Tonight I add salt to my non SWG above ground pool

[The Raddish]

My opinion on that is that this is such a small amount of salt that it really won't matter. There is already chlorine in the pool. The bottom track is designed to be protected against chlorine. The reason salt is corrosive is because of the chlorine in the salt molecule.

If we were talking about raising the salt content in our pool water to 20,000ppm or more (to the salinity levels in ocean water), then I too would be concerned about corrosion. But we're talking about 1200 - 1500ppm, which is half or less than the 3000 - 3700ppm that recommended by most SWGs.

I haven't found any corrosion warnings associated with any SWGs.

I think that at the levels we are talking about here, there are no drawbacks at all, only benefits.

Oh, and I purchased another bag of salt to put in the water this evening.

[PatL34]

If it is aluminum, it can corrode. Some AG pool vendors may not guarantee the warranty, if you use a SWCG. You may want to check this.

For inground plaster pools with a concrete border make sure to wash any salt spilt on the concrete into the pool with a garden hose.

Hope this helps.

Pat

[Mom2Czars]

I really can't wait to do this. But I need to get a handle on BBB first.

We have a whole house water conditioner system which uses that salt, and it makes a huge difference in the house, so I'm sold on it being useful in the pool. I'll probably target the very low end so I don't have to worry about the possible corrosion issue. It sounds like even at 800ppm, there's some tangible benefit.

[The Raddish]

Mom2Czars, you can do this independently of the BBB system, as it will not have any effect on the rest of your pool chemistry. If you want salt in your pool , just put it there.

[waterbear]

While it likely has done no harm, it will impact the overall water balance chemistry. Salts act as buffers
Sodium chloride does not act as a buffer at all, it posses no buffering ability whatsoever!....Buffers are composed of an acid and their correspnding ion such as carbonic acid/ carbonates and bicarbonates or boric acid/borates
and you should already be buffered, thus you will end up with slighly salty water - if you like that go for it, but I would never add a chemical that I really don't need.

There are millions of people that claim things do things that they really don't - that does not make them right.

I would be interested in seeing some technical documentation (not just opinions) that adding NaCl to a chlorine sanitized pool has value. Please let me know of a link where I can see that.
basically all it does is raise the salinity closer to the isoelectric point of the human body which will inrease comfort and feel less harse to the skin and eyes.
Thanks

Hope this helps explain things a bit

[waterbear]

Not sure I buy that it does anything for you, but your pool already has salt in it. Think about it for a few minutes.

You add chlorine as either sodium hypochlorite or calcium hypochlorite. You add borax, or baking soda or other pH up chemicals. Thus you have Cl ions an Na ions floating around in the water. That is exactly what you get when you add NaCl (salt). These ions are all dissolved in the water. When you add salt you are adding more which may or may not dissolve depending on what levels you all ready have.
considering that seawater has a salinity of about 35,000 ppm and that everything dissolves in it and that the most a pool with a SWG might have is 6000ppm your argument doesn't hold water, so to speak
You may actually create water chemistry problems
As you stated sodium and cloride ions already exists in the water, however, they are fairly neutral players in the water chemisty that goes on. All they do is add to the TDS which is not important as far as water balance chemistry goes.
, not to mention the potential for corrosion on certain metals
Here you MIGHT have a point but the actual fact is that years of use of SWG systems have not documented many corrosion problems in inground pools.
. Don't think it a good idea.

Look at the installed base of SWGs worldwide, some have been in use for about 30 years now. the addtion of salt has had no bad effects and subjectively makes the water feel more comfortable.

[The Raddish]

I added a third bag of salt to the pool tonight. Oh my, it made such a huge difference!! I'll test the salinity tomorrow, but three bags should be about 1150ppm. We'll probably stay right here, as the water really feels wonderful at this salinity.

[gerri]

I have a 8500 gallon in ground fiberglass pool and I want to add salt.

Here's my question: since I have a problem with iron stains would it be ok to get this kind of salt:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...658&lpage=none

The thing I don't understand.. they all say pure salt so how can they be iron fighting, etc. ?

[Kimrst]

This may sound strange but I work in a hospital and the main ingredient in IV's for sick people is normal saline which is salt. I know there is some complicated chemistry going on here, but if its ok for us to have a certin amount inside our bodies, whouldn't it be ok to have it outside too, as in our pools?

[The Raddish]

This may sound strange but I work in a hospital and the main ingredient in IV's for sick people is normal saline which is salt. I know there is some complicated chemistry going on here, but if its ok for us to have a certin amount inside our bodies, whouldn't it be ok to have it outside too, as in our pools?

In a word: yes.