What is needed to run a Salt water pool?

[Tom&Shannon]

We have just finished putting up a Westminster II 27' round 54" deep AG pool with a sand 1 1/2 hp pump with a dome cover. We have not put any chemicals at all in it yet, as it is still filling with water as I type this. We would like to know what we need to do to have a salt water pool and if it is better than chlorine or baquacil (what they sold us). We decided not to use anything yet until we research. Could you please tell me as much as you can about what we will need to get this started since we have not put anything in it yet? We live in Wisconsin. WThank you in advance.

Tom&Shannon

 

[ComputerGuyInNOLA]

You definitely want to go with Clorine in lieu of Baquacil. Baq can be an expensive nightmare. You have a choice with Chlorine. Either lug it from the store or get a salt water chlorine generator and have it make the chlorine for you. I would have nothing but a salt water system because maintenance is much easier.

 

[Seanhan]

Yea salt is the way to go !!,

 

[Tom&Shannon]

but what do I need to do that? i have purchased a complete pool already with a 1 1/2 hp sand pump. do I need anything else? What do I need? This is the first pool I have ever had. Thanks.

 

[Charlie_R]

You will need to buy the SWG and add it to your pump/filter system.

Once that is installed, you will need to add the correct amount of salt to your water, and raise your CYA to the SWG manufacturer's recommended level.

After the salt has had a day to dissolve, then you can turn on the SWG.

 

[linen]

Welcome to tfp, Tom&Shannon

Are you asking about just having salt water (for the feel) in your pool or are you talking about a saltwater chlorine generator (swg) to sanitize your water?

If you mean the swg, then you need to buy one and plumb it into your system after the filter (and heater if you have one). You will also need solar salt crystals dissolved into the pool water.

I would recommend using bleach/liquid chlorine this year for sanitation and see if you are interested in the swg later.

If you are just interested in salt water for the feel, then you can just go ahead and put in solar salt crystals to get your concentration up to ~2000ppm.

 

[Tom&Shannon]

we were thinking of using it for everything and to keep it clean. Should I just use the chemicals they gave us this year then and switch to the swg unit next year after we understand it a little more. We have lots of baquacil and other stuff that we were told to use. Please tell me as much as you can, as this is very confusing to me. I need something to keep it clean and running clear and of course safe for my kids. Thanks. How much is a swg unit usually? I know NOTHING about them so far except people love the salt water better than chlorine or baquacil i have heard.

 

[linen]

As was mentioned above, we highly recommend against baquacil. If you do some searching on the forum you will find countless stories of people converting from baquacil to chlorine...and really liking the improved water qaulity and the lower cost.

The best way to maintain a pool is using chlorine. A good place to start learning is in "pool school" which can be reached through the button so labeled at the upper right of each page. In particular, you could start with:

• http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/pool_water_chemistry
  http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/types_chlorine_pool
  http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/recommended_pool_chemicals

 

[Tom&Shannon]

I did go to pool school but there was so much there to take in that I will have to keep on going through it. I was just trying to find out how much this would cost me to switch to the swg and if it was worth doing. I just have lots of stuff to use up so if I am not switching until next year then I thought I might as well use them instead of throwing them all out. Not sure but worth asking about. Thanks for everything.

i will keep researching.

 

[Charlie_R]

Good luck with that! If you read the conversion threads as suggested, you will see that it is NOT a walk in the park. It can be a royal pain, and end up costing you.

 

[duraleigh]

The very first thing I would suggest is that you NOT put any baquacil products in your pool.....free or not.

Sorry to be blunt, but that's a bit like continuing to eat food that makes you sick because it's free.....you will pay a big price later.

Secondly, you need to get a good grasp of pool water chemistry. Read "The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School.

 

[Tom&Shannon]

I am not sure if we will do the suggestion above and just use the chlorine and keep it clean that way or what to do. I just would like to find out some options here and this is so new to me that I have no idea where to look to find the most basic things about using salt. I just heard about this on the 12th of July so it's very new to me. Any suggestions, help, comments would be appreciated. I was just asking if we should do that. i know it was suggested above to use chlorine so maybe we will do that until we can figure this swg all out. Thank you all.

 

[linen]

A swg sized for you pool will cost ~ $800 online. Then you will need to install it which is pretty easy if your handy. But again, I would start with the simple approach we have here and decide later if you want to go to a swg.

I just have lots of stuff to use up so if I am not switching until next year then I thought I might as well use them instead of throwing them all out.

List what you have and we can give you comments on it.

 

[Tom&Shannon]

I have lots of Baquacil (I won't use if it's bad)
ph increaser powder
Algicide (2bottles)
Sanatizer and Algistat (step1)
Flocculant (2bottles)
Chlorine Neutralizer (2bottles)
Surface Cleaner (2bottles)
Aquality Professional Duo-Test kit
Aqua Check strips
Some other stuff that I do not know where it is at this time form BAquacil...

Then I have this other stuff here that my husband was told to get from the pool place uptown:
15 bags of all in one Shock X-tra
Alkalinity Rise
PH Down
PH Lower
Hardness Control
PH Plus
5- bottles Algaecide
He said there is Chlorine bottles too and other stuff in the garage but not a lot more. PLEASE HELP!!!! Thank you.

 

[Tom&Shannon]

Since we do not have a swg, please let me know what to do THIS YEAR to make sure out pool is correctly balanced. THANKS. I listed what all we have so far (as much as I could see without digging in the garage).

 

[Charlie_R]

I have lots of Baquacil (I won't use if it's bad) don't use
ph increaser powder ok to use. when it runs out, use either borax or soda ash
Algicide (2bottles) you won't need if you follow BBB closely
Sanatizer and Algistat (step1) What is in this?
Flocculant (2bottles) again, you won't need if following BBB
Chlorine Neutralizer (2bottles)Why would they include this? not needed at all
Surface Cleaner (2bottles) check what's in it an what it is used for
Aquality Professional Duo-Test kit Is this a FAS-DPD kit? I doubt it.
Aqua Check strips no good, throw as far as you can
Some other stuff that I do not know where it is at this time form BAquacil...

Then I have this other stuff here that my husband was told to get from the pool place uptown:
15 bags of all in one Shock X-tra ingredients?
Alkalinity Risesame as the above pH increaser
PH Downusable, but when it runs out, use muriatic acid
PH Lowersame as above
Hardness Control not really needed in a vinyl pool
PH Plus see upper section. same as you already have
5- bottles Algaecide again, you already have, and don't need
He said there is Chlorine bottles too and other stuff in the garage but not a lot more. PLEASE HELP!!!! Thank you.

How much of this stuff from the pool store can you take back? Looks to me that they doubled you up on most of your bill of goods.

 

[linen]

First and foremost get an appropriate test kit. It will make all the difference in having a trouble free pool or not. See:http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/pool_test_kit_comparison Many of us have the tf-100, it is really the best value.

Once the pool is filling (or you can test your fill water) you are going to have to do some testing and you want accurate results. Test ph, TA, CH of the pool water and post your numbers.

Next you will want to get some chlorine in the pool. Using poolcalculator.com to do the calculations, put enough bleach/liquid chlorine in the pool to raise the FC to 3 ppm.

After that you will want to start getting some stabilizer (cya) into the water. Put enough in an old sock to get to 30 ppm cya. Hang the sock in front of the return (water coming back to the pool).

As you have questions, ask them.

 

[danacc]

Welcome! Having recently joined myself, I find that there is a lot of great information here, and it can be overwhelming.

The first step toward maintaining safe pool water is to get that test kit. There are 2 really good ones, the TF-100 mentioned previously and the Taylor K-2006. Folks here are real helpful, and we'll need your test numbers to make sure we're giving the right advice.

A clarification on Baquacil / Chlorine / Salt water question:
- Baquacil and Chlorine are 2 different sanitation systems. You have to pick one or the other, and switching back and forth takes time, effort, and money.
- Baquacil is a brand name; it uses biguanide as a sanitizer. (There are other biguanide products out there, but there's a lot less flexibility than you'd have with chlorine products.)
- Using a biguanide sanitizer system is more expensive than using chlorine sanitizers.
- Now on to salt water--salt water is used as a way to make chlorine for a pool that uses chlorine sanitizers. It's just one of the options on how to get the chlorine into the water. Everything you learn with a chlorine pool will apply to a salt water pool. You'll need to learn about the salt water and chlorine generator, but everything you'll already know will still apply. This is why it's recommended to start with a "simple" chlorine pool, learn how it works, and then add salt water later once you understand more and have some experience with maintaining a pool. This is not an option in the same way with a biguanide pool; you'd have to switch to chlorine, and then in addition, switch to salt water. If you start with a chlorine pool and then go to salt water later, you're adding to it more than "switching" to it.

 

[rdhetrick]

To put it in simple terms for the OP-

1. Do not use Baq. If you can return the chems, the do that. If not, then consider it your first expensive lesson.
2. A "bleach" pool, and a salt pool both use chlorine for the sanitation. The difference is in how the chlorine gets into the pool.
3. Since you are starting and overwhelmed, the most straightforward approach is to add the necessary chlorine in the form of bleach.
4. You can convert very easily to a SWG pool any time in the future as long as you are starting from a chlorine pool.
5. You need to get one of the recommended test kits so you can add what you need, not what some pool store tells you that you need.

We can help you get started, I know you are overwhelmed now, but it is quite easy after a short learning curve. Pool stores are in business to make money by selling chemicals. Just look at the list of stuff you have bought already!

We have no financial interest in your pool - our goal is for everyone to have a sparkling pool that can be enjoyed!

 

[jcp]

Wow that's quite a list of stuff. I think the pool store tries to make things complicated, so you keep coming to them for answers and to spend your money.

Chlorine and SWG pool are the same. You either add chlorine manually or you run the SWG to make chlorine for you. I actually do both. I have a salt pool with a SWG. Occasionally when I need a "boost" of chlorine, I add bleach in addition to the chlorine my SWG is making. Or sometimes when it's time for me to clean my SWG; I may turn it off and use bleach for a few days till I get around to it.

Here's my complete list of everything I have put in, or have for my pool "chemical" wise. Short and not complicated.

1- Salt. Added at beginning of the year. I also add occasionally to maintain salt level because some water is physically removed and replaced due to backwashing the filter and splash out.

2- Instant Stabilizer (otherwise known as Cyuranic Acid). Added at beginning of the year. I also add occasionally to maintain CYA level because some water is physically removed and replaced due to backwashing the filter and splash out.

3- Bleach. I use occasionally as an alternate or extra source of chlorine.

4- Muratic Acid. Added occasionally to lower PH.

Here's some sparkling proof the simple advice here works. Not just sparkly;the floor squeaks if you rub your feet on it.

[attachment=0:1fhohadk]pool sparkle.JPG[/attachment:1fhohadk]