Add salt before closing pool?

[poolbee]

My salt is on the very low side-2600. The pool will be closed in about a week. I have been running the pump about 5 hours/day with the SWG set very low as not a lot of chlorine is being used up with no swimming and cooler temps.

Is there any advantage to adding the salt now as opposed to waiting until next spring?

Thanks.

[chem geek]

My understanding is that the efficiency of the salt cell has a non-linear relationship with the amount of salt in the pool meaning that below a certain low level the efficiency (from conductivity) drops off fairly rapidly and the salt cell could shut down (i.e. not produce any chlorine). Also, unless your pool is covered to keep out winter rains, it will likely get diluted which would further lower your salt level. So if you plan on maintaining a low chlorine level using the SWG, then I'd recommend bringing the salt up closer to the recommended level. On the other hand, you could just shock with liquid chlorine and cover your pool which should have this last for quite a long time (probably at least a month before you need to check the level and possibly add more chlorine) and not need the SWG at all. In my own pool with a cover and no SWG, I only lost around 0.5 ppm of chlorine per week, but every pool is different.

Richard

[CanuckPool]

im in the same situation, mine is around the 2800 mark, I guess if you add it now or add it later, you still have to add it.

[Poolsean]

I agree with Richard. Running the cell with low salt (every manufacturer has a low salt warning or cut off point) will do damage to the cell.

[waste]

As the pool is going to be closed within a week, I'd say let it be (unless the 'low salt' light is on). This includes the presumption that you will be draining some water prior to closing, if you aren't going to lower the water - add some salt.
My thinking is that it would be a 'waste' ( ;) ), to add more salt when you are going to dump some of it out w/i a week - if the unit is only running 5 hrs/ day, at a 10% output, the cell is only running 30 min/ day for 5 or 6 days. I would rather save that salt for the spring when it will be used all season (I know that a larger amt will be needed in the spring to compensate for the unsalinized water which brings the pool back up to 'operational level', but why 'waste' the salt now?)
Nice sharing a thread with y'all again! :)

[poolbee]

Thanks. The pool will be completely closed and covered for the winter this coming Wednesday so the unit will not be on at all in the winter. I'll wait until spring.