Salt vs Chlorine

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Jveselka

Jveselka

Member
Jul 8, 2019
10
Waco, Texas
Newbie here.....
We are fixing to put in an in-ground pool and are at the point of making the decision salt or chlorine, any suggestions? I have read several blogs on pros and cons but they all seem to say the same thing. I am reaching out here from help from pool owners on how they made their decision and if it was the right one. We currently have an above ground pool that is chlorine and very easy to maintain but it is only 6500 gallons. This in now way makes me an expert on the dedication an in-ground pool will require.

Any guidance will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
JV
 
Welcome to the forum!
No real difference in pool water chemistry management. If you opt for liquid chlorine, you add that daily or install a system to meter it into the pool. If you opt for SWCG, it adds it for you daily. You still test your water chemistry, control your pH, etc with either option.

With your SWCG you are buying your chlorine up front. With liquid chlorine, you are buying it every week or so and carrying it home and storing it.

I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry and consider reviewing the entire Pool School eBook.
 
Welcome to TFP...

Understand, a "salt" pool is a chlorine pool. In your previous pool, you added the chlorine.

In a salt pool, the Salt Water Chlorine Generator (SWCG) creates chlorine from the salt in the water thru a chemical p[rocess. It is just a much easier way to keep the chlorine at the proper levels.
 
If you're ok with keeping up with your pool chemistry, an SWG is a great way to go. Good chemistry=longer cell life. If you travel and don't have anyone willing or able to take care of your pool as well as you will with TFP, SWG is a the perfect solution.
 
We told our PB that we had 2 kids and too many activities to have alot of free time for maintenance. We paid about 5% extra upfront for ease of use with a swg and bioguard products. We still knowingly overpay for the products just for the fact it Dang near maintains itself. All it takes is for my friends to have one problem and they end up paying the same as me in the long run. Thanks to this site i would be able to figure out the proper mixture of additives to do it all myself at a savings, but with time and energy i dont usually have. I have all the respect in the world for the fanatics and purists on this site but i just dont have the time to join them.
 
My 'metal' on the ladder, diving board and light is all aircraft grade and unaffected.
 
The rust and damage you read about are more likely due to improper water chemistry than a saltwater cell. The salt content of a SWG pool is about 3,000 ppm. The salt content of the ocean is around 30,000 ppm. Poorly balanced water will have a much more severe effect on items in and around the pool than a SWG ever will. You would be amazed at the number of people that have no idea what is going on with their water chemistry because they have a pool service or they only check their chlorine and pH then freak out when their pool gets scaling, erosion, or an algae bloom.

I have a SWG and love it. Dial it in and it does all the chlorinating work.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Jveselka said:
What about rust and damage to equipment I keep reading about?
Click to expand...

J,

Most of these comments are third hand... "I had a friend who had a brother who.... " etc..

We have yet to see any proven damage caused by the saltwater. I have three saltwater pools ranging from 8 to 8 years old.. I have had zero failures, except for a lightning strike... If one of my pumps failed tomorrow, I could blame it on the saltwater.. but I would be lying.. :mrgreen:

It is just a good excuse rather than a fact. If you believe the myth of saltwater pools being evil, it is pretty easy to blame any failure on the saltwater.

If I build another 100 pools, they would all be saltwater pools.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
My cell is five years old. No issues. Life is typically 3-7 years, but dependent on sizing your cell for 2X your pool volume, at a minimum.

SWCG cells normally do not need to be cleaned. As long as you manage your pool water chemistry properly. I have never cleaned mine.
But if you did, you just use diluted muriatic acid (which you should already have on hand to manage your pH) to clean it.
 
Jveselka said:
Ok, you guys are starting to making me feel all warm and fuzzy......so is it true about the cell having to be replaced every 3 years and can it be cleaned by me or would that have to be done by a pro?
Click to expand...
It sounds to me as if someone is trying to "direct" you away from a SWCG. Are the folks you are talking to saying they are no good?
 
