Which salt to buy ?

[MA5177]

Home depot here has crystal pool salt and also crystal softener salt, is it worth the extra $2 a bag for the pool salt?

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

My favorite. Dissolves quick.

Diamond Crystal Solar Naturals Water Softener Salt Crystals 100012454 - The Home Depot

Minimize accumulation of brine tank residue by using this Solar Naturals Water Softener Salt Crystals from Diamond Crystal.

www.homedepot.com

 

[markayash]

I have used both and they both work well. I like Morton the best but usually gets what they have
Just avoid Clorox salt, users had got iron stains for it in the past

 

[MA5177]

I have used both and they both work well. I like Morton the best but usually gets what they have
Just avoid Clorox salt, users had got iron stains for it in the past

So basically pool salt is nothing special?

 

[mknauss]

So basically pool salt is nothing special?

No. If you wanted to, you could buy table salt in the little boxes. Same thing. NaCl is all the same.

 

[Bperry]

So basically pool salt is nothing special?

Technically, the pool salt dissolves a little faster (it’s smaller particles. but if you’re converting to SWCG, the cheaper salt is a better deal.

If you were only topping off the salt at the beginning of the season with a single bag, a couple extra bucks to have it dissolves faster is kinda nice.

 

[jmastron]

Another vote for the water softener crystals, which around here were the cheapest option by a few dollars/bag. I avoided the pellets because it wasn't clear if there were any additional chemicals in those.

Water temp may matter (mine was in the mid-upper 80s at the time), but we dumped each bag in the shallow end and brushed back and forth for less than 5 minutes and it was all gone.

 

[markayash]

Home depot here has crystal pool salt and also crystal softener salt, is it worth the extra $2 a bag for the pool salt?

Not sure but if your converting to salt or just adding..If converting add it slowly and test. It may take a day or 2 to fully dissolve and show up in the test..Least it did for me but my water temp was a round 60

 

[MA5177]

Not sure but if your converting to salt or just adding..If converting add it slowly and test. It may take a day or 2 to fully dissolve and show up in the test..Least it did for me but my water temp was a round 60

We are converting to salt, pool was just drained and refilled. We are in Phoenix so water temp is not an issue, since it’s new tap water I assume there is no salt in it? Salt test kit won’t arrive for a few days. To bring to 3500 PPM for a 19,500 gal pool (by water meter) it’s saying 14 bags

 

[markayash]

We are converting to salt, pool was just drained and refilled. We are in Phoenix so water temp is not an issue, since it’s new tap water I assume there is no salt in it? Salt test kit won’t arrive for a few days. To bring to 3500 PPM for a 19,500 gal pool (by water meter) it’s saying 14 bags

Be safe and maybe add it over a few a day and build up to 7 or 8? Lots of folks on here in that part of the country that can help also.
You will enjoy it, listen to us when we say keep your FC up toward the upper limits. We didn’t and learned. Plus to me a salt pool is so much softer so a FC of 9 still feels great.

But If you go over ifs drain and refill so better to be safe

 

[DanF]

What Mark said above. I'd add half of what you need, then test when your test kit arrives. Then add half of the reminder, and so on. Remember also we just got a ton of rain (in Valley terms), so take that extra volume into consideration if appropriate.

 

[BowserB]

So basically pool salt is nothing special?

However pool salt and water softener salt may be different. Water softener salt is often pellets, designed to dissolve slowly--which is the opposite of what you want. I buy Morton brand pool salt and also Morton Potassium Chloride water softener pellets. My supermarket carries them, so in anticipation of an SWCG installation, I started buying a bag or two each time I was at the supermarket. BTW, get the K1766 salt test kit. My salt level was 1200 ppm before I added the first bag.

 

[MA5177]

Ok just read this and we bought 14 bags and put 12 in. I estimate it would bring it to 3000 or so, but now the instructions that came with the unit says 4000-4500. I’m a bit confused on the instructions from circupool on this SJ 35

Either way I don’t think I put too much in to start, maybe this is a typo? If so it’s a big mistake