TCO for salt vs. Traditional chlorine system

[jasondoiron]

Does anybody know what the typical total cost of ownership (TCO) for a salt vs. traditional chlorination system for the first year vs. each subsequent year thereafter?

[kelemvor]

That's going to depend on a lot of local variables. How much are you going to pay for the SWCG system? How much do you pay for salt locally? How much do you pay for acid locally (you'll need regular acid doses with an swcg)? How much do you pay for bleach (or chlorine) locally? Unless you're considering a chlorine pump vs swcg, the cost of the system alone is going to make the answer obvious.

I can't fill in those blanks, since I don't live near Atlanta. I can say that for me, traditional bleach chlorination would be significantly cheaper. However, SWCG is significantly easier. I really love my swcg for that. Low maintenance is what you're buying. If someone's telling you it will save you money, you might want to start measuring their nose. If you're not diligent enough to manage your pool chemicals every day or two, you might eventually save money with a swcg. Only because without one and without diligence you'll eventually end up with algae blooms to clean up. Cleaning up can be a time and money consuming process.

[jasondoiron]

Thanks so much....I really appreciate the advice.

[BigDave]

Just to sharpen kelemvor's fine point: Regular, reliable, and accurate testing and measured response will control the chemistry costs more than any chosen method of chlorination.

[CarlD]

Having spent 13 years running standard chlorine pools and the last and the upcoming one with an SWCG, I can assure you the upfront and amortized costs of an SWCG will be work out to be much more than using liquid chlorine/bleach...a lot more.

That doesn't mean I don't recommend an SWCG. If set up right and maintained, they are great. I had to open my pool early due to some damage and had to get it running JUST before we took off for a week+ over the Easter/Passover holiday week. I didn't really have time to do much, just dump in salt, LC and CYA. I came back to clear, balanced water. Now I can do the rest of the repairs and open without fighting an algae bloom.

But it's not cheaper. Just suppose a decent system costs $1500 installed (good price. I THINK mine was less than that but I can handle the wiring and the plumbing so no labor costs). Figure after 5 years you'll need to spend about $500 on a new cell. Not counting salt. So...the first five years your SWCG costs you $300/year....that buys an awful lot of LC! I figure that's the equivalent of 167 gallons of 6-7% bleach. If your swimming season is 3 months (as it is in NJ) and you add 1 gallon/day (which is a lot but can happen) that's still only 90-100 days of chlorine...and you have paid for 67 more gallons! Over 5 years that's like spending an extra $1200 on chlorine! Really!

HOWEVER.....IF you travel a lot, are lousy at keeping up with maintenance, and/or like super-cool technology AND the nice, soft feel of the lightly salted water, it's well worth it! I'm good with maintenance but the rest--that's all me!

[JimK]

That's going to depend on a lot of local variables. How much are you going to pay for the SWCG system? How much do you pay for salt locally? How much do you pay for acid locally (you'll need regular acid doses with an swcg)? How much do you pay for bleach (or chlorine) locally? Unless you're considering a chlorine pump vs swcg, the cost of the system alone is going to make the answer obvious.

I can't fill in those blanks, since I don't live near Atlanta. I can say that for me, traditional bleach chlorination would be significantly cheaper. However, SWCG is significantly easier. I really love my swcg for that. Low maintenance is what you're buying. If someone's telling you it will save you money, you might want to start measuring their nose. If you're not diligent enough to manage your pool chemicals every day or two, you might eventually save money with a swcg. Only because without one and without diligence you'll eventually end up with algae blooms to clean up. Cleaning up can be a time and money consuming process.

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