I'll add my .02, I've had a SWG pool with 2 different brands of SWG's and I have never had a cell last more than 3 years on my pool, but I would never not have a SWG pool. With a full replacement 3 year warranty on the cells I have never had to buy another cell in under 4 years of use. My pool does get a lot of use with hot water running through the system, solar heating, a spa that is used quite often, and open year round, I always have wondered if this might be leading to the cells not lasting as long as I've read others getting out of their cells.

Cleaning a cell is simple to do if you ever need to do it. Some cells have stands that one end screws onto the cell to plug it and you pour a solution of muriatic acid and water in the cell to dissolve the calcium build up.
 
Yes, I think you are right tim5055, they all say it is bad for the system, patio furniture, decking etc. That's why I want to talk to someone that has one and has had one for several years. The neighbors across the street put a salt pool in last year and love it but it is brand new....a friend of mine is putting one in up in DFW area and he said that most companies up there don't even mess with salt pulls because of the damage they cause. So you see my concerns..... Does a SWCG cost more to run than a regular pump?
 
I was instructed wrong originally and had no reason to doubt it based on the stellar results. From my own doing i shortened my cell to 6000 hours instead of 10k. It still lasted 6.5 seasons. (6 months each). I was told to boost (sanitize) once a week whether it needed it or not. I was also told to use a straight Muriatic bath for 15 mins at the mid season and end of season. My balance was always good so it never fizzed and was never needed. Much less at full strength acid. Once the cell died i finally looked up the details that i should have done in the first place. I dont blame my builder/pool store. Me maximizing my cell life isnt their concern. Buy one every 5 years, who cares ? Anywho im expecting a much longer lifespan for the new one.
 
Jveselka said:
Ok, you guys are starting to making me feel all warm and fuzzy......so is it true about the cell having to be replaced every 3 years and can it be cleaned by me or would that have to be done by a pro?
Click to expand...

Think of it this way.. It will cost you x dollars to add chlorine to your pool.. You can pay for this each month as you manually add chlorine, or you can buy the chlorine all at once. Either way the cost is the same.. With a SWCG, you are just buying the chlorine up front.

My 8 year old pool still have the original cell as does my 6 year old pool, both of them are about 14K pools. The pool at my house has a replacement cell as the original one was taken out by a lightning strike.. Or we assume that was the cause of the failure... It failed about a month after the lightning strike and was replaced under warranty.

One reason for some SWCG's short lifespan is the owners not having a clue as to what they are doing.. They don't keep their FC high enough so they get algae.. Once they get algae, they keep running the cell at a high and higher output to keep their FC up.. This just uses the cell up faster.. Cell's can never keep up with an algae bloom.. Another reason is too much cleaning. They do not monitor their CSI causing the cell to collect scale.. Constant cleaning will just reduce the life span of the cell. A third reason is the use of the Super Chlorinate mode.. This runs the cell at 100% for 24 hours.. I suggest you just use Liquid Chlorine if you want to quickly raise your FC. And.. the main reason for a short SWCG life is caused by most pool builder who believe that a 20K cell is made for a 20K pool... Just not true. Cells need to be at least 2 x the pool volume so you don't have to run them at 100% and 24/7 to make the chlorine you need. The harder you run them the faster they get used up.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
  • Like
Reactions: imrodee
Take most everything your pool builder says with a grain of salt, and when it comes to SWCGs in Texas, throw it out the door. I’ve yet to talk to a builder or even service/renovation company who does not try to dissuade from SWCG, whether they claim equipment/furniture/hard surface damage, short cell life, etc. They are ill informed and definitely not knowledgeable about their use or maintenance. They will push you away from SWCGs, but push you toward UV and ozone sanitization equipment! You’re best to come where you have, this site, and learn the truth for yourself.

We put in a pool 3 years ago and went without a SWCG because of our builder’s advice and the concerns they put on their use. We are now converting ourselves and looking forward to their reliable chlorine production as well as the softer water (which you can also get with salt alone).

Good luck on your new build!
 
  • Like
Reactions: imrodee

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply