Salt or Not

[dmanb2b]

So if salt is the answer for irritated eyes and skin I may have to make the switch.

Saltwater is not the answer for irritated eyes and skin....proper water balance is :lol:

Salt in your water does make the water feel softer to an extent, but as mentioned before, a saltwater pool is a chlorine pool. The key to avoid irritated eyes and skin is proper water balance, such as to keep your PH at 7.4-7.6 and your CCs as low as possible, but never over 0.5ppm. A properly balanced chlorine or saltwater pool will barely have any chlorine scent, even at higher FC levels.

What a SWG is the answer for, is more consistent/automated dosing of chlorine in your pool water, vs remembering to add chlroine manually on a regular basis...this consistent dosing helps keep CCs low, but can also cause PH to rise. Either way, most of us love our SWGs, but that still means you'll have to keep an eye on water chemistry...it won't eliminate irritated eyes or skin on it's own

 

[susa]

>> ... such as to keep your PH at 7.4-7.6

..and some of us enjoy automation of pH dosing, keeping water perfectly inside a range of 7.4-7.5

just tested yesterday, Salt at 4000 ppm and pH remains locked at 7.4

 

[brownchristian]

I am so confused. So what exactly does the SWG do? If I can just add the salt manually and still chlorinate manually what does spending $1,000 do for me on the SWG?

 

[lightingguy]

The SWG converts the salt in the water into Hypochlorous acid (chlorine, bleach, etc. it's all the same)

The $1000 buys the convenience of not manually adding chlorine - if you are manually adding bleach you'll need to test and add chlorine every day or every other day.

The cost is offset by the $ you will spend on some other form of chlorine. The math gets a little fuzzy because you have to make some big assumptions on the life of the SWG cell - but bottom line a SWG is probably slightly more expensive than liquid bleach over several seasons, but a whole lot more convenient.

 

[dmanb2b]

I am so confused. So what exactly does the SWG do? If I can just add the salt manually and still chlorinate manually what does spending $1,000 do for me on the SWG?

Take a read at this article (they are all in pool school)

pool-school/types_chlorine_pool

and this

pool-school/salt_water_chlorine_generators

 

[Beez]

I am so confused. So what exactly does the SWG do? If I can just add the salt manually and still chlorinate manually what does spending $1,000 do for me on the SWG?

Protects your sanity. The following statement says it all.

My kids are 5 and 7 and swim like fish. Wife is a school teacher and is off for the summers so the kids will be in the pool almost everyday for the next 10 years during the summer months.

IMO, a SWG will be worth every penny under those conditions.

 

[JasonLion]

I am so confused. So what exactly does the SWG do? If I can just add the salt manually and still chlorinate manually what does spending $1,000 do for me on the SWG?

The SWG converts salt into chlorine while the pump is running. That means you don't have to add chlorine manually any more (except if something goes wrong). The chlorine turns back into salt when it is used up, so you only need to add salt once a season (or perhaps twice).

 

[gullzway]

Exactly my delima! Wouldn"t mind having a SWG, but for $1000 + a new cell every few years, I think I may stick to Adding Bleach every few days.

 

[JasonLion]

Getting a SWG is a large up front investment, but they do pay for themselves over time, or at least come close. The details vary depending on what you pay for bleach and which brand/model of SWG you get, but for the most part they come out more or less break even over the lifetime of the unit.

 

[susa]

>> Wouldn"t mind having a SWG, but for $1000 + a new cell every few years

while a typical retail cost may be 1k, there are various deals available that drop the price by 40%. for example, the IntelliChlor IC40 had multiple online sources at around 600 (transformer+cell, complete system) when I last made a purchase. full 3 year warranty included from pentair.

it also comes down to convenience and value of your time in making the trips to the store, lugging the containers to/from your car, spills and ruined clothes, car interiors, et al.

 

[duraleigh]

it also comes down to convenience and value of your time in making the trips to the store, lugging the containers to/from your car, spills and ruined clothes, car interiors, et al.

In my particular case, the hassle of a manually chlorinated pool is no big deal. I have a convenient source for 12% chlorine, I don't spill it and, if I did, it's in the back of my pickup. I have yet to ruin any clothes but that certainly is a real possibility if you are careless.

Importantly, my 42k pool moves my SWG costs well above any $600 bill. By my calculations, I would have to deny myself over 1,000 brewskis.......that's serious business and a VERY hard sacrifice.

I am a fan of SWG's but they are not the "end all be all" for every situation. Each time I contemplate getting one, I never seem to develop the enthusiasm to spend the bucks. Again, I'm a big fan but I have come to realize that you can live a satisfactory lifestyle without owning one.

I already have Summertime visions of thousands of brewskis dancing in my brain as we speak!

 

[Beez]

I am a fan of SWG's but they are not the "end all be all" for every situation. Each time I contemplate getting one, I never seem to develop the enthusiasm to spend the bucks. Again, I'm a big fan but I have come to realize that you can live a satisfactory lifestyle without owning one.

I absolutely agree with you Dave, and I will probably never get one for the reasons you describe. It just doesn't make sense in my case: Low usage + low UV exposure = low chlorine demand.

But don't you think there are circumstances where SWGs do make a lot of sense? To me, a pool with a high chlorine demand is the best example in which the investment would pay for itself. The convenience factor is just cream on top.

The question is which model fits brownchristian's pool...

 

[susa]

the older I get, the biggest value to me is the value of my time and effort. I would rather spend my time on the things that are prioritized most important and pool maintenance is not on that list

 

[beezar]

Looks like you have a very nice waterfall there. If it's made of soft/porous stone, some people say salt is bad for that type of stone. Not sure what others think, but it's something to consider.

 

[Noggin]

I just installed a liquidator on Saturday. It makes adding chlorine less of a chore as you only have to do it once every week or two instead of every day. Not as great of a time saver as a SWG, but much nicer than adding every day (hopefully it works out well for me!) Cost was around $200 shipped