3 Bad Facts About Salt Water Pools

[@_Mikekkk]

Have salt water pool for 5 years, had 0 issues. Very happy with it. Once in a year when I open pool for a season - I just bring water sample to my pool store, they test water, give me all chemicals I need to add once - and that's it. No other maintenance for a year, no problems.

[@FishBaitBlue]

🤨

[@Proteanlife]

😂😂😂😂

[@That.Guy.]

Me too. I use a solar cover which helps with stopping chemical evap and I almost never have to do anything except add salt if we get a crazy rain where I have to let alot of water out. Salt is the best thing I have ever done. It is so much eaiser

[@keis5554]

Thank you for giving me hope.

[@jannetteegger4108]

Ugh it all sounds like work and complicated 😢. I don’t want to have to buy another piece of equipment to monitor

[@hlrembe62]

I had a saltwater pool at our house in Georgia for almost 20 years. Performed all testing and maintenance myself and never had any of the issues mentioned here, and with proper maintenance the converter plates do not present a drawback. I solar heated the pool using solar panels with a water to water heat exchanger system and even when idled in summer months had little scaling issues and no unexpected negative problems. So my guess is if you have issues it's maintenance related or a poorly designed system. I will be duplicating my old Georgia system in my upcoming Florida build.

[@omairz7638]

That’s amazing, you should do a video about it so that people can benefit from this info

[@hlrembe62]

@@omairz7638 I'll definitely give that a good bit of thought but I do have a bad habit of jumping in before making any record of what I'm doing.

[@Mike-01234]

Almost every pool here in Phoenix is saltwater we backwash so we don't have TDS issues some liberal states don't allow back washing I even heard some cities in California require pools to be drained into water trucks and water haled away and refilled. Other services they use a filter system to remove the TDS some sort of RO system I don't know where they put the brackish water. Funny how California dumps brine water back into the ocean killing wildlife when trying to desalinate.

[@akern333]

Completely agree with you Harry! We actually switched our pool from pure chlorine to saltwater and we’ve never ever had any of these issues! Pools have to be maintained and cared for. Or they’re poorly made if those issues occur. But, we’re in Florida and haven’t had any issues.

[@nihallee]

Agreed with Harry here too. I used to have a chlorine pool and it needed weekly testing and products. Now I have a salt system (since 4 years) and no scaling issues unless I over salt it a lot. It happened once the first year but I cleaned the chlorine generator and all good. It's also a good practice to bypass the chlorine generator and water heater for a few hours after you add salt. Maybe the scaling issue is worst with a concrete pool but mine is fiberglass and I have no issue. Additionally, once the alkalinity and PH are balanced, then I don't have to add anything for many weeks (usually about 2 or 3 months). I test about once a month and keep an eye on the salt level indicator light. I love it and I cannot think of a better system!

[@iguanapoolservice1461]

Ive been servicing 40 to 60 pools weekly for almost 10 years. Salt water pools are the easiest and cheapest to maintain. The ph going up depends on the type of plaster mainly. Pools with vynil liner actually stay in perfect range when you convert them to salt. Only about 3 months a year i have to adjust the ph weekly...

[@Kevin-kl6mq]

What saltwater system do you recommend?

[@gk-kg4ht]

I am new with salt pool. My PH level is 7.8, EC 5610, TDS 2790, Salt 2810 ppm. Do they seem ok?

[@iguanapoolservice1461]

@gk-kg4ht this time of the year I keep my pools around 3600ppm but 2800 is ok but on the low side. Your ph is a little high also.

[@iguanapoolservice1461]

@@Kevin-kl6mq I like the hayward system(40k gallon)

[@gk-kg4ht]

@@iguanapoolservice1461 Thank you for your reply! We already opened our pool and using it. What level would be good for salt to be now and an ideal PH?

[@zeejimi4044]

I have an above ground pool, now in its third season, for which I use a salt water system. I use about 3kg of pool salt per cubic meter of water and my convertor releases chlorine gas, (generated from the salt, sodium chloride) into the water which kills off the algae and bacteria. As long as the pH is set and kept at around 7 (by using pH-minus), and the pool is kept (almost) free of leaves and other debris, the salt water system works very well. I use filter balls in my filter which I exchange for clean ones usually once per season, and I have crystal clear water in my pool. I remove fine debris from the bottom of the pool by using the Pool Blaster Max.

[@salinepools]

we have been installing and servicing salt water systems for over 12 years and once pH is kept under control and water properly balanced we havent had any issues. You can use acid injection system to keep pH in check or what we have been doing is to lower the Total Alkalinity down to around 70ppm which prevents the pH from bouncing up. Of course all other levels effect the Calcite Saturation Index (CSI) so they need to be adjusted. We have maintained pools here in the Bahamas where we go once every 3 months to balance and check systems and the pools are kept in perfect balance. Cells cleaned every 3 months so this works. We have had pools stay in balance up to 6 months without service but we dont recommend that long. ideally pH should be kept between 7.4 and 7.6 on a weekly basis.

[@LifeOfAnEmpath]

I had a saltwater pool (and about to build another with a salt cell), the first pool I had was pretty easy to take care of maintain and the water was much softer and didn't smell like high chlorine and didn't make my skin itch.

[@waskele.wabbit717]

If your pool smells like chlorine you either have too much chlorine or somebody peed in it.

[@WheelgunsOnWheels]

Yup. 100% my experience. I also add a little bit of pool first aid in the first week after opening and the water stays so clear that when the pump isn’t on you almost couldn’t tell if there’s water in there. Love it!

[@phondo2]

We changed ours to a salt- water system (we knew it produced chlorine) and used salt and Borate. We saved SO MUCH MONEY on chemicals!

