salt/soft water feeling?

[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.

[y0manda]

love your pool, great design