Bought a house/pool with Simple Salt system

[nstuck]

I’m new to owning a pool. Just bought a house last week that has an above ground pool and I’m trying to learn all I can about this thing before it’s time to open the pool.

I was told the pool was a salt water pool but not much else. In my research I’ve found that this is a Simple Salt system and my understanding is this is not a salt water system at all and you still need to add shock regularly (they claim once a week) to maintain chlorine levels. Supposedly you also need to buy their proprietary chemicals which are about 3x the cost of traditional chemicals.

I don’t want to use this thing at all. Is there some way to bypass the Simple Salt system and just maintain my pool as a traditional chlorine pool until I can figure out what to do about purchasing a real salt water chlorine generator? Is it as simple as taking the Simple Salt box off and plumbing the return line directly into the pool?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Jimrahbe]

n,

You do not want to use that system.. Saltwater pools are great, but not that one as it also uses minerals.

I do not know what the system looks like, but assume you could just not replace the mineral cartridges and you'd still have a salt system that would generate some chlorine, until you replace it.

You could just shut it off, if you like, and just let the water flow through it.. I suspect that the current mineral cartridges are old and used up, so they should no longer be an issue.

As a side note.. I have three saltwater pools and have not added one bag of Pool Store ''Shock" in over 10 years.. A real saltwater pool needs no additional shock, or chlorine, when maintained the TFP way.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[PoolGate]

Can you post a pic of the system? Usually you could just turn it off and simply not use it. The chemicals sounds like it is some sort of mineral system, which is specifically recommended NOT to use by this site.

Success in a pool starts with a proper test kit. See links below to start your journey.

Pool Care Basics

Test Kits Compared

 

[newdude]

It appears to be only a copper/silver ionizer and no SWG if I'm reading it right.

How it Works - Simple Blue Simple Salt System

A Clean Pool Naturally Combined with doses of Prime, Vivid, and Shimmer, the Simple Salt System will purify your pool water the natural way, maintaining water quality that won’t irritate your skin or eyes. It will also reduce the time you spend maintaining your pool. A 40 lb. bag of pool salt...

nxm.0c7.myftpupload.com

 

[Mdragger88]

I’m new to owning a pool. Just bought a house last week that has an above ground pool and I’m trying to learn all I can about this thing before it’s time to open the pool.

I was told the pool was a salt water pool but not much else. In my research I’ve found that this is a Simple Salt system and my understanding is this is not a salt water system at all and you still need to add shock regularly (they claim once a week) to maintain chlorine levels. Supposedly you also need to buy their proprietary chemicals which are about 3x the cost of traditional chemicals.

I don’t want to use this thing at all. Is there some way to bypass the Simple Salt system and just maintain my pool as a traditional chlorine pool until I can figure out what to do about purchasing a real salt water chlorine generator? Is it as simple as taking the Simple Salt box off and plumbing the return line directly into the pool?

Yes ! You can do exactly that & immediately begin normal chlorination.
Following Pool Care Basics &
FC/CYA Levels
You do need a proper test kit to know what you’re starting with and to properly maintain your parameters so get one on order ASAP-
Test Kits Compared
let us know if you already have something different than we recommend
Until you can test properly you can just add 3-5ppm worth of liquid chlorine each day to keep the pool sanitary & prevent something funky from happening.
Let us know what size your pool is (gallons) and we can help you narrow down your real swcg choices.

 

[Mdragger88]

It appears to be only a copper/silver ionizer and no SWG if I'm reading it right.

How it Works - Simple Blue Simple Salt System

A Clean Pool Naturally Combined with doses of Prime, Vivid, and Shimmer, the Simple Salt System will purify your pool water the natural way, maintaining water quality that won’t irritate your skin or eyes. It will also reduce the time you spend maintaining your pool. A 40 lb. bag of pool salt...

nxm.0c7.myftpupload.com

Its perma salt’s cousin

 

[1poolman1]

I’m new to owning a pool. Just bought a house last week that has an above ground pool and I’m trying to learn all I can about this thing before it’s time to open the pool.

I was told the pool was a salt water pool but not much else. In my research I’ve found that this is a Simple Salt system and my understanding is this is not a salt water system at all and you still need to add shock regularly (they claim once a week) to maintain chlorine levels. Supposedly you also need to buy their proprietary chemicals which are about 3x the cost of traditional chemicals.

I don’t want to use this thing at all. Is there some way to bypass the Simple Salt system and just maintain my pool as a traditional chlorine pool until I can figure out what to do about purchasing a real salt water chlorine generator? Is it as simple as taking the Simple Salt box off and plumbing the return line directly into the pool?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

You really don't want to use any system that requires the use of their proprietary chemicals to work. Think of ink-jet printers - relatively inexpensive. Ink-jet cartridges - endless money pit.
Yes, you can just remove the system from the plumbing and plumb direct.

 

[Mdragger88]

All their “necessary” chems are just a mixture of Algaecides , non chlorine shock (mps) which has no sanitation value, & clarifiers with their name on them. These are all needed to keep the pool somewhat clear due to the fact they tout that you can run fc super low with a weekly dose of dichlor or some nonsense.
But remember that clear doesn’t = sanitary.
Or else you’d only get boil water alerts when the water looked bad.
All those things mentioned above are generally unnecessary in a properly chlorinated pool.
You can certainly start sanitizing properly today.

 

[nstuck]

Thanks everyone for your input. The link Newdude posted is the system that I have. I have no intentions of using this system at all. I am hoping to be able to just ignore it completely and operate my pool as a traditional chlorine pool until at least next summer when I can purchase and install a real salt water system. Having just bought the house and needing to make some necessary repairs and updates, I’m a little strapped for cash this year.

Anyway, I’m going to order the Taylor test kit and do some more research on how to get started. Luckily there’s at least 3-4 more weeks until it’s time to open the pool.

 

[Mdragger88]

You want to watch the water temp & open before it rises much above 60 degrees.

Opening your pool- An easy to follow guide

Opening your pool can be stressful. This Pool Start Up guide teaches everything from start-up chemicals, covers, and more for your start up.

www.troublefreepool.com