New pool owner SWG...low salt indicator

[maynard001]

OK...just bought a house in July and it came with an in-ground, 22,000 gallon salt water pool with an Intellichlor SWG. The pool was basically trouble-free all summer. Had to add Muriatic acid a couple of times to lower the pH...but other than that it's been pretty easy.

Last night the red LED came on on my Intellichlor...which means the salt levels are reading low. I don't think there is a way for the Intellichlor to tell me exactly HOW low they are...just that they're low.

My question is how do I go about bringing up the salt level? Do I need to buy a salt tester? I don't think the test strips I'm using measure salt...so I assume that's a separate tester to buy...more money spent.

thanks...

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

Ideally you should get a salt test (either the strips or the Taylor drop kit) and/or you can get the salt level tested at a pool store. This will either confirm that the salt is indeed low and you need to add salt (solar salt from the hardware store is fine) or this will show that the salt level is fine and that there is a problem with the SWG.

Reading lower salt that reality could be one of a few things:
1. The cell is dirty and needs to be cleaned. When was the last time it was inspected for scale and cleaned?
2. The cell is nearing the end of its life. Most cells only last 3-5 years and then need to be replaced. How old is the SWG setup?

 

[pwrstrk]

Look here for salt test kit http://tftestkits.net/Options-for-All-Test-Kits-c10/

 

[maynard001]

Thanks dudes. I'll pick up a salt test kit in the next day or so. I live in Memphis so our winters are fairly mild. I was thinking of leaving the pool open all winter because I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on a cover (moving is expensive)....so we'll see how it goes.