switching to chlorine (from salt) need help getting started!

Jump to latest Follow Reply
F

flmgrip

0
Nov 2, 2014
13
temecula, ca
hello, I had a salt pool for about 9 months and have been real happy and got used to how to balance it but I have to switch to chlorine treatment because of excessive corrosion (and oil leak) on my swim generator (fastlane)

now I'm confused and new on what to do and use.

I did drain the pool and it has been filled with water again... now what?

I'm reading ozone is a waste of money ...

how and with what do I get the pool started and what do I need to do on a regular basis? (there seems to be so many options out there)

it's a small pool with about 5000 gallon.

thanks for the help!
 
Welcome to TFP!

A salt pool is a chlorine pool. All you had to do to covert was to start adding chlorine (bleach) every day. There was no reason to drain the pool.

If you post up a full set of test results we can offer suggestions.
 
If the salt was in fact causing corrosion then a drain was indeed necessary as without the SWG the salt level wouldn't be going down any time soon. In fact it would only continue to rise, albeit slowly, with the addition of bleach.

I would suggest looking at some of the links in jblizzles signature, starting with Test Kit. Having an accurate (TF-100) Test Kit is the key to maintaining proper chemistry in your pool. Next you should thoroughly understand that chemistry - use the Pool School link for that. Once you understand the chemistry, it will all start to come together. With dedicating only a few minutes a day to caring for your pool, it will be easy to maintain yourself... especially a small 5000 gallon pool.

I would stay away from Ozone. You don't need additional equipment to care for your pool. Once you stop using the SWG you can simply pour the chemicals your pool needs directly into the pool.

Oh, and welcome to TFP!
 
Welcome to the forum Flmgrip :wave:

What they said.

Have you found and corrected the source of the oil leak ?? Was it in the hydraulic system ??

Fastlane says "Can the Fastlane be used with a salt system?" - Yes, if the pool and Fastlane Swim Unit are both properly bonded and you maintain proper water chemistry.

What is it you are having corrosion problems with and what level of salt was your pool at ?? Usually they are around 3000 ppm but different SWGs have specific recommendations.
It's important to understand what and why the corrosion is a problem as the chlorine from the bleach can be corrosive too.

Please take the time to add your pools info to your signature as outlined here - - > http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/165-getting-started
 
thanks for all the quick responses!

I did indeed drain the pool to get rid of the salt - no way around that.

right now the water is not treated at all - so do I need to shock it or just add chlorine until I have proper balance? and how much chlorine would that be? and which type of chlorine?

I will certainly read up on all those links too! as time permits!

fastlane says you can use it, but they also say the motor will not last more than 2 years (versus 5 years in chlorine) and as confirmed with customer service the seals in the motor leaked early because of corrosion.
all parts in the water are driven by hydrolic fluid, hence the oil leak. fastlane will replace my motor under warranty, but since I started seeing oil as quickly as after 6 months I decided to get rid of the salt.
the salt level was around 3200ppm.

again, right now I just got done filling the pool with fresh tab water. nothing added at all.

thanks for all the responses!
 
oh my other reply didn't go thru

thanks for all the quick replies! I will read up on all the links as time permits.

to get going I would like to know how to start the proper chemistry and what kind of chlorine.

the pool got done filling this morning with regular tab water. nothing added ...

(it was a saline pool with 3200ppm and the fastlane is driving by a hydraulic motor under water and while they say you can use it in salt, they don't recommend it and tell you the motor won't last more than 2 years (per CS rep). I started seeing oil 6 months after placing the machine and as confirmed with CS they will replace the motor with a new one as the seals seem to have failed premature.)
if I would have been told that the motor won't last more than 2 years I would have never gone salt. I wish fastlane would be more upfront about this and plain and simple say "don't use it in salt"
 
WOW, 2 years in salt and they haven't figured out maybe to make the housing out of something more resistant to a pools environment than what looks like cast iron, like a John Deere pump !!
That level of salt shouldn't have caused any problem at all with anything that is supposedly for a pool or pool environment (IMHO).

