We have a salt water pool and have had problems two years now. The chlorine level is reading high, ph is fine and salt reading is at 2800. I have noticed a lake smell from the skimmer basket. Are there any really good test kits that anyone would recommend. We replaced the salt generator last year so I know it is working. Everything seems fine but I do not think the pool is at optimal conditions. The bottom of the pool is slippery like we are getting some form of algae but you cannot see anything. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks JB
Salt Water pool help
- Thread starter jbryant15
- Start date
tftestkits.net Get the TF-100 with xl option and salt test strips. Best money ever saved!!!
SkyKid
0
You have a lot to learn. You say your chlorine is high and your PH is fine. What exactly does that tell anyone here? You say your salt is 2800 but do not say what salt generator you own. You neglect to mention any other parameters regarding your water chemistry such as CYA or CH. Please read pool school several times over. Get a good test kit and post your results for quick end efficient help. Test kit help is available at
pool-school/pool_test_kit_comparison.
pool-school/pool_test_kit_comparison.
ComputerGuyInNOLA said:
I'm sure your didn't mean it to be, but at face value this sounds pretty un-welcoming. It would to me anyway.
To the OP, sorry for repeating, but in order to help you, but we really need some solid numbers to help you out. The only way to know is to test properly and getting a good kit is paramount. It will be one of the best investments you will make for your pool. The Taylor K-2006 or the TF-100 are the best drop test kits money can buy, but we all like the 100 because there are more of the exact same reagents in that one. Up to you, but without those numbers it will be impossible to give you the correct advice. Based on your description, it does sound like you may be lacking in free chlorine level.
Welcome to TFP, and do check out Pool School.
Ok now have the TF100 test kit. Results are as follows:
FC-14
CC-0
TAK- 90
Calcium - 220
CYA - 30
PH- 7.5 to 7.8
Chlorine level with other test kit is off the chart
SWG is reading 2600 now and the add salt light is on. This is my firs time to own a pool and I need some help and advice on where to start.
FC-14
CC-0
TAK- 90
Calcium - 220
CYA - 30
PH- 7.5 to 7.8
Chlorine level with other test kit is off the chart
SWG is reading 2600 now and the add salt light is on. This is my firs time to own a pool and I need some help and advice on where to start.
Looks like you are at SLAM level. Shocking is a good way of getting rid of slippery surfaces. Don't forget to brush.
jbryant15 said:
Hey, good deal! Glad you got a good kit. The best actually, and your numbers look pretty good for now except your CYA. With a SWG you really need it to be higher. A level of 70-80 is higher than for non salt pools, but you need the extra protection when running one. What source of Chlorine are you using to get to 14 PPM FC? Are you going through a SLAM (Shock Level and Maintain Process) ? Let us know and we can go from here.
My kids are complaining about the chlorine level hurting their eyes. Actually have not done anything yet. We added a couple of bags of salt about a month ago. Other than that we have not done anything else. The salt water generator is showing 2600 which it should be around 3400. But won't that increase the free chlorine level. I really need to get the chlorine level down. The pool guy has not been very much help last year so I have not called him this year. Where do we start this process?
The salt level should be within the range recommended by the SWCG manufacturer. As long as you are in the range, the actual salt level will not affect the chlorine level. What brand SWCG do you have? The chlorine level is usually set by a knob on the controller marked in %. If you have too much chlorine, just reduce the % some. The other factor that affects the amount of chlorine the generator makes is pump run time. How long do you run the pump a day?
You should really look at the info in the pool school section. Lots of good info plus guidelines on how to get the most from the forum. The folks who run this board have invested lots of time in helping pool owners solve their problems. Take a quick look at the two links below as a sample.
Mike
http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/water_balance_saltwater_generator
http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/read_before_you_post
You should really look at the info in the pool school section. Lots of good info plus guidelines on how to get the most from the forum. The folks who run this board have invested lots of time in helping pool owners solve their problems. Take a quick look at the two links below as a sample.
Mike
http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/water_balance_saltwater_generator
http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/read_before_you_post
Well - talk about great minds... :-D Looks like you added a sig line with some good info while I was (very slowly) typing away. What model Aqualine do you have?
Mike
Mike
We have an aquarite electronic chlorine generator. Not sure what model#. I checked the unit and manual but could not tell the model#. I went ahead and turned the dial down to 30%. It was at 60%. The pump runs constantly. No one has ever told us to turn the pump off. Since the free chlorine is at 14PPM and the CYA is at 30. Which one do you attack first. The FC should be around 1-5 I do believe and the CYA should be around 70-80. Everything else looks within normal ranges.
Well at least you know there's nothing wrong with the swg or the water. 
Here's what I would do.
1. Turn the swg off until the FC gets to about 5 ppm then turn it back on at about 20% and monitor the FC level and fine tune it.
2. Add enough CYA to get to about 70 ppm.
3. Cut down the pump run time unless it's a 2-speed pump running on low. Even then I'd probably run it 12 or so hours a day.
4. Retest pH and adjust it to about 7.5 or so.
Go swim!
Here's what I would do.
1. Turn the swg off until the FC gets to about 5 ppm then turn it back on at about 20% and monitor the FC level and fine tune it.
2. Add enough CYA to get to about 70 ppm.
3. Cut down the pump run time unless it's a 2-speed pump running on low. Even then I'd probably run it 12 or so hours a day.
4. Retest pH and adjust it to about 7.5 or so.
Go swim!
do you think we need to add salt since the SWG is reading 2600 or just wait? The PH is between 7.5-7.8 so I think we are fine there. Thanks for your help. JB
I would add enough to get to the mfg's recommended range.
The pH is probably fine but any time the FC is higher than 10 ppm we don't trust the pH reading so just check it again when the FC comes down.
The pH is probably fine but any time the FC is higher than 10 ppm we don't trust the pH reading so just check it again when the FC comes down.
You got great advice. I'll add this just incase...you don't have to buy "Pool Salt" at the pool store, as hardware, grocery stores and Walmarts usually have solar salt for softeners. Walmart also has "Pool Salt" in that section too, but it's a dollar or more so per bag. Just avoid the stuff that says resin cleaning, or iron cleaning for softener resin.
I buy mine at Home Depot, where it is sold as "Pool Time Chlorine Stabilizer". Any brand will do as long as it is 100% cyanuric acid. Just be sure to read the pool school article on how to added it.
Mike
http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/recommended_pool_chemicals
Mike
http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/recommended_pool_chemicals
