salt/soft water feeling?

[thatcar32]

We have been swimming in our new (owner builder), 17,000 gal. IG pool for about 3 month now. I went with the Pool Pilot Total Control for my SWCG. I had a few problems at start-up with a bad mother board (twice) but Pool Pilot was very helpful and prompt on getting it repaired. I have had absolutly no water problems cemistry problems therefore making me a happy customer. It took several weeks before I was able to use the acid feeder because the water was demanding so much acid that the system would not keep up with the ph and it would shut it down. I had gone through 8 gal. of acid before the ph finally settled down a bit. The total control does take care of in but it does run the acid pump alot trying to keep up with the ph. But all that can be expected.

My concern is this: I am a bit dissatisfied with the feeling of the water. I just don't get that soft water or skin feeling. After swimming my skin feels dry and not slick at all. I was under the impression that the skin would feel soft. I test the water and everthing is fine. I even take it to the pool store and they tell me everything is perfect. The water is crystal clear. The only thing missing is that soft feeling. At start-up I added 480 lbs of salt which brought the ppm to 4000. Today I just added 1 bag, 40 lbs as the level had dropped to 3000. It now ready 3900ppm. If I add more salt will it make the water softer? Will it cause any harm to anything as long as I stay under 6000ppm? Is there anything on the market that will make the water softer? Am I just looking for something that's not going to happen?

Thanks in advance to all that reply.
Roger

[Poolsean]

Hi Roger,

Thanks for selecting Pool Pilot. Sorry about the initial board problems. Is this your first pool? When is the last time you swam in a regular non-salt pool? You may feel the difference if you jump in a friend's or neighbor's non-salt pool, then compare it to your own pool.

You're fine with whatever level of salt you want to maintain, but you should be able to feel the difference, according to some people who's added salt to a non-salt chlorine generator pool, at as little as 1000 ppm. But then again, there are some that cannot feel the difference around 3000 ppm either.
Typically, higher salt levels above 6000 ppm, will cause corrosion on metals. This usually affects the heater's heat exchanger first. In your case, you've got the Aqua Cal heat pump with the chemically impervious heat exchanger. Therefore, your concern with corrosion due to high salt levels would be on your hand rails, ladders or light rings.
(Thanks for selecting Aqua Cal too).

Adding more salt will not make the water softer. In fact, the added salt doesn nothing to make the water softer. That is a matter of the calcium hardness level. The salt gives you the "soft water feel" by being closer matched to your bodies natural salinity level.
BTW, what is your calcium hardness level? Chances are if these are high, it may offset the soft water feel.

Excellent night time photo.

[thatcar32]

Sean,

Your welcome on the purchasing of the Auto Pilot and the Aqua-cal heat pump. I did a lot of reserch on all my equipment before purchasing them and dicided that these would work the best for my needs. The problems at start-up were not a big deal due to the outstanding and fast service.

This is my first pool that I have owned. Both houses on each side of mine have clorine pools. I have not been in theirs but I did have one of them in mine and they said that it feels basically the same. The only thing that I had in mind to compare it to was a household water softener where it leaves your skin feeling like silk when you bathe. I may just be expecting too much. The water does feel nice and there is no clorine smell in the water or on your body and swimsuit when you get out. But while I'm on the subject of smell, if you are in the spa when the air blower is turned on there will be a heavy smell of bleach for about 2 minutes. Is this normal? What caused this? Is there a cure or just ignore it?

Here are my readings from the pool store:
TC= 3.0
FC= 3.0
CC= 0.0
PH= 7.6
TA= 85
CH= 255
STABILIZER= 60
SALT= 3900

I am assuming that nothing can be done and that everything is normal but just wanted to through the questions out there to see if there was a solution.

Roger

[Poolsean]

Hmmm, not sure of the chlorine smell in the spa. Can you try this with the AutoPilot cell disconnected and see if you still have this chlorine smell? If you do still have the smell, it's not due to the salt chlorinator.
If you have it only when the cell is energized, it may be due to some of the gases venting to atmosphere (this is a guess as I have not experienced this before).

