What is needed to convert to saltwater?

[Neto]

I am in the process of building a pool in my house and would like to convert it myself to saltwater (PB wants way too much IMO). I was looking at the IntelliChlor IC40 salt cel and keep finding good things about it but I am not sure what else to buy other than this, salt, the power supply and a timer?

 

[jblizzle]

Depends on the rest of your pool equipment ... fill in your signature

You should also get the Taylor salt test.

Note if plaster, you should not add salt for 30 days. So you will need to treat it as a non-salt pool during that time.

 

[rowiac]

First, get yourself a Taylor K-1766 Sodium Chloride test kit to check how much salt is already in your water. I've found that the salt test strips are not accurate. Then use Pool Math to calculate how much salt you will need to add. You can use pure sodium chloride for water softeners instead of the salt marketed for pools to save a buck or two per bag. The crystals dissolve quicker than the pellets.

I'm in the middle of a salt conversion myself and just added salt. The next step is installing the SWCG (plumbing and wiring). I believe most people without automation wire the SWCG to the pump timer so that it is only powered on when the pump is on. There is usually a flow switch with the SWCG to ensure that it only powers on when there is sufficient water flow, but wiring it to the pump timer is a safety backup.

 

[PoolGate]

You are correct, the SWG and salt is really all you need to convert to salt.

 

[mknauss]

Some of the Jandy FloPro have a built-in Auxiliary Load relay contact. Check to see if your pump does. If so, you will not need a timer for the SWCG. That relay can control the power to your SWCG.

 

[Neto]

Thanks everyone for your comments suggestions. Is the IntelliChlor IC40 a good salt cell for 18k gallons? What are other good options out there?

 

[mknauss]

There are a number of options. Many say Hayward makes a quality SWCG for 40K, it is a T15. Circupool makes a line of SWCG's that tend to be a little lower in price and have a good warranty for DIY.

Be aware that Pentair only provides a 60 day warranty on DIY new installs.