traditional salt chemical system or go with the Mineral Springs salt system?

[PoolDoc]

If you buy a Hayward / Goldline salt unit, follow the directions here, and add borates to the water . . . you WILL have a "Mineral Springs" system at about 1/3 the cost.

Hayward puts labels on the Mineral Springs hardware for Bioguard. The chemicals used are just pre-blended (so if you have too much of one, you're stuck) and over-priced salt + borax + acid + stabilizer, in different packages and ratios.

[BigDave]

Thanks PoolDoc, I had no idea that Mineral Springs was a luxury marque. It sounds like a collection of metal salts, at least to me.

[PoolDoc]

Yeah. They try hint at the idea that it's a 'natural' 'non-chlorine' system without actually making illegal claims to that effect.