Summary:

Pool maintenance of a Salt water pool is not much different than a regular swimming pool. Though salt water pools are chemical free in that a salt water chlorine generator creates its own chlorine from the salt content in the water (rather than from chlorine tablets), it still requires chemical balancing and other typical maintenance monitoring. One thing a salt water pool does require, that a typical swimming pool does not, is monitoring of salt corrosion or staining to metal equipment, parts and accessories. Some occasional extra chemicals will be needed, as well.

Just like a regular chlorine pool, salt water pool maintenance requires chemical testing and monitoring.

The major problems with salt water pools are low chlorine levels, low salinity, corrosion issues, and maintenance of the salt chlorinator.

Balancing the Chemicals

Salt water pools are chemical free, but they are not chlorine free.

Salt water pools create their own chlorine by passing salty water through a salt water chlorine generator – two electrically charged metal plates.

The elements for chemical balance includes:

• Salinity – salt concentration
• pH levels
• Free chlorine levels
• Total alkalinity –
  • Too much causes cloudy water
  • Too little can cause corrosion, metal staining, algae or calcium scaling
• Total dissolved solids
• Calcium hardness

Other chemicals for water balance and stability that may be needed on occasion:

• Cyanuric acid – a stabilizer
• Algaecides
• Clarifiers

Salt water pool maintenance trouble areas:

• Cloudy water –
  • requires a chlorine shock to the water
• Corrosion and stains to metal parts –
  • Zinc anode in the pool system protects by being corroded by the salt, rather than the metal
• Not properly maintaining the salt water chlorine generator –
  • cell cleaning every 6-12 months and replacement when necessary are key, along with using proper generator settings

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