Anyone using salt w/o SWG in their chlorine pool?

[johnnya]

Seams there maybe some advantages in adding salt. What about for an aboveground pool? Splashed water onto steel or aluminum walls and bottom tracks. Is 2500-3500ppm enough to couse damage? Your bodys sweat is corrosive and I am not sure what the ppm is there...but I have seen it damage gym equipment.

[Rangeball]

I can get solar salt at a local lumberyard, but it's a few more bucks per bag. It's supposed to be straight salt, but a google search says it also has a small percentage of calcium, mangnesium and sulfate ions as this is part of the TDS in seawater.

I'll wait and see what your readings are tomorrow before I get some and dump it in.

[Brock]

The amount of salt we are talking about is typically in the 2000-3000 range of PPM, I believe the ocean or true salt water is on the order of 16,000-20,000 ppm of salt. So it is no where near the concentration of true salt water.

I finally did it this year and I would swear the free CL is more stable. Although we have an indoor pool and with no stabilizer so maybe the salt acts as a stabilizer for the free CL as well?

It definitely made the water feel "softer" and much easier on the eyes as well.

We just dumped in 250lbs the 99.5% pure salt pellets. I turned on the swim jet and they were gone in 15 minutes, I was really surprised they dissolved that fast.

[brent.roberts]

I told you I would test and report my salt levels. Sorry ... got into connections on the solar panels and got chased inside by mosquitos. I'll try to remember to test tonight.

If you've already got the salt on hand, no risk to go ahead and dump the first couple of bags in. You can get a stick type test kit at most pool stores. I was a bit astonised at the price. I'm waiting on a complete test kit with salt water test from Pooldoc.

[Rangeball]

I understand

I haven't bought any yet. I won't set foot in our local (only one) pool store again, plus no one around here uses SWG so they won't have the strips.

Thanks

[Rangeball]

Just played with the bleach calc.

4 40# bags will put me just over 900 ppm, assuming the tap water we filled the pool with has no salt in it (which I highly doubt it does).

This should be a good start without the chance that swimmers can taste the salt, right?

[brent.roberts]

From memory I shot for 1200 ppm and overshot it. You've got something to work with. Micheal Smith scores again.

[Rangeball]

From memory I shot for 1200 ppm and overshot it. You've got something to work with. Micheal Smith scores again.

Yep, a fantastic tool

a 40# bag gets be 226 ppm. I think I'll start with 4, see what that gets me, then add 1/2 a 5th (bag, not jack daniels ), test, repeat as necessary.

1200 ppm sounds like a good number

[Rangeball]

Brent, please don't test on my account.

The deed is done. I just added 4 bags (160# total) of solar salt to my pool

I did as you suggested, simply poured it in the skimmer. Dissolved real fast. I had all 4 bags in in probably 15 minutes tops. I did close my bottom drain line, to enhance water flow through the skimmer.

Now all that remains is to circulate and take the plunge, literally

I'll report back. It's threatening rain, hopefully I can jump in this evening.

Thanks for the help

[smallpooldad]

Lowes has Cargill Salt 40 Pound Salt Pellets Water Softener, 99.8% pure and dissolves over night. Not sure what the .2% is, most probably citric acid. Price is $7.85 in Hawaii, we call this the "Cost of Living in Paradise."

Looks like $4.69 on the mainland according to the web site.

Aloha