what are you using to test your salt level?

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dannieboiz

Well-known member
Jan 16, 2015
290
San Jose, CA
the SWG is on its way, was wondering what everyone is using to test their salt level?

Can I use a reef aquarium refractometer?
How often will I be checking salt level?
Buy a meter or strips?

How long should it take for the salt to dissolve? Can I start adding salt now or wait after the installation?
 
I use the Aquachek test strips. I test salt once or twice a year just to make sure I am in the ballpark. What really counts is that the SWG is happy with the salt level. Some folks recommend the Taylor K-1766 salt test because it is more accurate. Both are available at TFTestkits.net. No, your reef stuff won't work. Saltwater pools are around 3500 ppm and ocean water is around 35,000 ppm.

Yes, you can add salt now. Brush it to dissolve takes less than 30 min. But, takes 24-48 hours to fully mix into the water. Just add maybe 3000 ppm first because there is probably already a fair amount of salt in the pool.
 
I also use the aquachek strips.

I add more salt a year maybe than others do for various reasons. One reason in the last two years was due to pretty high water exchange due to flooding rains. Another reason this year is my pool is simply hot and I'm not ashamed to admit that this weekend I plan on draining a good bit to refill with cool well water. Salt and CYA are a small price to pay for a pool I enjoy.

So I check it maybe 3-6 times a year......depends on the flooding.
 

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I actually like the salt from Leslie's pool store. It's super fine and dissolves almost instantly. I threw a handful in over my 18" depth bench, and there was no salt residue on the bench. It probably is more expensive, but I think it's worth it. And it is just plain old sodium chloride.
 
The K-1766 is the most accurate by far because it chemically measures chloride ion (Cl-) concentration through titration. All other methods (strips, electronic meters, Hydrometers, etc) are proxy methods - they measure "something else" in response to salt level. Proxy methods typically have greater levels of interference from sources other than salt and so are less accurate.

As far as purity goes, solar salt or pool salt is fine. No need to spend extra money. Be aware though that you will be adding hundreds of pounds of salt to your pool. Even at 99.5% purity, that means you will likely have a few pounds worth of "contaminants". Pool salt is a naturally mined or harvested product and so it can contain dust and other insoluble contaminants. People often report cloudy pool water after adding large quantities of salt to their pools.
 
AimeeH said:
I also use the aquachek strips.

I add more salt a year maybe than others do for various reasons. One reason in the last two years was due to pretty high water exchange due to flooding rains. Another reason this year is my pool is simply hot and I'm not ashamed to admit that this weekend I plan on draining a good bit to refill with cool well water. Salt and CYA are a small price to pay for a pool I enjoy.

So I check it maybe 3-6 times a year......depends on the flooding.
Click to expand...

Try getting some shade umbrellas and if you can make a sprayer attachment for your cleaner, have water spray at night... the evaporation will do a LOT of cooling... My stepfather had a salt pool with a dark bottom that got up to 96 degrees one summer... I made a sprayer that attached to the Polaris outlet... He ran it for 3 days and had to turn it off because the pool got a bit too cool.
 
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