Need help with decision. Saltwater and filter

[Fishbulb]

Hi Everyone,

My wife and I are putting in a small above ground pool (18' dia, 52" tall). I want to try to keep this install and the maintenance as simple as possible. I'm trying a bit to go for the KISS approach. I have a saltwater reef tank and is has all of the latest tech (ozone, internet monitoring, auto water changes, everything imaginable). It's hard for me to tell how much time all this tech saves me because when any small thing goes wrong, it's a giant interconnected headache. More things to maintain as well.

I've read a ton on the benefits and cons of a SWG but I didn't see a ton mentioned regarding pool size. I think if we went with a large unground pool in the future, it would make more sense. But for a small pool around 8000 gallons, is it still worth it? The pool will run off of a regular 110V outlet and it seems like having more gear connected will make this outlet start to get very messy and over crowded. Finally, the last concern is just that our lot size is really small. So if I needed to do any work on the pool that required disposing on saltwater (like back flushing a filter or something) might be more complicated then just dumping freshwater into the plants. Am I wrong on this?


Filter
I really wanted a DE filter (like I have on my aquariums), but the pool guys recommended against it for saltwater because backflushes would waste all of the salt. If I did a freshwater pool, I'd like to go with DE. Would dumping the freshwater in the yard be a big problem? Is it really a concern? We have very high iron content in our water, so I could see having to back flush the filter a few times after we fill it.

Thanks for the help.
FB

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi there,
Even with 8000 gallons, SW is definitely worth it IMO. There is no easier way to introduce chlorine into a swimming pool. Its recommended the SWG be 1.5x the volume of the pool.
The bigger Salt Cell means it will last a lot longer before it will eventually need to be replaced because it doesnt have to work as hard to produce x amount of chlorine.

If you're worried about backwashing SW into the lawn, or other chemicals in the water, the easy way to resolve that is to use a cartridge filter. No backwashing required. The bigger the filter the better - means longer periods between cleaning of the filter. Cleaning the filter is easy too.

 

[jblizzle]

There is always the option of not backwashing the DE filter and just tearing it down when needed. If properly sized, would only need to do rusty 1 or 2 times per year. Should be done annually anyway.

 

[Fishbulb]

Thanks guys. I just realized that there is actually a storm drain at the bottom of a basement stairwell near where the filter equipment will reside. Is it a terrible idea to drain the DE backwash and saltwater down this drain? Will it surely clog it? For a small DE filter, do you have a "rough" estimate as to how many gallons of backwash you need to clean the DE filter?

Thanks for all of the help and sorry for all the questions.

FB

 

[jblizzle]

I would recommend going big to avoid backwash instead of small trying to accommodate a drain.

 

[Fishbulb]

I would recommend going big to avoid backwash instead of small trying to accommodate a drain.

Thanks jblizzle,

I can certainly do that and oversize the filter. But it sounds like you are fan of DE filters. My hunch is that we will like the clarity over the cartridge filter. We are looking at the Hayward Perflex EC40 D.E. Filter System 1-HP Power-Flo Pump. This is rated for a 24' diameter pool. That should be pretty decent right for our 18' pool correct?

Thanks again. We are excited to get this up and running.

 

[jblizzle]

DE is all I have had. If I ever replace, likely going to large cartridge.

 

[bmoreswim]

Don't worry about the difference in filtering ability between the two. Choose the one that has the most positives and least negatives for your situation other than filtering ability. They are that close.

Come look at my cartridge pool at night and you'll see why I say that.