How to Care for a Swimming Pool Salt System
A salt water chlorinator system is a relatively low-maintenance way to sanitize a swimming pool. The salt water chlorine generator chemically breaks down ordinary salt into pure, or "free," chlorine, eliminating the need for pool owners to continually add chlorine themselves. Salt is regenerated in a cyclical chemical process that repeats over and over again, so salt seldom needs to be added to maintain a clean, clear pool. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Salt water pool maintenance pack or pool water test strips
- Pool salt
- Hose
- Scraping tool (plastic or wooden)
- Muriatic acid
- Goggles
- Protective gloves
Instructions
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1
Test chlorine levels every week and adjust for demand; if the chlorine level gets too low, set the system's controls to convert more salt into chlorine, "shocking" the pool. Maintain the chlorine level between 1.0 and 3.0ppm.
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2
Check the salt level in the pool approximately every three months; a level between 2,500 and 3,400ppm is considered optimal. The chemical reaction that breaks down salt into chlorine is cyclical, meaning that salt, converted to chlorine, repetitively gets regenerated into salt. You will rarely (perhaps once a year) need to add pool salt. Pool salt generally has stabilizer added to ordinary salt that helps keep the pool's chemicals in balance. Suggested stabilizer level in the pool water is between 30 to 50ppm.
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3
Inspect the chlorine generator itself approximately every three months for calcium scale deposits. Remove scaling with a non-metal scraping tool, or by washing with a hose. Cleanse tough buildup with a solution of 1 part muriatic acid and 4 parts water. Wear protective gloves and goggles when handling muriatic, acid as it is extremely toxic. Many generators are largely self-cleaning, and only infrequent scraping, such as annually or biannually, is necessary.
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4
Remove leaves and other organic debris from the pool daily or weekly. This helps the pool's chemical and mechanical systems work efficiently.
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5
Check that the filter and pump are operating properly, just as you would with a manually chlorinated pool.
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6
Test the pH level as part of the weekly routine.
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Tips & Warnings
When the chlorine generator's indicator points to a low salt level, verify with a salt test kit before adding salt, because a false low indication can be the result of a failing cell or scale build up.
Prolonged heavy rainfall or quickly adding a lot of water to the pool after heavy use might be reasons for a low salt level and the need to add more salt. In the unlikely event that the generator indicates that the salt level is too high, adding more water is the quickest way to bring the level down. After adjusting for a salt level that is too high or too low, check levels again in 24 hours.
Chlorine usage is highest during the hottest part of the day when there is the most direct sun over the pool. Make sure the pump is running at this time to ensure that enough chlorine is being generated to properly sanitize your pool.
Muriatic acid is highly corrosive and should be handled with care. Always wear safety gloves and glasses when handling all chemicals.
Never use a metal tool when scraping the chlorine generator's cells or working with any pool machinery.
References
- Photo Credit child swimming image by palms from Fotolia.com