[@jasont.1530]

I can only speak to my own experience but Ive had a salt water pool for 3 years and have had no issues with scaling (vinyl liner inground). My pH is stable around 7.6. My approach though is that I vastly oversized my SWG, so I run it at 20% of output capacity for 8 hours overnight, essentially just over 1.5hrs in a generation state to keep around 3 to 4 ppm. All other levels of pool are balanced per recommended by troublefreepool forum. You should have clarified this information based on type of pool, as a concrete pool or fiberglass pool will have different characteristics than a vinyl pool.

[@jmarrs7239]

Many years ago Australia was the only place in the world that sol salt water chlorinators! The ONLY reason was the chemical companies in the US bought up the US patent and would NOT allow it to be sold! Salt water pools are a thousand times easier on the pocketbook and maintenance! I have had one for about 25 years now and maybe spend $150 a year on stabilizer and salt! No other issues at all! Chlorine is expensive and very difficult to maintain comp0ared to salt! Our community pool switched to salt and have saved about $15000 a year on chorine and mtse!

[@TheGuzze2k]

Just wanted to add, do yourself a favor if you have or considering a salt water pool - install a ZINC ANODE along with your salt generator to combat scaling and PH issues. Hope this helps someone. Happy Swimming!

[@jacobjones435]

Did you install the annode in the pool itself?

[@TheGuzze2k]

@@jacobjones435 It should be installed in the plumbing right after the salt cell and flow switch.

[@nigellake7515]

Zinc Anode is a sacrificial anode, boats have them. Nothing to do with scale build up. It’s a weaker metal and will be attacked first hence protecting other metal parts in your pool.

[@testboga5991]

Hi Steve, I love your content as it goes much deeper than most others. You may want to add the disclaimer here, though, that your facts only relate to uncontrolled SWGs. Ours measures the pH and keeps it constant at 7.2 with acid. LSI is never above 0, no scale anywhere, not even in the cell.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

@testboga5991 what is the name of your product? What you are describing is not a salt system. It is a salt system and a pH monitoring and control system. Not the same thing IMO but I appreciate you have a point that the "problems" introduced by salt can also be mitigated through continued product innovation, external monitoring and chemical control / automation etc.

[@michaelwebster8844]

I've had a salt system for about a year and my PH has never tested above 7.4.

[@CR250RidR]

Super accurate I’ve always noticed the ph problem in salt pools. The biggest question is though is the chlorine produced from the salt cell REALLY HEALTHIER (no red eyes better on skin and for asthma patients) than chlorine poured in straight from the bottle? That’s the main reason why people want them. Thanks

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Not healthier. It is the exact same thing. You buy chlorine or you make your own. One is not healthier than the other. Balanced pool water is healthier than poorly balanced water. So when you buy a salt system expecting healthier water you will be disappointed because the only thing you have changed in your pool is where the chlorine comes from.

[@kennethm.380]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve Hey Swimming Pool Steve - care to discuss the chlorine shortage?

[@trevorwesterdahl6245]

The advantage is its more stable with salt and chlorine generator. Adding manually usually leads to spikes in chlorine.

[@coronanick9293]

Not to mention, the chlorine Tabs have other chemicals besides Chlorine alone... unless one uses liquid

[@kristinebrady3668]

I've had my salt pool since 2009. I haven't noticed these problems and occasionally have my water also tested at the local pool store. I've never heard of borates for a pool. I used nty gas pool heater once May to get the water to a nice temp... never again! It was so expensive! I now have a man made solar heater, and it works fine. I'd like to get ride of the gas heater, but that's an expense... some day.

[@carldensman4099]

I’ve owned a salt water pool for 18 years at the same home, never had a issue with high PH probably cause the rain balancing it out or the proper Maintanence, also cleaning the system is normal maintenance, so this video is screwy in a way, to funny how people make claims.

[@gial8862]

im finding some salt water pools seem to have acid injectors integrated.

[@gailkwas9866]

Same here not 18 years though :) Maybe some people have problem because their water isn't very good to begin with. I have never had a issue. Matter of fact I love it. So much less hassle.

[@GRJCLyon]

interesting. I have a brand new inground pool for about 2 months now and PH is always 8.0 or higher even after adding PH down twice, lowering the salt cell percentage and reducing pump run times. I also just tried pointing my jets downward because they created a lot of turbulence on the water while running. I'm considering Borates once I figure out how to get the PH down a few points.

[@johnspence8141]

@@GRJCLyon Same issue. Our pH keeps skyrocketing, constantly adding acidic powder that is diluted in a bucket of water to lower pH. Lots of scaling.

[@GRJCLyon]

@@johnspence8141 sorry to hear that. Are you seeing your salt level dropping also? We’ve had our salt at 3100 almost the whole time. 2 treatments of PH down and it dropped to 2800. So far we added 20 lbs of salt and brought it up to 2900 so far. 3100 is right in the middle of the “perfect range.” My pool is 19,200 gallons so I wanted to see how much the salt level read 10lbs at a time for future reference. For the PH once I have it down a few more PPM I’m going to try the borates as I mentioned earlier.

[@mmirav]

Not all salt water pools have chronically high ph. I haven’t for 7 years now. I do keep my Alkalinity around 60-70 and add 50 ppm borates. My ph stays at 7.6 chlorine.

[@kristinebrady3668]

I've never heard of borates, even though I've taken my pool water in for testing at the local pool store.

[@mmirav]

@@kristinebrady3668 Pool stores sell it by names of water optimizer, water enhancer etc.

[@owl1873]

Sound like your trying to dissuade people from owning a salt water pool. I owned one before and never had an issue pool wise or PH wise. The only drawback was the build up salt on surrounding concrete and eny thing the water came in contact with. This to can be controlled with good wash down maintenance. You seem to be vary knowledgeable on this subject. Can you recomend a system that can electronically maintain the proper ph balance in a above ground salt water pool. Thank you for posting this content.

