Salt level in bleach pool surprised me

[RANDY M]

First off a big thanks to all the users and contributors to this site.

Maybe I’m alone here but I never thought about testing for the salt level in my bleach pool. Always put salt at a 1000 in pool math.

I used the strips and it tested between 6000 and 7000. That lowered the CSI over .2 which I think is quite alot.

It actually helps me because trying to keep pH at 7.6 uses a lot of acid due to it rising everyday and my calcium is so high due to being lazy and not replacing the water.

Just wanted to share in case I ‘m not alone.

FC – 5
pH – 7.8
TA – 50
CH – 1000
CYA – 30
Salt – 6000
Borate – 0 for now
Temp – 78
CSI - .17

 

[mknauss]

Can you taste the salt in your water?

If not, I would be suspect of that test strip result.

 

[RANDY M]

Can you taste the salt in your water?

If not, I would be suspect of that test strip result.

I haven't swam in a long time but I will taste it.
Tested twice with new AquaChek strips.

 

[superuser]

Even 3000 tastes salty to me, 6k would be like Campbell's soup!

 

[Palpatine]

My bleach pool tastes super salty... never tested it though. Crystal clear and silky to swim in though. I seem to remember reading here that the combination of Cl and MA somehow converts to salt, cause I've never added any salt to my pool.

 

[AK-]

My bleach pool tastes super salty... never tested it though. Crystal clear and silky to swim in though. I seem to remember reading here that the combination of Cl and MA somehow converts to salt, cause I've never added any salt to my pool.

Every time you add Bleach you are adding Salt

 

[Palpatine]

Every time you add Bleach you are adding Salt

Just bleach? Not the combination of bleach and Muriatic Acid?

 

[AK-]

Just bleach? Not the combination of bleach and Muriatic Acid?

MA addition can speed up the process, but not required as it is naturally formed.

Bleach into water:
NaOCl (sodium hypochlorite - Bleach) + H2O (water) => HOCl (Hypochlorous acid) + NaOH (sodium hydroxide - Caustic Soda)

Hypochlorous acid decomposition
HOCl (Hypochlorous acid) = HCl (hydrogen chloride - Muriatic Acid) + O2 (Oxigen gas)

MA + CS:
HCl (hydrogen chloride - Muriatic Acid) + NaOH = NaCl (sodium chloride - Household Salt) + H2O (Water)

 

[AK-]

MA addition can speed up the process, but not required as it is naturally formed.

Bleach into water:
NaOCl (sodium hypochlorite - Bleach) + H2O (water) => HOCl (Hypochlorous acid) + NaOH (sodium hydroxide - Caustic Soda)

Hypochlorous acid decomposition
HOCl (Hypochlorous acid) = HCl (hydrogen chloride - Muriatic Acid) + O2 (Oxigen gas)

MA + CS:
HCl (hydrogen chloride - Muriatic Acid) + NaOH = NaCl (sodium chloride - Household Salt) + H2O (Water)

There are also chlorineted cyanurates (H2ClCy, HCl2Cy andCl3Cy) in the pool water, but the whole point of the FC/CYA Levels is to ensure enough HOCl remains free to quickly sanitize organic matter.

 

[RANDY M]

Every time you add Bleach you are adding Salt

I've added at least 240 gallons of 10% chlorine since I had the pool replastered a little over 3 years ago. If a gallon of chlorine has 17 ppm of salt that would be 4,000 ppm in the pool.
Does this sound correct?

 

[AK-]

I've added at least 240 gallons of 10% chlorine since I had the pool replastered a little over 3 years ago. If a gallon of chlorine has 17 ppm of salt that would be 4,000 ppm in the pool.
Does this sound correct?

Unlikely. Unless you have no splash, backwash, drain to waste, etc and its subsequent refil that is probably lower.

 

[RANDY M]

Can you taste the salt in your water?

If not, I would be suspect of that test strip result.

Is there something more accurate than the AquaChek strips?

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Taylor K-1766 salt test kit is recommended by TFP.

 

[Palpatine]

I had Leslie's test my salt (I don't have a salt test kit) and they said 3500. Does that mean if I got a SWCG that I wouldn't need to add any salt to my pool?

 

[SecoSteve]

I had Leslie's test my salt (I don't have a salt test kit) and they said 3500. Does that mean if I got a SWCG that I wouldn't need to add any salt to my pool?

Emperor, I wouldn't trust Leslies, but if a K-1766 salt drop test(fun test) said 3500ppm, the SWG would work out right out of the box. Some SWGs might even give a high salt reading. Crazy stuff that you never added actual salt to the pool.

 

[Palpatine]

Emperor, I wouldn't trust Leslies, but if a K-1766 salt drop test(fun test) said 3500ppm, the SWG would work out right out of the box. Some SWGs might even give a high salt reading. Crazy stuff that you never added actual salt to the pool.

The water is only about a year and a half old... but I have to use a lot of chlorine. Pool gets full sun all day and the summer sun blazes where I live. Water tastes a bit salty, but yeah, does seem kinda crazy. The Leslie's by my house uses the accublue system and it's not perfect but surprisingly close to my test numbers... for the most part. If I get a SWCG I will obviously get my own salt tester, but for now if there's no issue with my salt content then it is what it is.

 

[SecoSteve]

The water is only about a year and a half old... but I have to use a lot of chlorine. Pool gets full sun all day and the summer sun blazes where I live. Water tastes a bit salty, but yeah, does seem kinda crazy. The Leslie's by my house uses the accublue system and it's not perfect but surprisingly close to my test numbers... for the most part. If I get a SWCG I will obviously get my own salt tester, but for now if there's no issue with my salt content then it is what it is.

Then just enjoy the soft water, with no green hair

 

[RANDY M]

I bought the Taylor K-1766 salt test kit and it retested at 4000 ppm.
So it is the test strips that are inaccurate, just like mknauss said.