But really?

[pcollins22]

I am in the process of gaining bids from landscapers and PB's in my area (Arizona) to get started on a project at my new construction home. Why is everyone freaking me out about going with a SWG and all the "deterioration" that will happen by going this route???

My plan has been a SWG and limestone coping between the pool and a pad of turf. I have a soft water loop that I would likely use to tap into for the autofill.

Am I going to be okay going with this plan? I don't know who to believe now...

 

[Dirk]

I don't know who to believe

Me! Soft water: yes! SWG: definitely.

A water softener will help with the CH build up you'll encounter where you live. It'll help the longevity of your indoor plumbing, fixtures and appliances, too.

A saltwater pool will not adversely affect anything in your yard or pool. That is some sort of wives-tale that floats around. I've noticed it's somewhat area-centric. I think Texas is one of those areas. Maybe AZ, too.

Besides, all pools are saltwater pools eventually. Chlorine, pool acid, humans and even fill water, all leave salt water behind as a by-product. That salt doesn't evaporate and eventually builds up in your pool, to the point that you'll have almost as much salt as an SWG pool. That's pretty much true of all pools, unless you replace the water annually.

Saltwater definitely won't affect pool equipment (plumbing, filter, pump, etc). They are made for that. Some believe that saltwater will affect certain types of stone coping. We have not found that to be the case. It's the water, not the salt, that tears apart soft stone products. If builders are experiencing problems with their stone installations, it's the stone they're sourcing, not the salt. Work with your builder to source a high-quality stone, if that's what you plan to use. Otherwise, go with concrete. They can do amazing things with stamped concrete, for both deck and coping. (It's what I'd do if I was to replace my deck and coping.)

I have soft sandstone coping. I do have some deterioration. That deterioration existed before I converted the pool to SWG. It has not gotten worse since I did (it's still deteriorating at about the same rate). The stone is mostly OK, but the worst of the damage is right in front of the steps, which is the area that gets wet more often than anywhere else. The same stone elsewhere in my yard is unaffected. It's the water, not the salt. It's the quality of the stone, not the salt.

 

[Newdude]

One of our members just 'coverted to salt' and her salinity was already high enough to run the SWG. Many members have found theirs at least well on its way if not there already.

No liquid chlorine pools ever check their salt, nor do their patios have problems from it, but call it a 'salt pool' and everyone loses their minds. Well, in TX and parts of the southwest anyway.

Salt pools are about 10% of seawater salinity. when it was 5% or 7% using liquid chlorine. It's just silly.

 

[Superblue72]

No liquid chlorine pools ever check their salt, nor do their patios have problems from it, but call it a 'salt pool' and everyone loses their minds. Well, in TX and parts of the southwest anyway.

Up here in the northeast there is a lot of negativety or uncertainty towards salt water pools too..

 

[Bperry]

I am in the process of gaining bids from landscapers and PB's in my area (Arizona) to get started on a project at my new construction home. Why is everyone freaking me out about going with a SWG and all the "deterioration" that will happen by going this route???

My plan has been a SWG and limestone coping between the pool and a pad of turf. I have a soft water loop that I would likely use to tap into for the autofill.

Am I going to be okay going with this plan? I don't know who to believe now...

If the concern is about deterioration, don’t use limestone around water. Concrete and some other stone is far more durable. Salt won’t matter.

 

[pcollins22]

If the concern is about deterioration, don’t use limestone around water. Concrete and some other stone is far more durable. Salt won’t matter.

This is interesting, as I seem to have read that folks USE limestone (instead of say, travertine) if going the SWG route.

 

[dfwnoob]

Up here in the northeast there is a lot of negativety or uncertainty towards salt water pools too..

Based on anecdotal evidence from the past year coming from members here, the "SALT WATER WRECKS POOLS AND DECKS AND PUMPS" disinformation has started to spread far and wide; it's no longer a TX phenomenon. My theory is that since lots of contractors and pool stores also offer weekly/monthly pool care and the construction side has begun to massively cool off, they are relying more on their pool care business and are purposely spreading this nonsense to scare prospective buyers away and drive business to their cleaning/maintenance services.

 

[Bperry]

Based on anecdotal evidence from the past year coming from members here, the "SALT WATER WRECKS POOLS AND DECKS AND PUMPS" disinformation has started to spread far and wide; it's no longer a TX phenomenon. My theory is that since lots of contractors and pool stores also offer weekly/monthly pool care and the construction side has begun to massively cool off, they are relying more on their pool care business and are purposely spreading this nonsense to scare prospective buyers away and drive business to their cleaning/maintenance services.

I doubt it’s purposeful. There’s still lots of people that think a salt water pool is actually “salt water” and not chlorine. It’s just one of those unfortunate names that’s the same thing as the ocean, and lots of people know ocean salt water can corrode things more quickly than fresh water. IMO, they should just call the SWCG a chlorine generator with salt as the fuel.

 

[kul]

Yup! My salt was at 2800 before I even switched to a SWG. So really, no biggie. It’s at 3000 now after I added 3/4 of a bag of salt.

 

[Newdude]

My theory is that since lots of contractors and pool stores also offer weekly/monthly pool care and the construction side has begun to massively cool off, they are relying more on their pool care business and are purposely spreading this nonsense to scare prospective buyers away and drive business to their cleaning/maintenance services.

