Hi all.

We've enjoyed our 16'x48" Intex Ultra Frame pool now for the past two years. We purchased an Intex Salt Water system and are having a couple of issues:

1. I used the requisite 125 lbs of salt. I used Morton's Pool Salt. I noticed small black pebble things in the bags as I was pouring the salt in. After I made sure that the salt was dissolved I noticed that the black pebble things were still in the water. I also noticed small white pebble things in the water. At first I thought that they were just impurities and that I just had to clean them out. Now I'm wondering if they're a result of something (of what I do not know). The Morton Salt rep. stated that their pool salt is 100% pure. I raised an eyebrow at that.

Has anyone here used Morton Pool Salt? Any idea what the pebble things are?

2. I'm finding it hard to maintain the chlorine levels without running the system 24x7. I believe it's related to the pool cover we're using. I made a pool cover out of thick clear plastic. The cover helps heat up the pool nicely on sunny days. But, I think the UV light is burning away the chlorine faster than the unit can make it. My wife thinks there's a different reason why we're having chlorine problems (like the unit is broken). I've read that cyanuric acid can help maintain chlorine levels. I was hoping to limit chemical usage to the bare minimum.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to maintain chlorine levels? Is cyanuric acid the answer?

Thanks in advance.