Salt PPM at 1200 BEFOR adding salt? Should I drain and refill?

[duganderson]

I added a SmarterSpa SWG today. Before I added the salt, my Taylor Salt Test and test strip showed about 1200 PPM of salt. I added 2.5 cups of pool salt to my 400 g. tub and it brought it up to 1800 PPM. The Smarter spa indicates that salt is in the correct range which they say is 1500--2000 PPM. Is it bad my salt PPM was so high before adding salt? Should I refill? Where did so much salt come from?

The details of my water are below....

I have a 400 g. hot tub that was drained about a 2 months ago with 2 Ahh-Some purges. I have used the diclor/chorine method AND Nature2 with about CYA at 25. The only additional chemicals I have added are Boric acid to 50 PPM, Acid magic (muriatic acid), dry acid to lower Ph, baking soda once, hydrogen peroxide once (to lower chlorine) and the weekly Ahh-some product (not the purge product). I fill my tub from outside spigot but use inside spigot for top offs but I don't think my water softener is working at all. I live in Minneapolis.

 

[mknauss]

No need to drain because of that ----

Salt came from the use of liquid chlorine and muriatic acid.

 

[duganderson]

Thanks for clarifying!

Will salt likely get too high occasionally if I'm using liquid chlorine and Muriatic Acid occasionally?

One thing I don't understand about SWG yet is.......Does salt PPM lower with use (if no other salts are added like liquid chlorine and Muriatic Acid) OR does salt only reduce with water splashed out?

 

[Oly]

Yes splash out and getting out will lower your water level eventually and require topping off with tap water which will reduce your salt ppm. I suppose a steady leak would work also.
Its pretty easy to lower your salt level if you need to quickly in a spa by siphoning out a little water or dipping out some with a bucket and adding back tap water.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Dugan,

The SWCG does not use up any of the salt...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[duganderson]

The SWCG does not use up any of the salt.. Jim R.

That's what I thought I had heard. I'd like to read about the chemistry of a SWG and how the chlorine that is generated from splitting the salt (sodium and chloride) does NOT get used up like the Chlorine in liquid chlorine does. If anyone knows of a good article about this, I'd love to read it.

 

[mknauss]

If anyone knows of a good article about this, I'd love to read it.

SWG How It Works - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[duganderson]

I should have first looked in the TFP pool school

Table of Contents - Trouble Free Pool

I've read several of the articles in there and they are awesome. Anyone with a new pool or hot tub should probably start reading the entire TFP pool school first. For me, doing that would have saved a lot of time, money and unlearning incorrect info from other sources.