New Here. Going to Salt???

[SargeRmb]

I've been a slave to the pool store for three years. I have a 29,000 gallon inground pool. Im using Nature 2 . I like the idea of the salt system keeping a steady chlorine level but the cost upfront is going to hurt a little. I am looking at the Zodiak Jandy Aqua Pure Ei. Im not finding a ton of info on them good or bad. Please go easy Ive got lots of questions. Thanks

[Watermom]

I don't know about the Zodiak but someone will. Just wanted to say hi and welcome you to the forum! I will tell you this --- we don't care much for the Nature 2 system. It adds copper to the water. Contrary to popular belief, it isn't chlorine that turns hair, fingernails and pools green, it is copper!

[waterbear]

Not a fan of Zodiac SWCGs ( or Zodiac in general, customer service leave a bit to be desired). Check out Hayward/Goldine Aqua-Rite/AquaLogic, Pool Pilot (Autopilot Systems), WaterMaid, and Pentair Intellichlor.

[SargeRmb]

Thanks for the reply. The only reason I was looking at the Zodiak was ease of installation, but after some reading they all look pretty staightforward. What is the average lifespan of these units? I'm trying to justify spending a grand or more. Thanks, Sarge

[Phillbo]

The controllers should last quit a while but I understand the cells typically last 5-7 years.. Mine is 6 years old.

[kelemvor]

I think that will depend on what size you get and what run percentage you end up using. i.e. if you get a 25k gallon swcg, you'd probably have to run it at 100% and have a shorter lifespan of the cell. If you got the 40k gallon sized cell you could run it at a lower setting and it would last longer.

[Jimmy C]

I've been a slave to the pool store for three years. I have a 29,000 gallon inground pool. Im using Nature 2 . I like the idea of the salt system keeping a steady chlorine level but the cost upfront is going to hurt a little. I am looking at the Zodiak Jandy Aqua Pure Ei. Im not finding a ton of info on them good or bad. Please go easy Ive got lots of questions. Thanks

I would hesitate before going to salt. Maybe embrace BBB, and pour liquid bleach for the rest of the season. Get a good test kit, and learn the pool chemistry needs as you wean yourself from the pool store. A typical pool owner linked to pool store advice will have run away CYA by this time of the season, that is if the primary means of chlorination is Tri-Chlor tablets. If this is the case, a partial drain and refill might be required before you get control of your pool.

Before going to salt, there needs to be a checklist of prerequisites to consider. This include: pool type, local climate (low average rainfall is bad for salt pools), pool grounding (any electrical currents flowing now between pool parts, i.e. pump, filter, heater, pool rebar, house ground, will be much worse with salt - galvanic corrosion), any metal in the water may corrode, etc. Also some heaters might cap the TDS which exclude salt systems.

Another issue with salt has to do with filter backflushing. Before switching to salt you can usually backflush into the grass. Afterward with salt the backflush will kill the grass. So what do you do? Backflushing in the street leaves a mess (IF DE) which might upset your neighbors, and discharging into the city sewer might be illegal depending on where you live.

Depending on your fill water properties, keeping the water TA (total alkalinity) < 100 ppm might require lots of acid every month. If the TA cannot be controller, then the PH will quickly and constantly rise to > 8.

Bottom line, don't drink the pool store Kool-Aid. Switching to salt has its own set of issues just like the other methods. Sometimes switching to salt might not be practical.

Jim