They don't need to purposely scare folks away from it. The average user will misuse it the same way they misuse tabs/shock/etc. They will agree that they never should have switched and go back to tabs. A few months later, alien algae from outer space that we have no cure for will overtake the pool but as you see, it's not their fault because aliens.

 

[Superblue72]

They don't need to purposely scare folks away from it. The average user will misuse it the same way they misuse tabs/shock/etc. They will agree that they never should have switched and go back to tabs. A few months later, alien algae from outer space that we have no cure for will overtake the pool but as you see, it's not their fault because aliens.

I think this is the misconception, or the error in peoples view on salt water pools. They don't realize at the end of the day it's only a small amount higher(salt)than a regular chlorine pool. We all know salt is corrosive, if you live by the ocean or somewhere cold where you get snow you know first hand what salt can do to metal. That being said people are just uneducated on what a salt water pool is, plus the fact that some people will over salt thier pool to much higher than needed, then wonder why they have rust...

 

[Newdude]

the fact that some people will over salt thier pool to much higher than needed, then wonder why they have rust...

Even at 5000 ppm its 1/7th of the ocean, and it doesn't evaporate so anything theoretically susceptible would need to be submerged, which the patio furniture or window frames (etc etc) aren't.

 

[Dirk]

Yep. Salt carries the stigma of corrosion. And rightfully so. But I think a lot of the misinformation leaves out the fact that a pool's salt water doesn't actually touch anything susceptible to salt corrosion. With the exception of a pool light trim piece or an old-school pool ladder, the water is encased in a salt-proof container. The plaster/pebble finish, the edge tile, the coping, the concrete deck, the PVC plumbing, the components of pumps and filters and heaters that actually touch the water, etc, are all salt proof.

What causes corrosion near the ocean is the salt mist in the air that is generated by wind and breaking waves. That's what tore apart the tools in my garage when I lived at the coast. I'm "inland" now and none of that happens any more in my house and yard and garage. The salinity of pool water and the conditions in your yard just won't generate that kind of perpetual salt mist.

So yes, the low level of salt in an SWG pool renders it mostly innocuous, but really it's because pools are built mostly from "salt proof" materials, and always have been.

 

[Darin]

I don't know who to believe now...

There are probably a couple of thousand on this site to believe.

 

[kul]

If you are planning to use liquid chlorine, you will have salt building up over the years. So not sure how pool builders get around that fun fact when discouraging SWG.

 

[Newdude]

So not sure how pool builders get around that fun fact when discouraging SWG.

Ignorance is bliss, they say.

 

[Dirk]

If you are planning to use liquid chlorine, you will have salt building up over the years. So not sure how pool builders get around that fun fact when discouraging SWG.

When I was considering an SWG, my pool guys (from a local professional pool maintenance company) did manage to remember to test the water for salt before adding any. They found my pool was already in the mid-2000s. This was before I knew the first thing about pools, so I asked them how could all that salt have gotten in there. Like most pool owners, I assumed a pool was full of fresh water! But here's the kicker: they had absolutely no idea. Not even the manager of the company had the slightest clue. This was the same guy that suggested my pool needed more circulation when they couldn't keep it from growing algae each week! The best theory they came up with is that maybe the previous owners added salt to the pool because they wanted that "soft water" feel. Incredible.

One of the most surprising things I learned here at TFP is how little a lot of pool industry "experts" (like builders and pool stores and pool guys) actually know about pool chemistry. Many adhere to archaic notions about how to "balance" a pool and stick with what they learned 10 or 20 years ago. No clue.

 

[Superblue72]

little a lot of pool industry "experts" (like builders and pool stores and pool guys) actually know about pool chemistry. Many adhere to archaic notions about how to "balance" a pool and stick with what they learned 10 or 20 years ago. No clue.

Yep this is true, and I think the reason why is not enough people actually do thier homework. They just call a pb get prices whoever is the cheapest they pick. No one is there to "check" them, have knowledge, ask questions, etc. So the pb's just keep living on what they know...its kinda ridiculous to be honest...

 

[Newdude]

I think the reason why is not enough people actually do thier homework.

Sadly people can fact check them without realizing the science they are reading is misapplied to pools by the industry. UV, Ozone and Copper systems are a perfect example. They reduce chlorine usage in giant sealed vats holding drinking water that circulate daily. So it works in pools too, see ? *everyone stops reading/thinking* Except. The container is now open and exposed to UV from the sun and environmental debris and its using apple science on oranges.

 

[Superblue72]

Sadly people can fact check them without realizing the science they are reading is misapplied to pools by the industry. UV, Ozone and Copper systems are a perfect example. They reduce chlorine usage in giant sealed vats holding drinking water that circulate daily. So it works in pools too, see ? *everyone stops reading/thinking* Except. The container is now open and exposed to UV from the sun and environmental debris and its using apple science on oranges.

Ya know it's not just in the pool industry(even tho it seems kinda worse lol)it's in everything. I've had lots of construction done at my house, why am I telling the contractor issues I see I thought they were the professionals hmmmm...its like they learn how to do something but never relearn when new products for techniques are out there.. they are putting new construction windows in where is the weatherproofing for the bottom sill, why isn't the building wrap not wrapped inside to keep the window off the wood...and then when you tell them its like this is the way its been done for ever...ok well I'm paying you right..if you want something done right you either have to do it or know what to look for when hiring it out..