Quote Originally Posted by SargeRmb View Post
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