[@kennethm.380]

The pool guys are terrified that people won't need them. It's pretty simple.

[@JonStrength]

i am getting small rust colored spots on my liner.....any thoughts?

[@carlosperez-pp2wy]

The simple way to control pH is by installing a CO2 delivery system. The CO2 system synchronizes with the pump schedule and delivery is automatic. The daily pH change is between 7.5 and 7.8. There is a knob to raise or lower the pH range window.

[@scottyreid1674]

Carlos..you don't need to install anything. Salt systems will increase your Ph. All you have to do is keep your Alkalinity ( which is a Ph balancer) to 30 to 45ppm. The reason I say 30 to 45ppm is some pools have spill over spas...water features...which oxygenates the water in return will increase ph with Salinity water. Just remember Alkalinity is a ph balance. Give it a try. You'll see.

[@kenlounders5399]

Is the chlorine in the salt water different? I don’t have either. But one of the hinges I had heard was that salt water was less toxic.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

@@kenlounders5399 it is chemically identical once in the water - salt pools are not less toxic than a regular pool in any measurable way.

[@wjlundystheoccupation]

Salt Water pool for 5 years,, never had high PH in my water, if anything it is low.

[@excelsiortoall7967]

Mine too. Maybe we're just lucky

[@JohnSmith-xx1lx]

I think a lot of people are missing the point in the comments below. This is not for people who stay on top of their chemistry and understand how the process works. This is for people who think all you have to do is throw a bag of salt in the pool and call it a day. This is absolutely accurate I know tons of people with salt pools that forget to add acid to their pool and they commonly have scaling. This video is very helpful and anyone who didn't pay attention to detail will probably suffer later on down the road if you think you know it all already. I've been working on pulls for a while and I learned something in this video I wasn't even thinking about the fact that it can do damage to the heaters and such. So thank you for that and keep the good videos coming in.

[@kristinebrady3668]

What kind of acid?

[@JohnSmith-xx1lx]

@@kristinebrady3668 Muriatic.

[@tvideo1189]

@@kristinebrady3668 Standard pool acid is muriatic acid available at hardware stores and pool suppliers.

[@AprilDC_NC]

Hey Steve, how often is a saltwater pool tested? weekly? Daily?

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Realistically once or twice per week is enough for most pools owners. And this is salt or regular chlorine. It's not the salt levels you are testing BTW as those only change very slowly. Once a month would be enough to test salt levels in the pool.

[@towdjumper5]

No problem with my salt pool. It’s better .You started off by saying 3 problems then after #1 you said it was not really a problem. ..

[@mmorales9453]

This is not true we had a saltwater pool for 15 years and the pH never went above eight. Every once in a while it did go up, but the rain tend to be acidic and balanced it out. Overall the pool tended to have a lower pH tended then higher. Everyone’s experience is different, whenever anybody tells you ‘you’ll always have this’ or ‘always have that’, be a little suspect. We also did not have excessive scaling, I cleaned our generator once a year there was some scaling but not an excessive amount like it’s stated in this video. Note that our water here is not hard to begin with, if you have hard water, your experience will be different.

[@moondancer7993]

This is about salt water pools not straight chlorine.

[@mmorales9453]

@@moondancer7993 sorry I meant to say saltwater pool not chlorine.... we just put in another Saltwater pool in our home in the DR in December, this time with a variable speed pump... We love it! I wish I had a commission from everyone of my friends that switch to saltwater after experiencing our pool. Saltwater pool is a no brainer; easier, healthier, and less expensive.

[@hisnameisiam808]

@@mmorales9453 how would you recommend going about putting salt in my inflatable hot tub?

[@owl1873]

Vary good reply. I agree. My experience was good aswell, even whith hard water. Plus I never had to deal with that chemical dry skin.

[@testboga5991]

He's totally correct that the SWG produces alkaline water. That may be balanced by other sources of acid in the system, but the SWG basically produces drain cleaner (Sodium hydroxide), Hydrogen and Chlorine.

[@Saltywalt44]

I’m getting chlorine or salt flakes in the pool regularly. The pools older but I replaced the salt cell this year. I use acid probably every other month to bring the ph down. I’m running the salt cell at 60% and maintain chlorine levels as long as water temperatures don’t exceed 90. Im also on well water which is extremely hard.

[@cerebralvision]

Switched my pool to salt water and never had pH level issues ever. It's the easiest and cheapest to maintain. I barely have to do anything and the levels stay pretty perfect.

[@gilev3230]

Good to know. I'd like to convert mine.

[@tvideo1189]

@@gilev3230 Yep, pay no attention at all to this "pool expert" video and his "bad facts". he is ridiculous. A salt pool is BY FAR the easiest to maintain system going. ALL pools need to be monitored for water quality, including salt pools. But keeping it in range is dead easy, simple, and cheap.

[@jroodz75]

Good info Steve. Thank you. Aside from the heater is scale a big deal? Are there types of water heaters that aren't affected by scaling?

[@brixtonwarren9864]

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[@abelemiliano4067]

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[@brixtonwarren9864]

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[@brixtonwarren9864]

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[@abelemiliano4067]

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[@Tinyteacher1111]

This was a very clear explanation of what I’m going through. I wish I had seen this video before I got a salt water converter. It scaled up the entire inside shell of my hot tub. I have a mess to clean up if I didn’t ruin it. Thanks very much!!

[@christiezelenski6915]

I have fiberglass pool and I have calcium scaling so bad every surface is white. I can't get it off!

[@xMav44]

@@christiezelenski6915 I think my neighbor uses muriatic in a spray bottle. I dont know if he mixes it. but the white stuff comes right off.

