Has anyone tried adding salt to a non-saltwater generator pool? I gave it a whirl last year and was wondering if my results were the same as anyone else. I wont devulge my findings at this point in fear of tainting the responses(Ha Ha!).
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Has anyone tried adding salt to a non-saltwater generator pool? I gave it a whirl last year and was wondering if my results were the same as anyone else. I wont devulge my findings at this point in fear of tainting the responses(Ha Ha!).
There were several threads on this on the "old forum" and the near unanimous conclusion was that it wouldn't hurt a thing and that you'd get some of the benefits of an SWG (the "feel" of the water, less eye stinging, better for hair/skin, etc.). The benefits you won't get are obviously the convenience of a hands-off Cl source and steadier Cl levels.
I'm probably going to go this route myself but have been waiting until I decide whether to do a high-acid "start-up" on my pool to reduce the blotchiness of the plaster. Don't want to do too much chemistry at once.
Fresh (ie, non-saline) water is irritating to the eyes, due to the difference in osmiotic pressure between the water and the fluids in the eye. That's why there is such stuff as saline eye wash. Adding appropriate amounts of salt will reduce eye irritation, and to a lesser degree, skin irritation. But, what some people consider soothing and relaxing, others consider slimey and 'used'.Quote:
Originally Posted by wollypog6
Personally, I love swimming in the ocean, and would rather swim there, than anywhere else.
Ben
I was one of the ones last year who added the salt to my pool. We LOVE the difference. It is definately easier on the eyes. (Even my extremely whiney son will now swim without a mask) I also have noticed that my skin (which is usually dry all summer) was noticably softer and not so dry without using any lotion. We can only slightly taste the salt. I will definately keep it in mine from now on, and if I had more than an 18' AG, I would get a SWG.
Sooooo, did my results match up to yours. :)
So what's the formula? I assume one just dissolves bags of water softner salt. How much does one add?
And Ben... I have a test kit on order. I'd like to change it to the salt kit so I have the option to do this and monitor the salt levels.
Especially when the ocean I'm swimming in is splashing on St. Thomas, St. Martin, Antigua, Martinique, Barbados, Curacao, Bora Bora, Maui.....Quote:
Originally Posted by PoolDoc
Hey I never thouight of this!
Ben can you change my order as well to include a salt water test?
Beside it will get me one step closer to getting a SWG!
So is there any disadvantage to it beside some people thinking the water is slimy? I understand if it gets to high that is bad.
I too have added small amounts of salt to my non SWG in ground fiberglass pool. I plan to add more this year. I skimped a little last year due to the fact that I didn't have a way of testing and had to rely on the pool shop. I only managed to get it up to 1200 or so. I really didn't notice a difference that I could contribute to the salt however, this year I have noticed a little bit of dry skin and a very small amount of the burning eyes. Did a 40% +/-water change before opening (CYA) so I don't know what the salt level is now but I'm guessing it's in the 700 range. I'll probably try to get it up in the 2000 range at the end of the month. OK wallypog6, fes up!;)
Dave
Skimmer?
This sounds interesting.
Okay folks, looks like everyone else had the same results and impressions as I did. I absolutely loved the results I got with a good dose of salt. The 2 most noticeable changes were the "feel" of the water on your skin and the way that the water had absolutely no affect on our eyes.I added about 250lbs of water softener salt to an 18X36 inground sports pool. I think I may have gone a little heavy on the salt and wasnt real crazy about the taste, but I am definitely adding "some" salt this year!
Sorry ValAZ, forgot to answer your question in my last post. I just dumped all of it in the pool and threw the 2 boys in the pool as well. I jumped in with them and we just kicked the salt around and stirred it up until it was dissolved. I would be carefull to not step on it though if you have a liner pool.
Val, we added ours like wollypog6 did. It was cool to use masks and go down and swish it around.
Two questions:
What PPM of salt is desirable?
And use as pure a softener salt as I can find ?
Is your pool is similar in size to mine (18x36, 26,000 gal)? According to Bleachcalc/Saltcalc, 250lbs will add ~1154PPM which is from what I can gather is less than 1/2 of what's required (~3000PPM) for a SWG. Yet you say that you weren't too crazy about the taste. Hmmm... is it because the SWG "consumes" the salt that it requires a much higher PPM?Quote:
Originally Posted by wollypog6
I will do this since my wife/kids have sensitive skin. I think I'll dump ~200lbs in and see if there's any difference before adding the addition 50 though...
I've heard the threshold for tasting salt in the water is around 3000 PPM. Last year was my first year with the SWG and I kinda over did it in the spring so I ran a little high all year (about 3400 PPM). This year I’m going to try to keep it around 2800 - 2900 and see how it works. Can't tell if it taste any different still a little cold to swim in MI (burrrr), my dogs haven't complained yet.
When I tell people the pool is salt water they automatically assume sea water and the bad experience they had on vacation. It's no where near the same concentration, I think sea water is around 35,000 PPM. The taste last year was noticeable, especially on hot days when the pool temp was high, but definitely worth the benefits. It's almost hard to detect that it's salt you're tasting, I always warn people that the pool is salt water just so they don't assume the worse when the taste it. If you know what I mean
;-)
Well what happens to all of the salt that is in a pool with a SWG? It goes through all of the equiptment to get to the SWG, and not all of the salt is turned into chlorine, so I would disreguard what they tell you, they are obviously imposters. :)
Every time I read a new thread I think I've found another way that I've been had by a pool store. 2 years ago I bought into a product called "Optimizer", that I paid about a $180 to treat my pool. It was supposed to make my water "feel" better and increase the pool's ability to fight off algae. It did feel better, but I've had algae problems every since. Don't tell me I paid $180 for $15 worth of water conditioner salt.