SWG For New Pool...Maybe...Help Clarify.

[agjr85]

Hi TFP
Looking at building a new pool and this time around highly considering a SWG. Previous pool was built 2 years ago and was done with an inline chlorinator. That solution has worked fine but the CYA did get high which led to some water replacement. Not terrible over the course of 2 years.
In speaking with pool builders, I get mixed reviews, none so far that say dont' do it, but more so of what to look out for.
Can you please help confirm if these concerns are legit.

- Certain furniture material/finish around the pool is not recommended due to corrosion. (not a big turn off, as the right furniture can be purchased). Is there more to this?
- Aware of cell's needing to be replaced, so just something to plan for.
- Glass tile not ideal as it never looks good. Develops a film like finish. So far the designers mentioned that a waiver had to be signed when doing salt-pools and glass tile.
- If doing natural stone such as Travertine, constant upkeep to keep the stone sealed to avoid spilled water damaging the stone over time. Mainly for the decking. However I question the travertine coping as well. Does this apply to spray- deck finish as well? Or even a porcelain floor?
- All have mentioned it is tricky to keep the pool balanced, so it can be a nightmare if you fall into a wormhole and find it hard to get out of. I can sorta of see this being true for a brand new pool owner. Curious for someone that has been doing their own upkeep for 2+ years, perhaps just the learning curve of the SWG % / run times and balancing salt. Does anyone find truth to salt pools being more difficult than a regular chlorine tab pool?
- Draining any pool water should be done directly to the street, not on lawn or plants as it is not friendly to landscaping?

Anything else that I may be missing that is worth considering?

We plan to do Pebble Sheen, Travertine Coping, Spray-Deck or Travertine Decking, Outdoor kitchen(doubtful on appliance finish, yet it would be a good distance from the pool water.)

 

[ajw22]

Ah yes, you are in Texas.

- Certain furniture material/finish around the pool is not recommended due to corrosion. (not a big turn off, as the right furniture can be purchased). Is there more to this?

So without a SWG all furniture in Texas lasts forever and does not corrode outdoors?

- Aware of cell's needing to be replaced, so just something to plan for.

SWG cells are a consumable that can generate a stated amount of chlorine. You are paying for the chlorine one time up front. Or you can pay for the same chlorine one jug or tablet at a time.

- Glass tile not ideal as it never looks good. Develops a film like finish. So far the designers mentioned that a waiver had to be signed when doing salt-pools and glass tile.

Yeah, glass tiles can develop a film like finish. Never heard it blamed on the SWG before.

So do they guarantee that without a SWG your glass tiles will never get a film? Will they sign a wavier stating that?

A pool chlorinated with a SWG has the identical chemicals as a pool chlorinated by tablets or liquid chlorine. So all these statements make no scientific sense.

- If doing natural stone such as Travertine, constant upkeep to keep the stone sealed to avoid spilled water damaging the stone over time. Mainly for the decking. However I question the travertine coping as well. Does this apply to spray- deck finish as well? Or even a porcelain floor?

A pool chlorinated with a SWG has the identical chemicals as a pool chlorinated by tablets or liquid chlorine.

There is different quality travertine and other stone that determine what maintenance it needs. Texas builders seem to have more stone issues then anywhere else.

- All have mentioned it is tricky to keep the pool balanced, so it can be a nightmare if you fall into a wormhole and find it hard to get out of. I can sorta of see this being true for a brand new pool owner. Curious for someone that has been doing their own upkeep for 2+ years, perhaps just the learning curve of the SWG % / run times and balancing salt. Does anyone find truth to salt pools being more difficult than a regular chlorine tab pool?

Sorry, I can only bring 30 years of experience with salt pools. That whole statement is convoluted and backwards. SWG pools can be the simplest to maintain.

- Draining any pool water should be done directly to the street, not on lawn or plants as it is not friendly to landscaping?

Do your plants and landscaping like chlorine and CYA and not salt?

Anything else that I may be missing that is worth considering?

I suggest you read Pool School and

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Bperry]

Hi TFP
Looking at building a new pool and this time around highly considering a SWG. Previous pool was built 2 years ago and was done with an inline chlorinator. That solution has worked fine but the CYA did get high which led to some water replacement. Not terrible over the course of 2 years.
In speaking with pool builders, I get mixed reviews, none so far that say dont' do it, but more so of what to look out for.
Can you please help confirm if these concerns are legit.

