Saltwater wanted but confused about options...

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this but I am still trying to wrap my head around all this info regarding 1) correct basic balance, 2) salt water, 3) Nature2, and I haven't even come close to the BBB understanding yet... but let me see if I am barking up the right tree so to speak.

I intended to have a saltwater pool this summer, but after speaking with the sales person about this when asking questions about the AG pool (Wilbar Series/steel frame) I would like to order they highly suggested I DO NOT do that. The steel frame of the pool in question would be ruined if I did. They highly suggested that I go with the Nature2 setup instead. But I have found on this forum that it is not liked very much if at all. This leaves me very confused now. So I can't have saltwater, and if Nature2 is not a good thing due to metals it adds to your water... What is good/ok other than correct basic balance? Which brings me to wondering if just correct basic balance is "all" you need for soft/no skin or eye irritation. I have also read through the OLD 2006 thread when people were adding salt to their pool without a saltwater system, what ever happened there? Where steel pools damaged? Did that work? Does anyone still do that? Does a saltwater system produce enough salt in the water to damage steel frame pools, is it controlable to the point that you can prevent damage?

I wish someone could point me in the right direction and help me understand how I can get a system setup so that I can control the things like skin dryness, burning eyes and damaged swimsuits. To my current knowledge, saltwater was the way to go. Now I am learning that is not an option for me with an AG pool made of steel. Can anyone tell me how I can reach this goal? I am actively shopping for a pool (on a budget) and would like to know if this is something I can reasonably do.

Seriously considering to just stay with the cheap Intex (Wal-Mart) pool and go saltwater to fullfill my desires and if it eats it up then I will just replace my cheap pool with another one when I have to. I think I could stomach throwing away $300 better than an expensive pool setup. Surely this can't be my only option. I would like to think I just need to be educated by the right person.

Hi,

I will let those who put salt in their water definitively answer the questions about the steel frame, but my thinking is that if it's a liner pool, then the salt water will not come into contact with the frame because the liner will be between the water and the steel, so corrosion of the frame shouldn't be an issue. However, I don't put salt in my pool, and there are others on the forum who have much more experience with that, so I'll let them address that question. I would guess that your pool supplier also sells the Nature 2 system and does not sell SWCGs, so that may influence their advice a bit, too ;) .There are many people who add salt to their pools without using as SWCG, because they like the "feel" of the water. In these cases they are not adding as much to the water as you would if you were generating chlorine from it. Others use salt in the pools because they are using an SWCG to generate the chlorine from it, rather than adding chlorine manually. Either way, one thing I would definitely check if you decide to go with the steel framed pool is if salt systems are specifically mentioned in the warranty section. If it will void your warranty, even if the manufacturers really don't understand anything about pool chemistry, then you'll want to avoid it anyway.

I will tell you that the Nature 2 is a complete waste of money if you're trying to get away from a chlorine pool--you still have to maintain low levels of chlorine to keep the pool clean, and the nature 2 adds large enough quantities of metals to make fighting staining a real nightmare, which you don't want in a new pool. Do yourself a favor and stay away from it.

I'm curious--the statement you made that, "......how I can get a system setup so that I can control the things like skin dryness, burning eyes and damaged swimsuits." makes me question if why you want the salt to begin with. Chlorine pools don't produce dryness, burning eyes, or damaged swimsuits, if they are maintained properly, whether it's chlorine generated from a SWCG system or added via bleach or some other source. If you keep too high a chlorine level, it can dry skin or fade suits, but it's got to be WAY high before that's going to happen. And as far as irritated eyes go, that's usually blamed on chlorine, but in reality is caused by combined chloramines, which form when the pool is inadequately chlorinated. Another common cause for eye irritation is letting the pH get too low. Basically, keeping your chemical levels where they need to be is all you need to do to keep your pool comfortable and clean enough to swim in, and it's really not hard or time-consuming to do if you have a good test kit and understand what you're doing, which we can certainly help you with.


Don't know if this helps or not, but just wanted to throw it out there....

Janet

Thanks for explaining that to me. I do get the maintaining of your pool, have had issues with chlorine too high in the past but was a learning curve. I understand that and also how the pH can fix a lot of things if it is too low. I also understand how to raise and lower my pH/Alkalinity but as for the Chlorine I normally just waited for it to burn off and come down on it's own. I do understand that much. The three most important things to keep in line Chlorine, pH and Alkalinity.

I was told that I would have to use chlorine in my pool along with the Nature2, so I knew that much about it. I was just surprised when I was told to not go saltwater and highly recommended the Nature2. Then I read all this about how Nature2 is not good. It was making my head spin... ;)

Saltwater seems to be such a "big deal" around where I live as I tend to hear about them a lot. No one I know personally, but it is more of a so and so, friend of a so and so. I hear all the benefits about having them such as it feels better, skin feels better and it is easier on swimsuits and so on. My 6 year old takes swimming lessons every year and his instructor has a saltwater IG pool and he notices a difference in that once he comes home he does not want to get in his pool because it is not saltwater. He tells me how it feels different and the saltwater does not burn his eyes. Hence the reason why I really wanted saltwater for him mostly.

The corrosion of the pool frame is a major concern and something I feel I need to clear up before buying anything. Whether we go saltwater now or later or never, it is still something I feel the need to know about. I don't want to invest and then in a few years "wish" I had bought something else.

Maybe I am reading way to much into this saltwater thing and should just go with what I know and do what I know how to do. Maybe I am expected to have something different than what I will actually have and wonder why I was so set on having it in the end.

bottom line, a salt pool is a chlorine pool. The salt systems tend not to have as high a buildup of combined chlorine and the chlorine addition is automatic since it is made in the salt cell by electrolysis of the salt but in the end you have a chlorine pool, no more no less.
A PROPERLY MAINTAINED (and that is the catch) chlorine pool will not irritate the eyes, since there will be no chloramines formed.
Swimming in salt does have a slightly different feel to the water (it will be slightly more 'buoyant' and closer to the salinity of the body so it will be a bit less 'irritating' but in the end it is a chlorine pool.

I have a salt pool and would never go back to manual chlorination since, IMHO, it does make pool maintenance much easier (and I am basically lazy):D

Stay away from the N2, It's really just a money maker for your dealer (I used ot sell them so I know a thing or two about this).

Not to sound like a sales pitch, but it is a product that answers her question on salt systems.

You may want to consider our newest offering from AutoPilot.
It's a low salt Chlorine Generator, that should set your mind at ease on the salt issue.
www.autopilot.com AG unit. Designed specifically for above ground pools, and to operate at 1000 ppm.

Having said that, Evan and Janet are correct, a properly maintained pool will not have the effects that you're looking to get as a result of adding a chlorine generator. With a salt system, you can still have those effects if you don't maintain your pool properly!

How frequently are you adding chlorine/chemicals? Weekly, as most people do? Perhaps adding smaller dosage, more frequently, will help with the high chlorine swings.

However, it all starts out with making sure your water chemistry is balanced and properly maintained....key word being maintained.