First full season of pool ownership, second season overall....so still a newbie. I have been thinking of switching to salt before next year instead of chlorine. Any issues with going to salt with a tiled/grouted pool?
Thinking about salt water
- Thread starter bigkevj
- Start date
Once you go salt you will never go back. It makes pool ownership and upkeep so much easier. I wish I would of done it sooner!
I'm a very happy SWG owner. Just make sure your expectations are in the right place. Overall expense may not end up being less than purchasing chlorine since a SWG will only produce chlorine for a finite number of hours. I'm on my 6th year with ours and it's still producing with no issues but I know the replacement cost is on the horizon. But for ease of maintenance, I don't see how you can beat it.
The consensus is as long as your pool is balanced you should not have issues. PH being out of wack will do more damage then the salt.
I switched this year and love it
Need some experts to chime in but I think the only real concern is soft stone travertine
I switched this year and love it
Need some experts to chime in but I think the only real concern is soft stone travertine
Do it, you will not regret it one bit.
It will still be a chlorine pool, just that the chlorine will be made by the SWG, instead of you pouring in bleach. It will still require routine testing, brushing & vacuuming.
I have a tile/concrete pool and love my SWG (converted in my 1st year), I'd recommend getting one sized about 3x your pool so like a 40K unless your chlorine demand is low.
Good point. Most SWG cells are rated at running 24/7, that is why we recommend one 2-3X bigger than the pool. This will allow you to run the cell at lower % output, and for shorter time, greatly extending the cell's life.
SWG cells create a finite amount of chlorine, when it's done, it's done. Like a tank of gas in the car,if your always running at wide open throttle with the pedal to the floor, you are going to go through that tank of gas much quicker than if you drove around at 25mph with easy acceleration.
I'm so lazy that if I didn't have a SWG, I'd put a wooden deck over my pool and forget it.
Luckily a smarter person than myself invented the SWG and I'll keep the pool for swimming.
Luckily a smarter person than myself invented the SWG and I'll keep the pool for swimming.
- Jul 16, 2012
- 7,206
- Pool Size
- 27000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I am in the same boat. After 5 years of the TFP method I think I am switching to salt next year. It will give some flexibility if I want to stay away an extra day or two at the beach and not worry about finding someone to add bleach for me.
Just do it. I switched over this year and couldn't be happier. I have to watch the PH and put some acid in about once a week but Lowes sells the new less vapor producing acid now, so it's not bad to work with. I added boric acid to the pool about 2 weeks ago and that has helped with the PH increase, so I should be using less acid from now on. My wife also likes the feel of the water with the Borates in it.
A couple of other things I thought of besides the tile/grout...
What about rocks/stone around the pool? I have a lot of unsealed boulders/rocks around the pool. Will the corrosive behavior of salt damage those at all?
I have a heat pump to heat the pool....any potential issues with that?
What about rocks/stone around the pool? I have a lot of unsealed boulders/rocks around the pool. Will the corrosive behavior of salt damage those at all?
I have a heat pump to heat the pool....any potential issues with that?
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