[@trevorwesterdahl6245]

I suspect your water is hard water. Does your sink and shower get scaling? I added whole house water softener. Even my hose water is softened (sprinklers turned walls white). So, I fill pool with softened water. No issues.

[@markandrewbeauchamp7430]

Can't have high PH in fiberglass pool You'll damage the structure. Keep alkanity low with your salt system. Should be easier to maintain. Test water every week and balance PH.

[@dianenewman7340]

We hadno Ph issues with our salt water pool. We have had to add very little salt or calcium for over a year. One half of a bottle of Shock upon closing and the other half upon opening the pool. It's always in balance and crystal clear.

[@tomrizzo1554]

The first video I've seen with the truth about Saltwater Systems i own a pool maintenance and repair company in Florida I make really good money installing a salt system but I tell the truth about them and lose about 98% of my sales which is fine with me I only have about 110 customers since I downsized my business but the Saltwater Systems have all have Gone down this year Weather it be a circuit board or a bad cell some repairs upwards of $900 people think Saltwater Systems are easier on your skin or eyes but 98% of all irritations are caused by alkalinity or pH not by chlorine you also have to run a higher stabilizer value then you do with a normal chlorine system however the higher the stabilizer the more it slows down the ability of chlorine to kill bacteria so it is sort of an oxymoron that is why public pools have a maximum of stabilizer values usually way below 50 however a saltwater system requires at least 80 in Florida anyway.... I think they are okay up North but down in the southwest of Florida it is like driving a Toyota Prius up a steep hill with your foot to the floor for its whole life no matter how many gallon cell you have anyway thanks for telling the truth

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

I just want pool owners to make an informed decision. What is right for one person is wrong for another. So there are some who will like salt. But it would be great to just be delivered the info instead of "Sold" on how great they are.

[@DonS-l9v]

Does the salt system really damage a concrete pool?

[@Kunfucious577]

I’m having issues with too much chlorine and not ph.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Just turn down the output of your salt cell.

[@GRJCLyon]

I have a brand new inground pool for about 2 months now and PH is always 8.0 or higher even after adding PH down twice, lowering the salt cell percentage and reducing pump run times. I also just tried pointing my jets downward because they created a lot of turbulence on the water while running. I'm considering Borates once I figure out how to get the PH down a few points. Thank you for the video.

[@yeahright3348]

What sort of PH down are you using?

[@GRJCLyon]

@@yeahright3348 the pool company where I purchased the pool offers all their own chemicals. Any other chemical has been fantastic. I was told to stay away from Costco and box store products.

[@yeahright3348]

@@GRJCLyon okay np,, from what I understand for a salt water pool you must use a ph down that is HCL/muriatic acid, and if your have problems with your current ph down, it might worth looking into what’s actually In The ph down that you’re using.

[@GRJCLyon]

@@yeahright3348 I appreciate the info. The pool company tells me (along with many pool videos) that a high pH is natural in saltwater because they generate their own chlorine via the salt cell. So I’m thinking like a salt cell, someone needs to invent a ph down cell to add to the mix. Lol

[@executiveinvestments]

new inground plaster pools will have high PH for up to 1 year. The plaster give off gas that raises PH until it is fully cured.

[@pxp175]

What about the water temperature and the chlorine generator? Does the water actually have to be over 70 fatenhight?

[@gingersnaps6231]

I’m getting my 3 year old a kiddie pool I want to put salt water in it instead of chlorine because it seems less maintenance. Idk how much to use or if there is any other steps besides throwing some salt in there..

[@paulsteele8079]

My ph does drift upwards. Boric acid has helped stabilize it somewhat.

[@OleensEmbroidery]

TDS must be the reason I always see fine sand like material in my fine filters in the robotic Dolphin vacuum.

[@PatrickShubin]

I've had 2 different salt water pools. The amount of chlorine is much lower than a chlorine pool. I have almost no maintenance, never alge problems. My pool is always crystal clear and I can open my eyes under water, no eye burn and my skin doesn't dry out like a chlorine pool..

[@steveray8022]

Calcium Hardness 200-400 ppm, Free Chlorine 1-4 ppm, Total Chlorine Within 0.2 of FAC, ph 7.2-7.8, Total Alkalinity 80-120, Cyanuric Acid 50-100 ppm, Phosphates 0-100 ppb, Salt 3000-4500ppm. I like to keep my CyA at 80+ ppm. I was told a long time ago that a salt pool needs more CyA 80-120ppm.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

I have heard CYA at 70ppm versus the standard 30 to 50ppm. I agree with that. More than this you can, but also the fre chlorine level needs to be higher. Minimum 5% of cya level. Some say 7.5% but in any case you would likely have green water troubles with cya at 100 or 120 ppm with a FC of 1ppm but this also depends on a half dozen external factors as well.

[@jblgti50]

All I care about is, easier to keep clear or not? Could care less about PH. Clear or not? Am I adding 2 gallons of chlorine per week or not? Algaecide, and all the other GD chemicals? Just looking for a easier clear pool system.

[@steves659]

So no heater no worries? We just acid clean the Chorine generator a little more often?? And for PH dont we just add acid a bit more often? Thank you

[@trevorwesterdahl6245]

Get an acid feeder and have it add acid just before salt cell. Keeps PH balanced and cleans plates on salt cell so you have to clean far less often. Personally, I think it makes the salt cell last a lot longer (more towards the 7 years vs 3).

[@segelnnatur2022]

Excellent report, thank you. What about mineral ionizer systems? I've heard copper/silver ionizer systems are the cheapest and best system overall for pools. Any ideas appreciated, thanks 👍

[@tvideo1189]

No, this is not an "excellent" report. He is dead wrong with his "bad facts" list in a properly maintained salt pool.

