Hard Water

[RU4Cycling2]

I am looking to build a pool in Oklahoma and was considering a Ozone system until I joined this site. Just to confirm, would a salt water system work well with hard water? Thanks.

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

The calcium level of water does not affect the operation of a Salt Water Chlorine Generator. It will work fine with hard water.

We do not recommend Ozone systems or other alternative sanitizers.

Ozone Systems - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Alternative sanitizers and "chemical free" pools--The Truth!

Pool owners frequently seek out "Chemical Free" alternatives to pool water sanitization. Many claims in favor of these systems and methods have been made (usually by the manufacturers of such systems) often without adequate scientific proof of their efficacy. Let's take a look at them and see...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Dirk]

Hard water will lead to the build up of calcium in your pool water, to the point where you will need to periodically exchange the water to keep the level in check, more so if you're planning a plaster-based finish (too much calcium is not kind to plaster). Or... you plumb your filler hose, or auto-filler, to a water softener. You fill the pool with hard water, then replace evaporation with soft water. So far that scheme has kept my calcium level in check for over two years without needing to change the water. Just something to think about as you and your builder plan your plumbing. If you need more details, give me a shout.

But either way, that won't affect your SWG. With and without the fix I just described, my SWG has always worked great with my hard water.

Welcome to TFP, we're glad you found us!

 

[RU4Cycling2]

Thank you so much for the replies. Our builder suggested that salt water systems corrode faster than Ozone systems. Is that true?

 

[Dirk]

All pools become saltwater pools eventually. We know that pools that have ozone systems must also have chlorine to keep the water sanitized. Chlorine and pool acid and humans all leave salt behind after they are done doing their thing in your pool. Even the fill water you'll put in your pool might have salt in it. That salt builds up and accumulates, as it doesn't evaporate. So at some point, all pools end up with as much salt in them as an SWG pool. The only way to keep that from happening, is to periodically drain and replace the water in your pool. SWG pools require less salt in them than there is in your tears, about 1/10 the salt in the ocean. If your builder uses materials in or around your pool that will corrode from that "strength" of saltwater, that's going to happen whether you use an SWG, an ozone system or just chlorine.

His statement otherwise has a ring of truth, because you'll add that amount of salt up front for the SWG, so technically any problems it might cause would occur sooner, because an ozone or non-SWG pool will take a while to catch up.

 

[ajw22]

Thank you so much for the replies. Our builder suggested that salt water systems corrode faster than Ozone systems. Is that true?

I agree with all @Dirk said. Now think about what there is around your pool to corrode. Almost everything that is supposed to touch water in the pool system is PVC which does not corrode. Depending upon if you have a heater then poor water chemistry, more likely pH, can lead to corrosion. Pool pumps corrode when seals leaks and water gets where it should not be.

If you are concerned about corrosion then look at the equipment, materials, maintenance and proper water chemistry to prevent corrosion.

Pool builders blaming salt systems for corrosion simply point to the easy excuse becuase they don;t want to have the difficult discussion about the quality of their build or their customers maintenance..