag. Most commonly the kind you want comes in blue bags.

 

[suzannemomof3]

thank you! I'll go buy the right stuff! Again, thanks!

Suzanne

 

[Poolsean]

Hate to disagree. Yellow prussiate of Soda will only cause staining if you add it an do not dissolve it, and just let it sit on your plaster finish.
Adding it with the main drain opened and brushing it into the main drain, or if you have the time, adding it slowly into the skimmer will not cause any staining.

We've done this for years without problems!

 

[Guest]

Poolsean,
Yellow Prussiate of Soda is sodium ferrocynanide, an iron salt. It can decompose in the presence of acids or sunlight and leave iron ions in the water. This can cause staining down the line, particularly with fiberglass pool.

 

[Poolsean]

Waterbear, that is correct. However, if you look at the MSDS sheet, there is a very low % of iron, neglible in fact.
Prior to "POOL SALT" and using solar salt, YPS salt was the predominant salt used with salt chlorine generators.

Again, I've started up TONS of pools with YPS salt, without problems.

 

[Guest]

Waterbear, that is correct. However, if you look at the MSDS sheet, there is a very low % of iron, neglible in fact.
Prior to "POOL SALT" and using solar salt, YPS salt was the predominant salt used with salt chlorine generators.

Again, I've started up TONS of pools with YPS salt, without problems.

Not at startup but staining can and will happen down the line, particularly with a fiberglass pool, which is very prone to iron staining! (I know this from experience!

 

[PoolOwnerNumber9]

Poolsean, I agree with Jasonlion and waterbear. Na4Fe(CN)6•10H2O (sodium ferrocyanide decahydrate) aka yellow prussiate of soda can be a problem. It can cause iron stains. It can also combine with existing iron to create a stain called Prussian blue. People should only use non-iodized food grade or a water softener grade of salt. Since yellow prussiate of soda can easily be avoided, it should be.