[@trevorwesterdahl6245]

At least chlorine is way more stable using salt cell... adding chlorine manually leads to heavy spikes and lows. I use intelliPh acid feeder, so Ph is moot. TDS is easy to fix and I haven't a problem, not once. I have found that chlorine tabs are horrid, after less than one year's use, they raised CYA to point that chlorine stops working correctly. Shows correct level, but algae grows anyway. Finally got told by some pool site, that the tabs add CYA. Drained out water, rebalanced and never used tabs again. Liquid chlorine and muriatic acid is all I used after that. Never had to adjust anything else. Went 7 years this way. Switched to salt and salt generator and think its great. Self-maintains very well.

[@ManDuderGuy]

Regarding the "stuff" that accumulates.....wouldn't that be solved/mitigated by being gathered and cleaned out of the fine filters?

[@christopherlloyd5408]

Some of this is true but there was a lot of inaccurate statements....

[@Keep-on-ok]

I have very hard water, well water. My TDS is off the charts and my PH is very high. I have a chlorine pool. Guess I will think twice about switching to a salt system. Sounds like my issues would be worse.

[@rubenjoseph1]

good info. I never considered the points you made.

[@JS-jh4cy]

What about just getting a few tankers load of ocean water?

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

That would be 30,000 ppm of salt instead of 3000. Not to mention chock full of various impurities. Definitely do not recommend!

[@kevinkaple3615]

You forgot another bad thing..steel and salt don’t mix..if you have a steel above ground pool you cannot use salt….only all resin above grounds

[@kristinebrady3668]

Not all inground pool walls are steel. I guess I'm glad mine are polymer.

[@jefhamner2401]

My salt water pool has proven to be perfect. The Ph never goes above 7.5 7.6, ever. Chlorine runs 2 to 4 regularly. My alkalinity does run up to 120 to 130 ppm. I have no scaling issues. It's perfect.

[@hisnameisiam808]

How does you do it? I want to do salt in my inflatable hot tub!

[@davidsimmons9763]

That’s amazing!! Alkalinity should be between 120-130. What brand of CL2 generator do you have?

[@nigellake7515]

Same here. Get your Total Alkalinity correct and the pH is easier to manage. Low TA causes the pH to fluctuate. High TA causes the pH to constantly rise. Correct TA first, spot dose liquid acid to lower TA then adjust your pH accordingly. My pool and my customers pools have a TA of 80-120 and the pH sits near 7.2 all season. Hence the chlorine that is produced is a very effective sanitizer. Minimal cell maintenance, no scale issues. No sore eyes etc.

[@nigellake7515]

Another note. Chlorine Granules contain Cyanuric Acid (Chlorine Stabilser). Stops Chlorine loss to sunlight. With a Salt Chlorinated Pool you will need to add this manually at the start of each season. 50-80ppm Cyanuric Acid level is fine.

[@faamecanic1970]

@@nigellake7515 not to mention chlorine tabs ALSO increase your TDS as well. And if you rely solely on tabs as you sanitizer…you CYA levels could easily go over 60ppm in a season.

[@mrgoodman6620]

Sorry, but im really questioning this fellows experience with salt water pools???

[@davidgilhousen8191]

I've had a salt water pool for 20 years and love the feel on my skin, and the lack of burning in my eyes. However, I have had my problems - related to crappy, picky engineering and poor documentation. One system was sensitive to adding too much salt at one time which resulted in a blown capacitor. But would a repairman just replace that capacitor. No - the whole board! Another system's temperature calibration resulted in no chlorine generation when temp was 60 or less. Put in dummy plug in winter and added chlorine, yet cells would always fail when I put them back in the spring, perhaps because phosphates of 500-1000 ppm. Now on my third system. Someone needs to critically review generation systems and write a book about maintaining them.

[@jgmay4]

I briefly thought about a salt system for the pool but realized it involved electroysis of salt solution and that would forever condemn me to stockpile salt and muriatic acid in the area. I'll stick with the old school chlorine addition letting someone else make it. Then I don't have the constant formation of lye.

[@paulcrescenti5581]

You may need some muriatic acid to adjust the pH, but you only add salt at set up or if you splash out a bunch of water. No salt stockpiles are necessary.

[@libertylion9317]

@@paulcrescenti5581 Its also much cheaper.

[@executiveinvestments]

stockpile? What a gallon or 2 of acid and a bag or 2 of salt if needed? lol Always the haters that try and talk negative about a much better system, salt.

[@poolmonkey7479]

Yeah…salt pools suck to the point that I will deny service if one is in the yard. Easier money to be made…no-go.

[@sozluk]

Chlorine is but toxic in the adviced ranges. High alkalinity does not try to help to keep your ph down. He doesn't know what he's saying.

[@Sean-nr3ns]

Is there a way to reduce TDS? What is a “normal range” of TDS? Have read that you subtract salt PPM from TDS and the remaining number is your actual TDS. Been around 4500 ppm (14,000 gal.) since opening new salt water pool Salt level 3200 ppm leaving 1300 TDS?Thanks Steve always great info.

[@trevorwesterdahl6245]

Only way is to drain some of the water with all the TDS and add water that isn't hard water. I think there are a lot of people that don't realize their city is giving them water that is too hard for a pool. I added whole house water softener, filled with that, no issues.

[@FuturoAnacronico]

TDS stands for total disolved solids, if your salinity is high in your water, then your TDS will read high, you should read the TDS only in the water you use to top your pool. you dont want to increase the TDS by adding water high on TDS. You need to use destiled water, or reverse osmosis water, that has the lowest TDS, near to zero.

[@tvideo1189]

Every time it rains you are adding water with low TDS. A salt pool is the easiest pool system going.

