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I am getting quotes now for a new gunite build. All builders reccomend salt systems vs chlorine. Most have also said pressure cleaners don't do as well as suction cleaners. Any quick comments about each? Is it worth the extra money to install a seperate pump and polaris 280?
A salt system actually produces chlorine by breaking down the salt via electrolysis. I love mine. Salt systems are effective, but expensive. The pool builder wants you to buy one because they stand to make a bunch of money on it. They don't make money if you go buy liquid chlorine bleach and put it in the pool.
Chlorinating with liquid chlorine is cheaper if you compare its cost to the cost of the cell (and salt and acid). Chlorinating with liquid chlorine requires a fair amount of diligence to maintain a safely sanitized pool. Chlorinating with a salt water chlorine generator (aka salt system) requires slightly less diligence. In either case, maintaining chemical levels *consistently* is the key.
Here's an old thread that discusses suction vs pressure cleaners: http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthr...-pool-cleaners
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Thanks for the help. A buddy of mine and former pool cleaner swears by in line chlorinaters and 3 inch tabs. He won't shut up about how easy it is and salt systems are just an expensive gimmick that breaks. Still thinking about going that route
There is nothing wrong with using those tablets. They are trichlor and they contain CYA (cyanuric acid) in them. CYA is kind of like sunscreen for your chlorine. All outdoor pools need some CYA or else you can't keep chlorine in the pool. The problem with those tablets is that they continue to add CYA after you have all that you need. When your CYA level gets too high, you have to run higher than normal chlorine readings to keep algae at bay. People don't understand that and end up with algae. We see it all the time on the forum. People who say they've been using the tabs for long periods of time with no issues and then all of a sudden, they have algae even though "they are doing the same thing they've always done successfully before."
More about the connection between CYA and chlorine can be found here:> http://pool9.net/cl-cya/
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Further, some in-line chlorinators work extremely well, and others clog up easily. I'm not sure they actually work any better than a $10 floating chlorinator with an adjustable vent.
I generally rely on bleach/liquid chlorine, but the last two seasons more on my salt-water chlorinator. However, early in the season when i need stabilizer, I will toss in a floater to add a stead flow of both chlorine and stabilizer.
A more important investment, though, is a proper test kit. You'll see in Watermom's signature a place you can click on "Get the testkits you need".