[PatL34]

Roger,

If the smell from the spa occurs only when you turn it on, there may be a high concentration of chlorine built up in the spa piping, which is then gassed off with the blower is turned on.

If you can keep the pool water running even slightly through the spa without the blower, this may alleviate the problem.

Hope this helps.

Pat

[Mark_WATERMAID]

[QUOTE=Poolsean]Hi Roger,



Adding more salt will not make the water softer. In fact, the added salt doesn nothing to make the water softer. That is a matter of the calcium hardness level. The salt gives you the "soft water feel" by being closer matched to your bodies natural salinity level.
BTW, what is your calcium hardness level? Chances are if these are high, it may offset the soft water feel.

Just want to jump in and clarify something on this one. More salt WILL definitely make the pool water feel softer and silkier. There is a huge difference between the feel of a 3000 ppm pool and a 6000 ppm pool. Just like there is a huge difference between a non-salt pool and a salt pool. Our body salt concentration is 9000 ppm so in all honesty, that would be the most comfortable pool. The problem is that once you get to salt levels like that, it is too salty for most people

Mark Manning
Watermaid Canada
www.watermaid.ca
mark@watermaid.ca

[waterbear]

Just want to jump in and clarify something on this one. More salt WILL definitely make the pool water feel softer and silkier. There is a huge difference between the feel of a 3000 ppm pool and a 6000 ppm pool. Just like there is a huge difference between a non-salt pool and a salt pool. Our body salt concentration is 9000 ppm so in all honesty, that would be the most comfortable pool. The problem is that once you get to salt levels like that, it is too salty for most people

Mark Manning
Watermaid Canada
www.watermaid.ca
mark@watermaid.ca

It might make the water feel 'silkier' ( a subjective term) but it will NOT make it softer (low calcium and magnesium hardness).....Soft water, such as out of a water softener, does not have high calcium and magnesium levels. Adding salt to the water does not reduce the calcium and magnesium. Running the water through an ion exchange resin in a water softener that swaps out sodium or potassium ions for the calcium and magnesium ions does.

Have to agree with Poolsean on this....A higher salinitly will make the water closer to the isoelectric point of the human body, which will make it feel less 'foreign and irritating' but it will NOT soften the water.

[Mark_WATERMAID]

It might make the water feel 'silkier' ( a subjective term) but it will NOT make it softer (low calcium and magnesium hardness).....Soft water, such as out of a water softener, does not have high calcium and magnesium levels. Adding salt to the water does not reduce the calcium and magnesium. Running the water through an ion exchange resin in a water softener that swaps out sodium or potassium ions for the calcium and magnesium ions does.

Have to agree with Poolsean on this....A higher salinitly will make the water closer to the isoelectric point of the human body, which will make it feel less 'foreign and irritating' but it will NOT soften the water.

Just to make sure that I am not misunderstood on this point, I agree that the water isn't "softer". The thread started out with a question about the "Feel" of the pool and I wanted to point out that getting closer to an isotonic solution in the pool (9000 ppm) will make if "Feel" less harsh. Sean is right, the water isn't technically softer at a higher salt level but ANY salt level will make it Feel nicer.

Mark Manning
Watermaid Canada
www.watermaid.ca
mark@watermaid.ca

[waterbear]

Just to make sure that I am not misunderstood on this point, I agree that the water isn't "softer". The thread started out with a question about the "Feel" of the pool and I wanted to point out that getting closer to an isotonic solution in the pool (9000 ppm) will make if "Feel" less harsh. Sean is right, the water isn't technically softer at a higher salt level but ANY salt level will make it Feel nicer.

Mark Manning
Watermaid Canada
www.watermaid.ca
mark@watermaid.ca

I think we are all in agreement on this. The Poster was comparing the water to the water from his water softener, however.

The only thing that I had in mind to compare it to was a household water softener where it leaves your skin feeling like silk when you bathe.