SALT POOLS feedback please

[Phillbo]

What type of pool finish do you have?
Inground Plaster

How old is your system?
9 months

What Salt level do you maintain?
3200 PPM

What are the benefits you're experienced from switching to salt?
lower maintenance ( just add acid every other week). Love the soft water feel and no need to wash chlorine off after a long swim.

What are the problems you've experienced since switching to salt?
None

How often do you have to clean your cell from calcium scale?
I check it every 3 months or so but have yet to need to clean it

How often do you test your water?
Weekly in the summer, Monthly in the winter

[tonyl]

What type of pool finish do you have?
Vinyl Inground

How old is your system?
Four years. Pool is open 6 months a year.

What Salt level do you maintain?
3300-3400

What are the benefits you're experienced from switching to salt?
Ease of maintenance. Consistant chlorine supply. Much easier on the skin, especially noted by my kids with skin dryness prior to switching.

What are the problems you've experienced since switching to salt?
None.

How often do you have to clean your cell from calcium scale?
Never, but I check it every 3 months. It's always been scale free.

How often do you test your water?
Weekly during the swim season

[waterbear]

Sean,

As you know from other posts on this forum, many (but not all) SWG users experience rising pH which requires regular additions of acid to maintain pH (and possibly adding baking soda to maintain TA over a longer period of time). Non-SWG users using BBB or liquid chlorine do not generally see the pH rise unless they have high TA, low pH, aeration from water features, or a new plaster pool (that is curing). waterbear (Evan) has found that using 50 ppm Borates significantly reduced this acid demand, possibly by reducing chlorine demand and allowing for lower power levels or run times of SWG generation.


Richard

Sean,
Richard is correct. Since adding the 50 ppm sodium tetraborate my acid use has decreased from about 24 oz every 2-3 week to about 6 oz evey 5 weeks and my pH tends to stay right around 7.6. I have also found that by lowering my adjusted TA to about 70 ppm has been beneficial. Since I have done that I have not seen my pH rise above about 7.9 while before it was not uncommen for it to read 8.2. I have also seen a huge decrease in chlorine demand since I can now run my cell at between 4-10% output depending on temperature (Goldline Aqualogic PS-8) to maintain my FC of 4-5 ppm while before I added the tetraborates I ran the cell at 15-25%! Also, my pool gets constant aeration from the spillover spa and water features (deck jets and spillover pots). I maintain my CYA at about 70 ppm and am located (as you know) in N. FL.
Evan

[river-wear]

What type of pool finish do you have?
in-ground concrete with fiberglass finish

How old is your system?
about 8 months

What Salt level do you maintain?
about 3000-3200 ppm

What are the benefits you're experienced from switching to salt?
I fired the pool $ervice! (Easy to maintain)

What are the problems you've experienced since switching to salt?
My new solar landscape lights are badly corroded from my pool sweep's splashing around. I need to find cheap plastic replacements.

How often do you have to clean your cell from calcium scale?
Hmmm.... gotta see if my husband has been doing this...!

How often do you test your water?
Cl & pH weekly; the rest every 4-6 weeks

[Gunslinger]

What type of pool finish do you have?
Vinyl In-ground, Vinyl Above Ground, Inground Plaster, exposed aggregate, tile.

How old is your system?
>>4 yrs

What Salt level do you maintain?
>>3200ppm minimum

What are the benefits you're experienced from switching to salt?
>>Better "feel" to the water.
>>No more burning eyes underwater.
>>Noticeable increase in bouyancy.
>>No more lugging bleach home from Wal-Mart!

What are the problems you've experienced since switching to salt?
>>Absolutely NONE.

How often do you have to clean your cell from calcium scale?
>>Generally once mid-season.

How often do you test your water?
>>Twice a season to re-calibrate salinity (using a Taylor test kit).
>>At least once a week for FC and Ph.
>>Maybe twice a season for everything else.

This is the absolute best piece of equipment I ever bought --with my Polaris 280 cleaner just one step below!