Zodiac SWG - Do I really need Salt Saver, Salt One, etc.

[shoryuken]

Hi folks,

We've had an inground pool here in in the Ottawa area for the last 3 years. Every time I take the water in for testing, I'm told to add this or that chemical to the pool.

I've been doing quite a bit of reading and I understand I need to keep things balanced, but adding all the additional chemicals just for the Zodiac SWG is getting confusing. I've asked the pool company what the Salt Saver does and they say it prevents corrosion by salt.

So I guess my question is this:
Do I need to add these additional chemicals?
I'm suppose to change the little filter canister every year at a cost of $100 per year, plus these chemicals, plus the usual chemicals, so now it's starting to look like SWG is costing me more than I had anticipated.

Anyway, this isn't a complain but I really like to get a better understanding of what I really need to be monitoring and adjusting with the SWG.

Cheers

[PoolDoc]

I have not yet seen any information that suggests these add-on salt products have any value at all.

[swimlane]

Best way to save money is buy a Taylor K2006 test kit and a paid subscription to this site ... best money I've ever spent. This way you don't have to go back to the pool store unless you need parts. I also bought the salt test kit K1766.

[waterbear]

Do you need to add them? In a word, no. If you want to know why they are being recommended it's because the more chemicals the store can sell you the more money they make.
The basic chemicals usually needed for a salt pool are salt (and you don't need expensive pool salt either--ordinary water softener pellets or solar salt works just fine), muriatic acid, stabilizer, and perhaps calcium for a plaster pool. Borates, while not needed, are highly desirable but they can be added inexpensively with plain ordinary borax and some muriatic acid.

[rcy100]

If this is a Zodiac Duoclear (or if you have the Nature2 system by itself), save yourself the $100 per season for the cartridge and just remove it (if it's the Duoclear, you can open up the cartridge, remove the "mineral" bag and replace the empty cartridge into the Duoclear unit - a cartridge has to be there or the thing will leak). Then run your chlorine level at the reommended level based on your CYA level (for salt water pools), instead of the ludicrous 0.6 level suggested by Zodiac.

All I use in my pool with a Duoclear (mineral bag removed last year) is salt, and muriatic acid to lower the PH level (and bleach when I open after winter to shock the pool). Since I lowered my TA to 70-80, the PH rise slowed markedly. After I added borates, the PH seems to be locked at 7.6.

[shoryuken]

Thanks folks,

the system I have is the one with the cartridge that needs to be replaced each year (although I decided to reuse last year's cartridge this year because we opened the pool just in July).
rcy100: how long do you expect the electrodes to last?

I've been trying to find a good source for Taylor kit in Canada. The prices seem to be much higher than in the US but I haven't found a seller shipping to Canada yet.

Thanks again for the suggestions, I'm seriously consider getting a membership on this forum.

Cheers