Welcome to TFP! Glad you found us.
For your new pool, the main choices come down to chlorine or salt (a.k.a., SWG). Both types of pools have chlorine - the difference is how they are added and produced. A SWG pool generates chlorine from the salt that is added to the water while a manually-dosed pool (like mine) requires the operator to add chlorine periodically-usually daily during the swim season. Both have their pros and cons and it all comes down to preference and your lifestyle.
A salt pool is a better choice if you travel frequently and the pool is unattended since the salt cell will generate chlorine in your absence. Plus, it frees you from the day-to-day chlorine additions associated with a manually-dosed pool. Just note that you will need to check the salt level periodically in order for the salt cell to generate sufficient amounts of chlorine. A manually-dosed pool is a better choice if you are more hands-on and don't travel that much. Plus, the pump on a manually-dosed pool does not have to be run as often as a salt pool (all things being equal). On a salt pool, the pump must run in order for the salt cell to generate chlorine and circulate it throughout the pool. From an ongoing cost perspective, both alternatives are about equal. The salt pool will save you $ from buying chlorine but those savings are eaten up by having to replace the salt cell about every 3-5 years or so.
About the only other major consideration is the type of deck / patio surface you have. Some materials are more susceptible to the effects of the higher salt levels in a SWG pool. I'm sure someone with more experience with SWG pools will chime in on that.
A final comment on pool maintenance. For the most part, I use two chemicals for water maintenance: Bleach and muriatic acid. It is much simpler than what you have likely been led to believe.
If you haven't already, I would read the
ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