[@KendellShaw-k1l]

any way to pervent rust using saltwater on intex pools i has a best way coleman n it rusted out i was told add a zinc annode to keep it from rusting is this ok or what will pervent it from eating it up

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

an anode will not prevent rust forming on metals unsuitable for a salt pool. Pools using salt need to be purpose built for this application and are more expensive than similar pools intended for traditional chlorine.

[@ChristinaKademan]

I’m not sure where this guy gets his information. It doesn’t match any of my testing with our saltwater pool. I wonder if his water is bad to start with.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

I get this information from a lifetime of working with these systems professionally. You have anecdotal evidence of one pool that might be different, which can definitely happen for a host of reasons. The info in this video are actual facts about how these systems are designed to work.

[@ChristinaKademan]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve you are a blogger. Not a pool specialist. I am sure you are very familiar with pools and the equipment, much more than myself. You gave mis-information in your video about salt-water pools and listed numbers for the surface water of the ocean. You should have researched your numbers for people like me who are looking for good information online to learn more about our single pool and to make maintenance efficient.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

I am a 30+ year, second generation pool builder and technical specialist. Again, all of the information in this video is accurate as far as it relates to pools.

[@biglon74]

The information on water chemistry is good but calling salt BAD is bias. A non-chlorine generation system requires a high cost of chemicals JMO

[@deessto]

How does salt water react against treated wood decks in a lot of sunlight ?

[@hezzykiyah8208]

Great video very clear Yah bless

[@alexgunawan98]

Is it also apply to Seawater Aquaculture pond ?

[@danfenton1939]

Has anyone ever mentioned the absorption (swallowing etc) of salted water is very bad for people with high or borderline blood pressure ?

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

I have never heard of this being a problem. I did however hear about former MMA fighter Rashad Evans jumping into a pool during his weight cut (largely water weight) and in doing so gained 1.5lbs of water weight absorbed transdermally. I would have thought this to not be an issue, but if you can absorb so much water through the skin directly, perhaps it could be an issue. I am not a doctor so I can not say, but I would agree that this at least sounds plausible.

[@JuanSanchez-tk4vr]

You forgot to mention the stains caused by minerals in the salt

[@nunziotarricone4751]

Can D.E. pool filters be used with a salt water pool?

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Yes. DE needs a skimmer but salt water is not specifically a problem.

[@kevindresdow9670]

Spend the extra 2k for the salt chlorinator. You will be happy with your choice. easy maintenance and much less costs on chemicals. This guy doesn't know what he is talking about.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

I made two videos. One is good facts about salt water. One was bad facts about salt water. At no time did I say to avoid buying salt water. I am trying to educate pool owners, and to that extent each and every point I made here is both relevant and true. Thanks for commenting. I appreciate the effort.

[@danlah1303]

Never ceases to amaze me how many people don’t realize a saltwater pool is still using chlorine to sanitize.

[@GameChanger597]

And how could people magically know that, when they don't know anything about saltwater pools except for the name? It would be counterintuitive to assume that a pool named as a "saltwater pool" still takes chlorine until you learn more about salt water pools. So you shouldn't be amazed..

[@GRJCLyon]

Because everyone like you was born a pool expert?

[@gk-kg4ht]

It is a very different chemical formula though NaCl vs NaClo.

[@threerisingsuns]

Thanks for the clarification. I am looking to build an "ocean water" pool, meaning filling a pool with pure ocean water (no chlorine). Do you know if this is possible and maintainable? Thank you.

[@wurstofall]

You're creating a salt water fish tank more or less. I used to have one back in the day. I recall buying bags of "instant ocean" salt at the pet store. There is a gauge you can buy to check the salinity level. If you're swimming in it instead of fish it will super salty just like the ocean. I've never heard of anyone doing this, let us know what problems you have. I suspect scaling will be an issue.

[@kennethm.380]

Yes. This is possible on the planet Oceania. They do it all the time. Travel costs there are somewhat prohibitive however.

[@trevorwesterdahl6245]

Why? The ocean has far more salt. Would think that is a bad idea.

[@threerisingsuns]

@@trevorwesterdahl6245 It is for health reasons. There is a reason why people travel the world to swim in the dead sea. It's salt concentration is 3x more than the ocean. Modern processed food is devoid of trace minerals. The nutrients and minerals in the ocean are absorbed through the skin and help the body. People with skin conditions like eczema often find relief by just swimming in the ocean regularly. There is so much that can be said about the benefits of swimming in the ocean, one can probably write a book. But we are taught today to be afraid of salt.

[@Keep-on-ok]

@@threerisingsuns Also sharks.

[@iLLuMNaTi]

Nice summary. Exactly the reasons I do not have a salt water and never will.

[@radiculus27]

I have chlorine and no issues. Last 10 years zero issue. Chlorine never burn my eyes.

[@RobinGKT]

So do you suggest just having a chlorine pool? I’ve had a saltwater pool for 11 years. I’ve had regular pool maintenance and have also had seasons where I’ve done it myself. My chemicals regardless of who is doing it are always off. I have always had scale and calcium buildup as well. At one point I turned off the salt cell and just balanced as anyone would a chlorine pool. Any suggestions? Thanks, Robin

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

If you just stop using the salt cell you still have 3000ppm of salt in the water which means your TDS is high, likely pushing your pool into a scaling state on the saturation index. Salt chlorine is fine but it is not a miracle cure. Traditional chlorine is probably easier than salt just for the fact that pH balancing is less.of a constant battle. A germicidal UV light plus chlorine is a great way to.care for water that will be pretty straight forward and use minimal chemicals. No short cuts as you still test, measure and correct all the same chemicals. Just less often. Here is an article for.further reading www.swimmingpoolsteve.com/pages/best-water.html

[@RobinGKT]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve thank you so much for the quick response. I’ve just had a couple of very expensive leak repairs and I thought since I’ve gone to that expense, it’s time to get the pool in tip top shape before our season starts. I’ll definitely read your article Thank you so much. Robin

[@executiveinvestments]

steve just knows nothing about salt water pools. Sorry steve salt is not your forte.

