New here...Considering salt water systems or auto chlorinators

I'm new here and this is my first question...
We put in an inground pool last year and at the time went with an auto chlorinator. This season I'm considering upgrading to either a salt water chlorinator system or a liquid chlorinator. I'm not sure what information is pertinent so here it is:
Our pool is approximately 23,000 gallons, has a vinyl liner, we live in southern New Hampshire, we do not have a pool heater but might put one in in the future and the pool gets full sun all day long.

What would be the pros and cons of either system? Or, should I just stick with the auto chlorinator using the chlorine packs? Any help is appreciated!

Thanks,

JP

Hi Jeremy,

Welcome to the forum!!

I can't fully answer your questions, but I can tell you what I know--and others will be along soon that can add additional information.

The SWCGs are expensive up front, and the cell that actually generates the chlorine has to be replaced when it goes bad--not sure how often, but general reading leads me to believe every 4-5 years is reasonable. On the positive side, the day-to-day maintenance of the pool is much easier, once you get the SWCG dialed in to the right run time. You have to add acid occasionally to keep the pH in check, but otherwise as long as you keep the right level of salt in the pool, it's as maintenance free as you get. Also, in a pool with full sun, the SWCG will do a better job of keeping your chlorine levels consistent throughout the day than you can do with manual dosing.

I know very little about the liquid chlorinators, except that you still have to lug the liquid chlorine to keep them filled up. If using a liquid chlorinator, then your other chem levels shouldn't be affected, it would just be a matter of regulating your LC flow rate so that you keep a consistent level of chlorine in the pool. As to how difficult or easy that is, I don't really know. I think there are a few other folks on the forum with some experience in this area, so hopefully they will be by shortly to help give you some info.

The auto chlorinators are not a bad thing, as long as you understand the effect it has on your water. The tabs tend to lower pH, which is fine if you have high pH fill water like I do, but otherwise you need to keep an eye on your pH and raise it with Borax when it gets below 7.0. The tabs also raise CYA. Some CYA is necessary in the pool to keep the sun from consuming all your chlorine, but as your CYA levels rise, so must your base line chlorine, which is where folks tend to get into trouble....if you turn the chlorinator up to raise the base chlorine, then you're also raising the CYA by that much too! This usually results in late-season algae blooms. So..chlorinators are great for vacations, or even the first part of the swim season, but as your CYA levels creep up, you'll find that you have to use a supplemental form of chlorine to keep the chlorine levels high enough to keep algae away. In my pool, I use a chlorinator set on the very lowest possible flow rate, and do my regular chlorination and shocking with bleach.

Different things work better for different people. I guess the bottom line is you have to decide what works best for you!

It might not have been obvious in what Janet said, but the key to successful pool chemistry is

1. Testing what you need to, accurately enough to give you the information you need. (see Testkit info page)
2. Chlorinating consistently, according to your chlorine needs and CYA level (see Best Guess Chart page)
3. Adjusting other chemicals as needed. (ask, here)
4. Avoiding the use of anything you DON'T really need.
5. Circulating and filtering sufficiently.

Various types of feeders -- including both SWCGs and chlorine packs like you have -- help with #2, above. That's a good thing, but that's all they do.

With a Salt Chlorine Generator, you should normally get 3-5 years on a pool that's opened 12 months of the year. For seasonal pools, you can just about double that time frame.
Although a salt system is "only" making chlorine on site, it is a great time savings and convenience item. The method in which it makes chlorine also controls Chloramines, which is more noticable with indoor pool environments. You will still need to test your water chemistry to ensure you're maintaining proper levels and balanced water (according to the saturation index).

Thanks for the replies...I've been doing a ton of reading and there's so much information it almost overload! I've had pools all my life since I was about 6 years old and I THOUGHT I knew how to treat the water to keep it clear. I think I'm leaning towards a SWCG system, but maybe not this year. I'm going to keep investigating them during the year and make a decision during the winter months and install it in the early spring for startup. Unless that's not a good time to do so. Any feedback on when making the change to a SWCG is best?

We don't usually recommend using SWCG's for startup. They are at their worst (the water may be cold) and it's hard on them. Plus, your pool will usually be at ITS worst, and need larger quantities of chlorine than an SWCG can produce.

They do better AFTER you've got your pool started, and the water in good shape.

Thanks PoolDoc. That's good to know. I'll most likely add it this year after I get things straightened out. I'm dealing with a cloudy water issue right now that I can't seem to solve, but I'll post another thread for help with that.