Stealth Semi Inground Sanitation

[cgrimm18]

Hello everyone! New to TFP and a soon to be new pool owner. My wife and I are scheduled to have a 10x20 Stealth semi inground oval pool installed in May. We still have some details to figure out, one being the sanitation system. From what I have read on here and other sources (and also from a coworker) a saltwater system seems to be most recommended. However, with the steel structure of the semi ingrounds, I am concerned about longevity as metal and salt don't mix. Our pool installer is high on a SWG, but thought it was overkill for the smaller sizes like we are getting. But the alternative they suggest is the frog system, which I have seen on here is not recommended at all.

Does anyone have good experience with a SWG and a steel semi inground? From what I gather liquid chlorine is the other suggested option. We are both extreme beginners when it comes to pool ownership and maintenance so would love some advice. Thanks!

 

[Newdude]

Hey C and Welcome !!!

However, with the steel structure of the semi ingrounds, I am concerned about longevity as metal and salt don't mix

OK let's think this one through. With a liner pool, the water and the walls will never touch, unless there is a leak. If there is a leak, the moisture will destroy the walls on either pool.

Plus, 'salt' pools are not what you're thinking. Every chemical added to a chlorine dosed pool is either a salt, or breaks down into salt. The salt levels of a chlorine pool easily get halfway (1500 ppm) and possible all the way to a 'salt pool'. (3000 ppm). The ocean by comparison, is 35,000 ppm or about 10 times that of a salt pool. The entire argument of salt corrosion hinges that the problems happen between the salinity of a chlorine pool (5%+ of seawater) and the salinity of the salt pool. (10% of seawater). It's kinda silly when you think it through.

SWGs are the bees knees. And the tail end of last season saw bleach/chlorine at $8 or $9 a gallon some places. Besides all the jug lugging, that's a huge maintenance expense.

Our pool installer is high on a SWG, but thought it was overkill for the smaller sizes like we are getting.

This is a valid concern. Getting in the game is the bulk of the cost. Once you go SWG, upsizing them for longer lifespan costs much less than the increase in price. Those of us with large pools make 2 or more times our money back over the lifespan. With a small pool you'd be lucky to break even. But. Convenience is the reason to go SWG. For the overwhelming majority of those who have one, you'd have to pry it out of their cold dead hands to ever go back to dosing everyday with bleach.

 

[PoolStored]

However, with the steel structure of the semi ingrounds, I am concerned about longevity as metal and salt don't mix.

There are more than a few people here that have SWCG AGP. If you are chlorinating with liquid chlorine, you could easily be 1000ppm after a year. In three years, you could be same level as a SWCG pool.

Let's call the AGP brigade...
@kimkats @Casey @cowboycasey @zea3 @Mdragger88

It is slow season, so may take a couple days for a responses...

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I even have a small salt water system in my hot tub..... they're the ideal way of sanitizing water, IMO.

 

[kimkats]

Well hello there! So nice to meet you!

Lets start with this-NO frog system please. Price out the stuff you will have to buy to keep it going and you will run the other way THEN learn all of the *extra* stuff it adds to your water that can cause major problems down the road and you will know it is best to hop as fast as you can LOL

All pools end up being "salt" pools in the end. Liquid chlorine adds salt to the water over time. The SWG just means you will regulate how much salt is in the water. Ask your self this, where can you buy bulk liquid chlorine? For me it is up the road a bit so easy to get. I can swing by on my way home. If it is not that easy for you then think about what a pain it will be to get when needed. Just something to think about.

The number one thing I want you to do is make sure to prime/paint over anywhere the paint is scraped off the walls. For us it was where the wall came together and the socket scraped the paint off. That is where our pool wall failed after a long time of being up

 

[cgrimm18]

Thank you guys for the responses! After reading through them, talking with some friends who owned a SWG with a semi inground, and continuing to read more information online, we are now leaning very strongly towards adding a salt water generator to our installation. It looks like most people say the equipment tends to last around 5 years. Is this true in your experience?

 

[Newdude]

It looks like most people say the equipment tends to last around 5 years

With reasonably balanced water the major manufacturers rate the units for 8k-10k hours of run time. 24 hours at 50% or 12 hours at 100% are both 12 hours of lifespan.
The warm climates have longer seasons and deplete theirs sooner, but they'd also go through a proportionatly higher amount of liquid chlorine in that time, so it's a wash.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Well, my first cell lasted 9+ years. I'm on year 3 with the replacement cell.

My system is about 3x the size of my pool so I don't have to run it excessively to obtain enough free chlorine for my needs. Win!

Maddie