[@jasonstark7339]

@@executiveinvestments There is nothing he said that was incorrect. Just because some people do not have the issues he's discussing does not mean those issues do not exists. What chemical system you ultimately choose to use on your families pool is up to you and a personal preference. There are no wrong answers, just correct and informative information. Nothing Steve stated was incorrect information. Some people love salt and never have issues, other experience the exact issues he is describing.

[@executiveinvestments]

@@jasonstark7339 stop trolling a year old comment. Like I said Steve knows nothing about salt pools. Nothing he said is common. Cope and cry to mommy.

[@FuturoAnacronico]

can you lower your PH in a salt water pool using C02? maybe using a c02 concentrator from the air? so you could lower the ph. A higher pH is closer to the ocean conditions, and it will be an optimal place for microbes.

[@executiveinvestments]

muriatic acid

[@qbanz00]

Stop saying people without salt cells are looking for “chlorine” they’re looking for “chlorine tabs” salt cells are chlorine as well

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

I'm sorry I have read your comment over a few times now and still am not sure what you are trying to say to me.

[@uf1978]

Saltwater in ground pool for 5 years now and the ONLY two chemicals that have been in my pool are salt and baking soda when open and chlorine tablets in the winter! It stays open year round and I brush it every two weeks, never had a problem. It's not hard but takes a little elbow grease folks!

[@njgrplr2007]

And I thought PH decreaser is used to keep the PH where it needs to be.

[@ironllama]

tell me the price difference between salt and chlorine tablets

[@lardogcat]

For my 26K gallon pool, I was using about 50# per year of tablets ($200). To get my salt system started I spent $115 in salt which my understanding doesn't need to be added to often. I'm also able to heat my pool up with a solar cover to really warm levels. Chlorine tablets were giving me algae problems when leaving the solar cover on (likely due to high cyanuric acid levels). After draining and starting up the salt system, the pool is warm and crystal clear and the water feels so much better on the skin.

[@tonyden3957]

Hey can you have salt water if you have steel walled pool ? Ive been wanting to switch but I have been advised not to do that because the salt can erode the steel . I’ve also heard that the liner will be enough of a barrier to protect the steel walls .

[@kristinebrady3668]

@@EdwardBaldwin My system shows me the salt level, and I keep it on the lower side usually.

[@ataylortca]

Another use for Borax? Nice!

[@atabuoy050]

....good clarification on the absolute fact that your “salt water” pool is still using chlorine. And instead of buying processed chlorine which is made via electrolysis of salt (brine) with DC power, you are doing the processing via your convertor and now forced to deal with the issues associated with that process.

[@kennethm.380]

Anyone who didn't already know that Salt creates chlorine really needs to go back to basic chemistry.

[@stephenajones4438]

Another fact, anything that can corroded will corrode if it is anywhere in the vicinity of your pool. Expect anything close by to rust.

[@xpert1111]

will rust without converting to salt. Chlorine has salt and regular water rusts components. Salt water pool are just a bit more salt PPM than a no salt water pool

[@KevW-z7z]

Salt is the ONLY way to go. Ph is much easier to deal with than all the issues with a non salt water pool

[@Mike-01234]

Now that 25 lb bucket of Chlorine cost $186 salt water generator looking real good come this summer ill go though 50 lbs of Chlorine I'm in Phoenix so no heater needed.

[@lrc87290]

I tell people in our condo community when they ask me to convert the pool to salt water that we are required by the state to have a sanitizer in the pool. Salt is not a sanitizer.

[@executiveinvestments]

do you know what you are talking about? Did you listen to the video? You do know the salt is converted to chlorine right? Which IS A SANITIZER. People in your community must think you are an idiot. They are right.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

I would posit that chlorine tabs drive up the pH far more than chlorine generated from a SWC.

[@trevorwesterdahl6245]

And CYA too. Use tabs too long and even though the chlorine is at right level, algae grows anyway. Tabs suck. Use regular bleach, if you don't have salt cell.

[@xpert1111]

and CYA with each tablet

[@nigellake7515]

Rubbish. Chlorine Tablets are acidic. Approx pH of 2.9. Hence they must not be placed in the skimmer basket but in a dedicated chemical feeder after all the metal components in you filtration and heating system. Liquid Chlorine is high in pH.

[@corybreen25]

Can I drain my bromine hot tub into my salt water pool?

[@jonathanbiller2029]

Clorine is 160 dollars for a 5 pound bag there is a shorage so looks like salt it is

[@williamlowe7718]

Chronically high? I add some baking soda in my salt water pool and BAM, PH in range.

[@DashPar]

Meanwhile, I love my salt system here in Florida!!

[@tvideo1189]

Wow. And this is a guy calling himself a "pool expert". Ridiculous. We have had, in Florida, a salt pool for over a decade. No issues at all. Our family in Australia (and almost all Australian pool owners) have a salt pool and it is trouble free too. And he calls "chlorine" out as his "Number 1 Bad Fact"? As I said, ridiculous. ALL pools need to have their water quality checked. And when done properly it is dead easy to keep them in range. A salt pool is way easier on the eyes and skin, MUCH easier and CHEAPER to maintain, and the "bad facts" he is blabbering about don't exist.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

It's too bad that you saw this factual video as some sort of attack on you and your salt pool. This is a video to help people make an informed decision. Did you know STILL most people think salt pools are a chlorine alternative? That is why I explain that it still makes chlorine. If a salesman told you it was chlorine free that would be bad, right? The rest of it is science, and your anecdotal single pool ownership experience is not an indication of how salt pools work. I also make a sister video to this that is 4 GOOD facts about salt water. Your comment is way over the top, aggressive, accusatory, and most of all inaccurate. So yeah, thanks for dropping off your opinion.