- Certain furniture material/finish around the pool is not recommended due to corrosion. (not a big turn off, as the right furniture can be purchased). Is there more to this?
- Aware of cell's needing to be replaced, so just something to plan for.
- Glass tile not ideal as it never looks good. Develops a film like finish. So far the designers mentioned that a waiver had to be signed when doing salt-pools and glass tile.
- If doing natural stone such as Travertine, constant upkeep to keep the stone sealed to avoid spilled water damaging the stone over time. Mainly for the decking. However I question the travertine coping as well. Does this apply to spray- deck finish as well? Or even a porcelain floor?
- All have mentioned it is tricky to keep the pool balanced, so it can be a nightmare if you fall into a wormhole and find it hard to get out of. I can sorta of see this being true for a brand new pool owner. Curious for someone that has been doing their own upkeep for 2+ years, perhaps just the learning curve of the SWG % / run times and balancing salt. Does anyone find truth to salt pools being more difficult than a regular chlorine tab pool?
- Draining any pool water should be done directly to the street, not on lawn or plants as it is not friendly to landscaping?

Anything else that I may be missing that is worth considering?

We plan to do Pebble Sheen, Travertine Coping, Spray-Deck or Travertine Decking, Outdoor kitchen(doubtful on appliance finish, yet it would be a good distance from the pool water.)

Suffice to say almost none of it is true, except that the cells do need to be replaced over time. A common misconception is that “salt pools” are different than standard chlorine pools. The salt cell generates chlorine from the small amount of salt in the water, the salt doesn’t replace chlorine.

 

[Mdragger88]

Maintaining TFP recommended levels should prevent all of the issues u described including getting the most life out of your swg cell as those issues are often found with mismanaged pools. What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?

Calcium Saturation Index (CSI)

How is CSI calculated? Very simple – by using the PoolMath tool. To ensure long plaster life and save money, click here to learn more

www.google.com

Pools chlorinated with Saltwater chlorine generators are not set it & forget- no chlorination method is. All chlorination methods have their pros & cons.
Chlorination is only one prong of pool maintenance. Those that treat swg’s (or any sanitation method) as a total solution often run into issues.

How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Before chlorinating your pool, you should know these simple tips. Learn the best way to add chlorine to your pool.

www.google.com

 

[agjr85]

Thanks..

Most of the research suggests that glass tile is perfect for salt-water pools and on the contrary natural stone / slates is not. Will continue to inquire about this with the rest of the builders yet to come and bid on the project.

 

[Mdragger88]

@Jimrahbe has multiple swg pools in texas, I’m sure he can provide some insight that would ease your concerns as well.

 

[jdlangley1]

Hey - I live in Spring, TX as well and can attest to the fear the PBs here have of salt pools!!! Our PB talked us out of it, as most do down here. I am actually in process of getting quotes today for adding an IC40 system and it will likely cost me more since I didn’t do it during the build.

As far as glass tiles, my glass tiles are already have a film and that is with using liquid chlorine. So I don’t imagine salt would make it any worse.

We have travertine as well. From what I’ve read on TFP, no one has seen any increased wear from salt, so I’m not worrying about it either. I could seal if I want to later on, but don’t think it’s necessary.

If you take a look in the pic I attached, a 50lb bucket of chlorine tabs would raise a pool of my size by 312ppm of salt. I’m not sure how fast someone goes through 50lbs of tabs but as you can see, over a summer or two, a tab fed pool would quickly accumulate the same level of salt. So unless your PB is suggesting you drain your pool when the salt contents get that high, you essentially will have a salt pool without the chlorine generator!

 

[agjr85]

Hey - I live in Spring, TX as well and can attest to the fear the PBs here have of salt pools!!! Our PB talked us out of it, as most do down here. I am actually in process of getting quotes today for adding an IC40 system and it will likely cost me more since I didn’t do it during the build.

As far as glass tiles, my glass tiles are already have a film and that is with using liquid chlorine. So I don’t imagine salt would make it any worse.

We have travertine as well. From what I’ve read on TFP, no one has seen any increased wear from salt, so I’m not worrying about it either. I could seal if I want to later on, but don’t think it’s necessary.

If you take a look in the pic I attached, a 50lb bucket of chlorine tabs would raise a pool of my size by 312ppm of salt. I’m not sure how fast someone goes through 50lbs of tabs but as you can see, over a summer or two, a tab fed pool would quickly accumulate the same level of salt. So unless your PB is suggesting you drain your pool when the salt contents get that high, you essentially will have a salt pool without the chlorine generator!

Yea so far none of the PB have said they wont' install it nor are they afraid to (why would they). Seems to just need the right materials. It's just been comments they've made based on questions I asked. Even our first PB was up to you kind of thing, we opted out given the budget. I have 4 more PB's to interview so we'll see what the consensus is and how they all feel about SW builds.

 

[jdlangley1]

Have you had a quote from Walt’s Pools? If not, I can send you his info. He just completed our neighbors pool and it looks awesome.

 

[agjr85]

Have you had a quote from Walt’s Pools? If not, I can send you his info. He just completed our neighbors pool and it looks awesome.

Nope, never heard of him nor see much online.