You just need bleach and some CYA. Also called stabilizer if outdoor. Any bleach that is NOT splash-less or scented. Just the plain every day stuff. "Concentrated" is ok as that's just a bit stronger in a smaller jug. Just run of the mill bleach from Walmart, grocery store or big box store (likely "liquid shock" which is just a stronger version of household liquid bleach). CYA from walmart too, big box store ....

Other recommended chemicals : http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/139-recommended-pool-chemicals
 

Attachments

  • bleach clorox.jpg
    bleach clorox.jpg
    10.1 KB · Views: 151
  • bleach liquid Pool Shock.jpg
    bleach liquid Pool Shock.jpg
    5.8 KB · Views: 152
  • Stabilizer HTH brand.jpg
    Stabilizer HTH brand.jpg
    42.5 KB · Views: 151

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
:goodpost:

You definitely need to add some chemicals to your pool now. But you also need an accurate test kit for sure. Please do not get your water tested at a pool store or trust anything a pool store employee ever tells you. The best investment you can make right now is in a TF-100 test kit from www.tftestkits.net.

You can learn about all of the acronyms of chemicals needed to maintain your pool here: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/123-abc-of-pool-water-chemistry

The important terms you need to know are FC, CC, PH, TA, CH & CYA. The amount of FC (Free Chlorine) you want in your pool at any given time is dictated by how much stabilizer (CYA) you have. You generally want your PH to be somewhere in the 7.5 - 7.8 range.

Your CYA is probably 0 since you just drained and refilled the pool, so your target FC is 3. You can use the pool math calculator (link at top of page) to determine how much chemicals to add and which kinds.

Also, it would helpful to know more details about your pool like whether it's gunite or vinyl, above ground or inground, pool equipment being used, etc.. Please put that information in your signature.
 
I see it now! So you will also need to track how much calcium is in your water (CH). Yes you need to add chlorine, and also some muriatic acid to get your PH down to acceptable levels. Like I said, use the pool math at the top to determine how much to add. Be sure to enter the capacity of your pool where appropriate, and use the drop down boxes at the bottom to set up your targets based on your pool type and method being used.
 
For testing kits there is the TF-100 and K-2006 http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/124-pool-test-kits-comparison
http://tftestkits.net/TFTestkits-TF-100-p4.html
http://www.amazon.com/TAYLOR-TECHNOLOGIES-INC-K-2006-CHLORINE/dp/B004BGF7TI

I prefer (and have) the TF-100 and I strongly recommend the speedstir. It's more than a toy and really helps make testing easier rather than trying to add, count and swish.
Speedstir: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_EJknrPjYE&list=UUNFkPFCkt9Y_YYNAeLtUr1g
 
You need some CYA in your pool to help hold the chlorine levels. Use Pool math http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html to show you how much to add.

To add the CYA put it in a sock and hang it in front of the return. The CYA level will not show up on a test for about a week.

While you are adding the CYA you should order a good test kit. THAT is the number one thing for you to talk control of you pool.

Kim
 
thanks every one again for their help! here are the first test results, I added stabilizer 2 days ago, so I don't know how accurate that number is ....
FC CC CH TA CYA PH
4.0 0.0 200 130 30 7.6

seems to be all pretty good...

question is should I add calcium and how fast does the CYA level drop?

thanks!
 
They CYA will likely rise for a couple days. It's always recommended to NOT test until a week has passed. The CYA number usually isn't valid and it's just a waste of testing chemical.
It much easier for us to "see" the results if you simply post them vertically, like:

FC 4.0
CC 0.0
CH 200
and so on

CYA doesn't get used up so once you add it the number is usually pretty stable unless you have massive splash out or backwash often and for a considerable amount of time. In cases like that you are adding so much water to make up for the loss you dilute the CYA and thus lower the CYA level.

The recommendation is 250-350 for CH so you should add some.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply