I used 99.8% pure Mortons Water Softener Salt in the blue bag. It comes as crystals and is about $4.50 per 40 lb. bag here in Indiana.

I have a 22 x 42 IG plaster pool that holds about 45,000 gal. I added 4 bags of salt and that raised the concentration to 1420 ppm. I could taste the salt a little, but it wasn't obnoxious. And, I swam w/o my goggles and experienced no irritation. My skin didn't smell of chlorine afterwards and my hair wasn't as stiff as a board. (I keep my chlorine b/w 5 and 7 w/ a cya reading b/w 50 and 55.)

Still, I decided to drain some water out of the pool and try to get the concentration down. (In addition, I my CYA runs a little over 50 and I wouldn't mind getting that under 50.)

I just swam and retested the water. The water is at 1200 ppm and I can't smell or taste the salt. Plus, I am still getting the benefits of "soft" water.

So, in conclusion, I can recommend the process. I like my pool non-swg pool water at 1200. So far, so good. Good Luck to anyone who wants to have a "soft water" pool.

Paul