New gunite pool should we use regular chlorine or salt system?

[Liz315]

So we are going with a gunite pool now that will have a wet edge lunar quartz finish. The pool builder recommends regular chlorine instead of the salt system and says a salt system can’t be added until after a month anyway due to the specifications of the finish.
Will converting to a salt system after be worth it or is regular chlorine Easy to maintain? What are the different steps to maintain each system?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Liz,

I am a highly biased Saltwater pool kind of guy.. I have three saltwater pools for a total of over 20 years and have had zero problems. Saltwater pools are by far the easiest type of pool to maintain.

A saltwater pool is a chlorine pool.. The difference is how you add the chlorine. In a standard chlorine pool you have to manually add the chlorine some way.. Tablets or liquid chlorine need to be regularly added.. A saltwater pool has a device called a Saltwater Chlorine Generator or SWCG.. It does what the name implies, it generates chlorine. It just uses the salt in the water to make the chlorine...

The cost for each method is about the same. When you manually add chlorine, you pay as you go for the chlorine. With a saltwater pool, you basically buy the chlorine your pool will use for the next 4 to 6 years up front.

A great side effect of a saltwater pool is that the water "feels" better. When you get out of a standard chlorine pool, you feel like you need to take a shower. When you get out of a saltwater pool, you feel like you just took a shower...

You pool builder is correct.. You should always wait for 30 days after plaster to add the salt and start running your SWCG..

I'd just as soon fill my three pools in as not have them be saltwater pools.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[HermanTX]

Well you have asked the $64k question that is debated a lot on the forum. The PB is correct that the SWG (salt water generator) would not be turned on until 28 days after your new fill. But that is true of all pool finishes not just yours. So you will need to use Liquid Chlorine in that interim period.
I think most will tell you that a SWG is the way to go to reduce your maintenance time on the pool. If you go with liquid chlorine (LC), you most likely will be adding LC daily during the swim season. The 3rd option is use of Chlorine Pucks (such as in an inline chlorinator or in a floating dispenser) which is particularly frowned upon in this forum.
I am sure you will get a lot of feedback. I personally use LC but I did not build the pool and I converted from using chlorine pucks. I am in process of considering installation of a SWG for the future.

You will like the Wet Edge plaster product, I have the Primera Stone and love it, re-plastered over 2 years ago as pool was 15 years old and standard white plaster had a lot of abuse by previous owners.

 

[Saturn94]

I’m also biased towards a SWCG. We’ve had one for our pool since 2004.

Over the years there have been a couple times I’ve had to manually chlorinate the pool due to the pump being down. I missed the SWCG terribly during those times!

Bottom line, I wouldn’t have a pool without a SWCG!

 

[Liz315]

Thanks, I truly appreciate everyone’s feedback. I have a salt water hot tub and it is very easy to maintain so I’m leaning towards doing it after the waiting period. Can everyone fill me in on why the chlorine pucks are frowned upon? Our PB doesn’t like them especially with the inline chlorinator because he says you just waste times of product.
He says he prefers chlorine tablets placed directly in the skimmer ( I think that’s where he said) this is how he does it on all of the pools he does full service on each week.

so is liquid chlorine what the forum recommends until I get the salt water system?

last question is does the sws hurt dark colored coatings? I’m thinking of going dark for a dark turquoise water color.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Liz,

If you look at my first post you will see where I say that a saltwater pool is chlorine pool.. If you plaster will change color in a saltwater pool it will do exactly the same thing in a standard chlorine pool.. Chlorine is chlorine, no matter how it gets in your pool.

Your pool builder adds pucks to his clients skimmer baskets simply because it is the easiest thing his pool cleaner can do. Get a SWCG and you will not need an inline feeder for pucks or any thing else.

I would let the builder do whatever he wants until he turns the pool over to you.. Using a few pucks for a short period of time will not be a problem.

Once he adds the salt and turns the pool over to you, you can start following the TFP pool care path.

Thanks,

Jim R.