Has anyone bought salt lately

[rjb1211]

From draining down the pool for the winter I need to add some salt after my startup this year. I have done a search and there have been reports of dirt/gravel/junk in just about all of the brands over the years. That problem seems to differ by what batch you get.

I can get a 40lb bag at a reasonable price at several stores. In the same ballpark are Diamond Crystal Water Softener Salt Solar Crystals, Morton Professional's Choice Pool Salt, and Morton Pure and Natural Water Softener Crystals. Costing a little more is Diamond Crystal Splash Ready Granule Pool Salt.

Any reason to get one over the others?

 

[ajw22]

Any of them should be good. As you said, the problem seems to differ by what batch you get.

 

[PoolStored]

Diamond Crystal Splash Ready is good salt.
Diamond Crystal Solar Naturals is good salt.
I would avoid Morton and Clorox salt.

 

[rjb1211]

Diamond Crystal Splash Ready is good salt.
Diamond Crystal Solar Naturals is good salt.

Any practical differences between those two?

 

[PoolStored]

No.

 

[TinFoilHat]

I just did 8 bags of the Diamond Crystals Solar Naturals this weekend with no issues. It dissolves super fast - brush it across the shallow end three times and it's virtually dissolved. No sediments left behind either.

 

[ol_whistle_britches]

Diamond Crystal Water Softener Salt Solar Crystals

I bought and dumped 300lbs in a month ago. Works fine.

 

[rjb1211]

Diamond Crystal Splash Ready is good salt.
Diamond Crystal Solar Naturals is good salt.

I was able to get the Splash Ready for less than a dollar more per bag than the Solar Naturals plus it was delivered for free so that is what I used. It was pretty fine with only a few small clumps and no debris. Worked great.

Just for reference what is the difference between these two? I may not get that same deal the next time I need it.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

I was able to get the Splash Ready for less than a dollar more per bag than the Solar Naturals plus it was delivered for free so that is what I used. It was pretty fine with only a few small clumps and no debris. Worked great.

Just for reference what is the difference between these two? I may not get that same deal the next time I need it.

The splash ready is finer granules so they dissolve a bit faster. I have used both and it is like 3-5 minutes of brushing for the splash ready and 5-8 minutes of brushing for the solar naturals. I may be slightly off on my time but the difference is negligible in my opinion. I buy whichever is cheaper.

--Jeff

 

[drsipe]

I've tried both Morton and Diamond Crystal solar salts, and I've found there is much less undesolvable materials in the Diamond Crystal Natural Solar Salts. This is just a personal observation.

There are some pool salts that it is known on this site to stay away from due to contaminant such as the Clorox Pool Salt, which may use questionable means to process their salt, but all pool salts are more likely to contain contaminants than Natural Solar Salts for a water softener. Water softener salts are less processed than pool salts

The processing of pool salts requires milling to a powder. The mills use steel/iron rollers and as the rollers wear, they introduce small particles of steel/iron into the product. Also as equipment wears, they have malfunctions such as oil from the rollers leaking into the milling process. In my opinion salt with less processing will always mean less chance of contaminants in the salt.

 

[ol_whistle_britches]

Just for reference what is the difference between these two?

Buy the one that has free shipping. HD wanted $70 to deliver it to me, and I have a pro acct that usually gets all my deliveries free.