Travertine vs SWG

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gmgm55

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LifeTime Supporter
Jun 28, 2012
45
N. Houston
First thing, thanks to everyone for the great website. I have learned a lot here over the last few months.

We have finally decided to build our very first pool. We live in North Houston area and among many other decisions the one that has us stuck is whether to go with SWG or typical chlorine. We are thinking of using travertine coping and have read many horror stories. Wondering if the stories are justified. What do you all think? The PB says he will seal the stone.
 
Welcome to the forum. :lol: Impossible to predict. Too many variables. Most folks have no problems but there are a number of factors that can contribute to some deterioration of stone. Do you really mean travertine marble which is different than much of the stonework in your area?
 
I know people will get mad at me, but my good friend, who owns a concrete/stone company INSISTS that any form of salt is not ideal for stone/concrete...and you do have to seal all the time to ensure you are safe.

So, with that in mind, remember you can still automate with Chlorine...a Stenner pump will do the same thing for you, i.e. pump in the correct amount of chlorine everyday for about $250 and you will never have to worry about the salt damage.
 
I'm not sure what type of travertine PB is using.

I've read about senner pumps but I am concerned about remembering to fill the liquid container on a weekly basis. Seems like a pain, but I may be way off on this topic.
 
You should be testing your water and checking your equipment more than once a week so remembering to refill the drum should not be an issue.

I also have a 15 gallon drum and it gets filled about once a month.
 
I have travertine coping and decking. I have not had any issues using a SWCG. Of course my stone is sealed. We don't have a lot of splash out and when we do we hose down the deck with fresh water. It is not like your coping and deck will be submerged 24x7 in salt water. I have heard of people having issues with flagstone in your area but I have no personal experience with flagstone. Get what you like and keep it clean and you should have no issues. One of the nice things about travertine is it is very cool under foot.
 
By the way, my concrete expert agrees, a good sealer will nearly eliminate any issues...you just have to stay on it like glue. So that is the ONLY reason I went with the Auto Injection - cheap, easy and no potential issues with my concrete.

I really wanted a SWCG, but just too freaked out...granted I have OCD, so most likely I would have had no issues.
 
You would need to seal any stone you used if you want it to continue to look new year after year regardless of whether you have a SWG or not. Softer stones such as sandstone or limestone or not recommended for use with an SWG because they erode quickly, and saltwater seems to speed up the process.
 

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I have travertine coping and a SWG. The SWG has been installed for over two years and I sealed the coping with a good sealant when I installed the SWG. Last month I noticed some minor corrosion in one piece of the coping. The rest of the coping shows no signs of corrosion. I sealed the coping again and I hope it stops.

But I still love my SWG. If I have to replace one piece of coping every four to five years (assuming I can find a good match) it will be worth it to me.
 
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