Can I add salt without the SWG operating

[beary]

Hi all

Our pool is open now and we have a SWG installed, but the electrical is not completed until we get a wall finished where the hookups will go. The pump is working off an extention cord. However, the poolbuilder stacked the salt by the pool waiting to be added. Can I add the salt without any harm to the pool, or do I need to wait for the SWG?

Thanks

Beary

[cwstnsko]

If you have a brand new plaster or pebble pool, you may want to wait for the plaster to cure for a while before adding the salt. I haven't heard of any other reason to delay adding the salt

[klharmon]

Our pool builder used chemical chlorine for the first month until the plaster cured. Only then did thay add salt & get the SWG going. They said adding salt before the plaster cures would eat holes in the plaster.

[Poolsean]

Oh Horse Hockey! Eat holes in the plaster? Those poor Australians with 90% or MORE of their pools with salt systems.
I recon they have tones of pools with holes in them, mate.

It's not true. Dissolved salt does not cause any problems and will not cause holes. Your pool builder is probably just repeating what he heard from the specific pool plaster manufacturer that he uses.

Interesting question to ask, especially if they're using Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach) for the first month... how much salt do you think is in it? You would be surprised. Why aren't they afraid of the salt in the bleach causing problems?

The fact of the matter is that there has been MANY years of pool plaster "issues", WAY before salt systems came about. Since they are not sure of what causes these issues, they simply take the easy way out by blaming salt systems.
Personally, I've worked with distribution for years, dealing with pool plasters, pool builders and the Lectranator salt system (since 1986) and have been telling them to add salt straight away. Guess what? No issues if you dissolve the salt quickly. What this means is that you have to have the pump on, open the bottom drain and add your salt in the deep end, over the drain. Finally, brush the salt into the drain.
Solar salt or water softener salt (pellet or flake forms), will take a bit longer to dissolve, but again, once dissolved, there is no potential to cause damage, much less holes in the plaster.