SWCG Concerns

[Romoth]

Hi all,

I have a pool that I've been running on TFP and it's been working great! I'm wanting to put in a SWCG, but I need to get past my wife's fears of it messing things up. Here are the major concerns:

1. I live in Texas. I understand certain Texas rocks can become fragile due to the salt water. How do I tell if my coping is sensitive to it? I currently have travertine but not a lot of information on where it's from.
2. Our pool is really enclosed by the house and the garage. Will the salt cause any rusting/issues? Basically imagine a square pool where three sides of it are closed in by the driveway/cars/garage and house. We're wrapping up a full house renovation, so this is a major concern that it won't ruin any of the new doors, etc we just put in.
3. Any other concerns I should be aware of so I don't unintentionally deal with an "i told you so!"?

Basically, i'd like to get rid of some of the administrative issues of adding chlorine every day and get to just adding acid.

Thanks in advance. You all are always helpful!
-Mark

 

[Newdude]

I understand certain Texas rocks can become fragile due to the salt water.

You understand incorrectly. liquid chlorine pools approach salt pool levels and the entire argument against salt is that going from 5% or 7% of seawater salinity, allllllll the way up to 10%, destroys stone and steel. It's rather silly if you think it through.

Want science instead ? There are several agencies to quote, but 'salt pools' are either still freshwater or barely brackish water.

They agree that 'salt water' starts at 30,000 ppm, but some say brackish water starts at 3000 and others 5000. 3500 ppm for a 'salt pool' is a far cry from 'salt water' any way you slice it.

If your stones are not robust, they will weather from moisture either way. Poor quality metals weather either way. It's hogwash.

We're wrapping up a full house renovation, so this is a major concern that it won't ruin any of the new doors, etc we just put in.

Salt doesn't evaporate and stays in the pool. A couple of cannonball splashes on a nearby window frame won't do a thing.

SWGs are the bees knees.

 

[Romoth]

Awesome, that makes a lot of sense. I'll see if I can get her on board, I'm tired of the liquid chlorine!

Any advice on which SWCG I should get?

-Mark

 

[ajw22]

Your signature shows automation as a IntelliConnect AND an EasyTouch. Which is it?

 

[sande005]

Also - wind and waves cause micro droplets of salt mist to be suspended in the air, when near an ocean. While that can drift pretty far, that is the only way it gets into the air. Salt does not just evaporate into the atmosphere. You'll never have an invisible bubble of salt air hovering around your pool. And as pointed out, the concentration is far lower than the ocean. So unless your pool has frequent white caps forming on it, blowing toward the house/garage....

 

[Romoth]

Your signature shows automation as a IntelliConnect AND an EasyTouch. Which is it?

I'm going to show my ignorance here, but when I google search those, I see EasyTouch (which is what I thought was on my wall outside by the pad). I connect usually through the screentouch app which (googleing again) seems to be what connects with the easytouch

 

[Romoth]

Also - wind and waves cause micro droplets of salt mist to be suspended in the air, when near an ocean. While that can drift pretty far, that is the only way it gets into the air. Salt does not just evaporate into the atmosphere. You'll never have an invisible bubble of salt air hovering around your pool. And as pointed out, the concentration is far lower than the ocean. So unless your pool has frequent white caps forming on it, blowing toward the house/garage....

That helps a lot and gives me more of a way to explain the difference in how it functions. The salt level differences are also pretty startling. Thanks!

 

[ajw22]

I'm going to show my ignorance here, but when I google search those, I see EasyTouch (which is what I thought was on my wall outside by the pad). I connect usually through the screentouch app which (googleing again) seems to be what connects with the easytouch

Post pics of your equipment pad and the box on the wall outside your pad.

If you have an EasyTouch system you should get an Intellichlor SWG system that the EasyTouch can control.

 

[sande005]

FYI - I just converted this spring. Used Tri-chlor tabs for years. Due to winter closing, pool gets about 20% water exchange each spring. This spring, after opening and running for a month, the initial salt reading was 2400 ppm, having never added salt (or ever tested) before. I added enough to get to 3400. So from 8% of ocean water to 11%.
I see from Google that stone companies talk about putting a sealer on the Travertine. But I also see here many, many reports of those that do nothing, for many years, with no ill effect. You may want to buy a salt test kit, and show the wife where you are at now, vs where you are going to be after.....

 

[Romoth]

 

[Romoth]

Hi all, took me a few days! Pictures of the pad and relevant electronics. I included a picture of my pool as an aside. My pool is only three years old and I seem to have a lot of lightening, etc in the plaster. Is this normal?