 

[tstex]

I've had a Cl based pool since Jan 2015...started out w Tablets but a year later, let the pool guy go and have been adding bleach ever since. However, I am very tired of the bleach game and am looking at adding a SWCG.

I too have TONS of tumbled travertine [1700sqft and pool water line], tons of stainless steel by pool and other. My PB's said do not do saltwater and calcium based stones. We used turkish 1.25" thick travertine on the deck, coping and many other places. I'm now seeking opinions on stones and SWG impact.

I only use the TABS/pucks to add CYA and get a break from adding bleach. JDlang, I understand what your saying on 50lbs of TAB's and their empirical salt cumulative impact, but you have to calculate UV, big rains that dilute pool chem's on overflow, etc. So nothing all happens at once and nothing lasts in perpetuity. CYA, overtime, degrades w UV more than you think. I one time got lazy on buying bleach so I kept using the pucks. Told myself I need to test CYA and it was 70. [usually 30-50]. I think it may have even been low when I went on a puck-run. So I stopped using pucks for 2-3 months entirely and summer in HOU was at it's peak July. My FC levels wound not stay above 5ppm for a day even though I added 1 gal of 8.25% bleach. What I found out, my CYA was now at 5-10PPM.. Remember last June/July how much rain we had. Rain really dilutes your chem's when it pours out the drain. Bottom line, just have to manage everything and when weather changes radically [sun, wind, rains], adapt.

agj, let me know what your PB's tell you. Also, my PB was from the Spring area and we had TONS of issues as did other homeowners. PM so we can confer so you do not go what we went thru, which was managing the build and the contractors...

Good luck

 

[jdlangley1]

Nope, never heard of him nor see much online.

that is by design. He does not advertise or post on social media. He is word of mouth only. Same with the builder we used, C&C pools.

They do this bc they like to keep their projects at a manageable number and it ensures that most of their calls for quotes are from people ready to build. This is also why they are able to build a pool in 5-6 weeks, like mine and my neighbors, while others are taking 4-5 months to complete.

You are welcome to come by and see their work anytime. We live in The Falls of Imperial Oaks section.

 

[reggiehammond]

Thanks..

Most of the research suggests that glass tile is perfect for salt-water pools and on the contrary natural stone / slates is not. Will continue to inquire about this with the rest of the builders yet to come and bid on the project.

Everything you'll read or hear about SWCG pools on the internet or from PBs is just wrong. Don't overthink it - it's a magical device that'll only serve to make your life easier. It's expensive upfront, sure, but it's totally worth it.

I have a zillion square feet of natural stone - guess what, it all fails, weathers, and changes. But it's no different in my driveway, near pool, or on a sidewalk.

For me, I'd NEVER have a pool without a SWCG.

 

[gingrbredman]

we'll see what the consensus is and how they all feel about SW builds.

I think I would be as interested in hearing what a PB thinks about SWCGs in Texas as I would hearing their take on proper pool chemistry and the TFP way. Or listening to a Florida builder recomend the smallest filter possible.

Builders build the pools, some do a great job, and a few even know a thing about proper water chemistry, but the majority of them are not worth following their advice when it comes to proper water management. I would get the SWCG installed, and not even pay a single amount of attention on their opinions or theories that they just can not prove.

 

[markayash]

I think I would be as interested in hearing what a PB thinks about SWCGs in Texas as I would hearing their take on proper pool chemistry and the TFP way. Or listening to a Florida builder recomend the smallest filter possible.

Builders build the pools, some do a great job, and a few even know a thing about proper water chemistry, but the majority of them are not worth following their advice when it comes to proper water management. I would get the SWCG installed, and not even pay a single amount of attention on their opinions or theories that they just can not prove.

That’s what I was thinking. Most build it and head for the hill or at least mine did. When I asked about balancing the water he said hire a pool company to service it.

 

[agjr85]

Thank you all.

 

[jdlangley1]

Thank you all.

No worries. You will enjoy the TFP method for maintaining your pool.

 

[jdlangley1]

Just wanted to throw this out there.

Just tested my liquid chlorine treated pool and after two months of operation, it is at 1400ppm of salt. Not quite to the level of a swcg generated pool but you can see how quickly salt can add up.

 

[Mdragger88]

Just wanted to throw this out there.

Just tested my liquid chlorine treated pool and after two months of operation, it is at 1400ppm of salt. Not quite to the level of a swcg generated pool but you can see how quickly salt can add up.

Yup, between all the different forms of chlorine adding salt along with muriatic acid, calcium chloride, & sweaty bodies it adds up.

 

[jdlangley1]

Yep Yep. I wanted to add salt to get me up to 3500 before we head out of town for the week and let that circulate through pool real good. And then we we get home next weekend, I can install swcg and turn it on!