Pat, please, no offense intended by commenting on your responses.

Sean - regarding floating a tab feeder. There really is no reason that you can't start the Salt system up right away, with the exception of if the plaster manufacturer can void warranty if you do not wait a certain period of time. This point of view varies widely among the pool plasters.
I would be cautious with floating a tablet feeder, as it will tend to float and stick to one corner of your pool. Erosion of the tablets will also tend to fall out of the feeder and onto the plaster, where it has the potential to cause problems. Perhaps tethering it to a handrail or ladder rail, towards the deep end, rather than by the steps, where it will be even closer to the plaster.

KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR pH LEVEL!! This will cause more problems than anything else. Allow it to drift up, you will end up with calcium stalagmites all over your pool surface.



Per your suggestion to Katy, it's best to check with the manufacturer.

Pool Pilot has the ability to remember where it was in the forward or reverse polarity cycle when the pump shuts off. That way, when it starts back up, it will continue operating in the same direction so as not to cause uneven cell wear. This allows YOU to control how many hours per day you want to run your pump.

As MOST systems don't have this memory, your suggestion of even run times would be correct...but according to the specific Salt Chlorine Generator manufacturer. Everyone's reversal rates are different.
ie, Aquarite reverses every 100 minutes...therefore a run time in 200 minute increments (ie; 200 minutes (3 hrs 20 minutes pump run time - which I can't imagine anyone doing) / 400 minutes (6 hrs 40 minutes - more reasonable) /600 minutes (10 hrs - ahhhh, that's where the 10 hr pump run time comes from!) would ensure even cell wear.

Hope this helps.