Salt Chlorinator doesnt work with hard water

[danspive]

Hi, I wanted some opinions on Salt Systems and what a good alternative would be. I purchased a system 3 years ago...first year was great, second year started out great but half way through I started to experience issues where no matter how high i set it algae would form. I asked at a few pool places and finally was told the system likely was wearing out and I would need a new cell. I had major calcium build up on the cell. I could clean every week ad by the end of the week there was build up again. Year 3 was a disaster. I am deciding to go back to chlorine as I refuse to pay $600 (Canada) for a new cell if it is only going to last 2 years. So is there any system, treatment program out there that woudl help me limit the amount of Chlorine used?

Thanks

[PoolDoc]

So is there any system, treatment program out there that would help me limit the amount of Chlorine used?

Sure.

You can run a basic old school BBB program (really BBC: bleach, borax & cyanuric acid) with almost any kind of incoming water. You can PROBABLY run an SWCG (Salt Water Chlorine Generator) as well. But the details of how to do it, depend on the details of your pool and fill water.

1. You need to tell us what kind (make & model) of pool, pool filter, and pump you have . . . and what other equipment (heater, etc) you might have.
2. You need to give us test results on the water you are putting INTO your pool as well as the water that is already in your pool.

You're in Canada, so I'm reluctant to say it, but you need a K2006. Unfortunately, Lowry Assoc. has monopoly distribution rights for the K2006 in Canada, with the result that it costs almost 2x as much there, as here. Thanks to a member here, you can at least get them now: http://piscines-apollo.com/

Once we know more, we can tell you more.

[waterbear]

How high is your calcium hardness? How high were you letting the pH climb? While high calcium does make salt systems a bit trickier to maintain the fact that many in areas such as Arizona with extremely hard water successfully maintain salt pools prove that high calcium can be successfully dealt with.
The key point is to maintain your pH in line and not let it climb above 7.8. High pH is the primary cause of scale formation, even when calcium levels are lower!
Several things can be done to minimize pH rise (which, in salt pools, is primarily from outgassing of CO2):

1) invest in a Taylor K-2006 test kit (I know they are expensive in Canada but consider how much your pool cost. It will really save you a lot of money in the long run!)
2) maintain the CYA at the manufacturer's recommended MAXIMUM (usually 80 to 100 ppm) and maintain the FC at 5% of that so if your recommended maximum CYA is 80 ppm (very common) keep it there and maintain the FC at 4 ppm. You will not have algae problem you maintain this. This will help minimize cell on time. When the cell is on it is generating both chlorine gas and hydrogen gas and this causes aeration of the water, which causes outgassing of CO2 which causes pH rise.
3) lower your TA to 70 ppm or even a bit less to slow pH rise from outgassing of CO2. When you do this you might actually NEED a higher CH to keep the water balanced if you have a plaster surface pool.
4) at 50 ppm borate (easy to do with borax and acid). This adds a secondary pH buffer system that works together with the bicarbonate buffer system we call TA and helps "lock" the pH at around 7.7 for a longer period of time that without the borate. When the pH climbs to 7.8 it's time to lower it again. (You need a test kit with the precision of the K-2006 to do this!)
5) When you drop the pH do not drop it lower than 7.6. The lower you put the pH the faster it rises because you convert more bicarbonate into carbonic acid, which for our purposes is CO2 dissolved in water. The more CO2 the faster it outgasses. The faster it outgasses the faster the pH rises. The higher the pH the more likelyhood of scale formation.
Ben disagrees with me here but I like using the acid demand test in the Taylor kit to determine how much acid is needed to lower YOUR pool from 7.8 to 7.6. Once you have done this a few times (and assuming you keep your water chemistry balanced, which is not hard) you can soon learn how to guestimate how much acid you need when the pH hits 7.8 to drop it right back to 7.6. IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WORKING WITH MURIATIC ACID DON"T DO THIS.
If you don't mind adding acid more frequently you can lower the pH more than 7.6 but you pH will climb faster.
YOU SHOULD BE TESTING pH DAILY (or at least a few times a week!) and NOT with strips! pH is your KEY! Keep the pH in line and you keep the scale formation down and the cell generating!

6) inspect the salt cell every month and clean with acid as needed according to manufacturers directions. A salt cell should last about 5 years or possibly longer unless it has been undersized for your pool.

Believe it or not, it's really a lot easier than it sounds!