[@poolmonkey7479]

But…he had a pool for over a decade 🤣

[@francoisgagne2651]

The Ph story is so not true....I've been working with my salt water pool and the ph is ALWAYS in the correct zone....

[@Elrond_Hubbard1]

Hope you don't mind, but I have a question. The wife and I purchased a large plastic horse trough roughly 350 gallons. We're going to use it cool off and soak in and hot days. Would adding salt be beneficial instead of chlorine? Wouldn't be adding any kind of filter or anything.

[@poolspattaya2419]

The alternative to chlorine or salt is Bio, it’s amazing 🎉😂😢

[@christos6128]

How do I reduce scaling in my salt water pool?

[@trevorwesterdahl6245]

Don't fill pool with hard water. Balance the water, use sacrificial anode to stop corrosion. Everyone I know with scaling problem is filling their pool with their house water and their city water is VERY high in calcium. I bought a whole house water softener and my hose water is softened. No issues ever since. I also soften my water with potassium and not salt. Costs more but lasts a lot longer. So, its close to the same overall cost. Also healthier to drink.

[@Seas_Of_Neptune]

Scaling is determined by the LSI of the pool water and is usually the result of poor chemical maintenance. You can find several great articles around. Essentially; you want to balance your LSI to allow you to maintain a 7.8-8.0 pH, since the aeration inside the salt cell will always tend to raise pH. This usually involves lowering TA. Adding borates can help as well; they have a heavy negative effect on LSI, and can help prevent pH rise too. TA is more of an acid buffer--meaning it does a great job keeping pH from falling, but doesn't help with it rising.

[@paulsteele8079]

Just from evaporation I probably add 200-300 gal of water/week to my 55k gal pool. This lowers the TDS %.

[@kazakman7772]

Even if I have around 8 PH that's fine It's same as Mexican gulf

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Hi high TDS from salt plus high pH you are 5 in a scaling state for your saturation index. A pool is not the same as the ocean. Research lanaglier saturation index.

[@Lillyofthevalley222]

My friends all have salt water pools and I always found my skin to be so dry after swimming in their pools. I just bought a house that has a pool, it’s a chlorine pool and the water feels so much nicer than my friend’s pools that are saltwater. I have no chlorine smell and the water doesn’t dry my hair or my skin. When I first bought this house with the pool I thought for sure that I would be switching it over to a saltwater (because that seemed to be the popular move these days). I won’t do it. No way! I have an automatic chlorinator, my ph, alkalinity, hardness, everything is perfect and it’s not hard to maintain at all. Two neighbours across the street have saltwater and one had to get a new heater this year and the other one had to have their heater repaired, both because of corrosion, their heaters are 7 and 8 years old. The heater for my pool is almost 15 years old! I don’t see any benefit to this. There is no way that dropping a hundred pounds of salt is easier than a couple of chlorine pucks in my automatic chlorinator! And the water feels so much better without all of the salt in it. There are also some city’s now that won’t let you drain your salt water pool into the sewer system so you have to pay a company to remove that water in the fall when you drain the pool for the winter. I think the idea behind salt water pools came from salt manufacturers! People use less salt in their food and most people don’t even use salt on their sidewalks for deicing anymore. They needed people to buy lots of salt and convinced all of you that it was better and less work than a chlorine puck! 😂

[@howardsutton826]

I will never have another pool with chlorine tablets, salt water pools are the way to go Cheaper an easier an love the filling in water. I have no issues of ph either your wrong buddy

[@jeffreyrigby2387]

I dont understand the saltwater pool concept. I dont see any upside. My neighbor had a nightmare with his system after changing to saltwater. He said it was healthier and I just laughed because he always had that Cali mentality that was always costing him more with no provable benefits. After about 5 years he finally started thinking normal again and got rid of that west coast insanity and is happier and healthier than he's ever been.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

It just automates how you add chlorine to the pool, nothing more. It does change the way the chemistry needs to be maintained in the pool and many pool owners barely understand their wate chemistry already. Definitely not a magic bullet. Nothing wrong with getting chlorine from salt, but there are other options which are arguably easier and better.

[@jeffreyrigby2387]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve Thank you for your time buddy. I'm getting ready to upgrade my pool to an in-wall skimmer and returns in 1 1/2" piping. Watching videos like yours helps in understanding concepts and avoiding mistakes. Thank you sir.

[@xpert1111]

Upside is not paying for hard to find overpriced chlorine tablets which raises CYA with each tablet. The higher the CYA the less effective your chlorine is. People just use the test strips and see their FC levels are in range, while high CYA makes that FC range ineffective. If your CYA is high, you are swimming in non sanitized pools (increased algae andmore chemicals needed to balance). In addition the only way to lower CYA is the partially drain and refill pool, maybe even twice!

[@jeffreyrigby2387]

@@xpert1111 My neighbor told me he doesnt use tablets but instead uses a more stable liquid chlorine. Even though he has to test his pool more often it is still significantly cheaper (even with tablets) than salt water pools. I dont know anything other than what he says. Some people are sold on salt-water pools but I say...to each their own and more power to them.

[@xpert1111]

@@jeffreyrigby2387 the chlorine you're talking about is liquid. Which means he most likely has to put gallons each day. Not to mention it's a pain in the butt to store, carry, etc. A gallon of liquid chlorine has doubled in price since last season and most likely will go higher

[@nibrasy]

Hello Steve You info is a common knowledge. Why don't you help people by going further and do analysis of owning a Salt water pool Vs Chlorinated pool. Please also include Health benefits/Damage to health of both. If you did this then you are earning true clicks. I will check back to see if you actually will help in couple of weeks.

[@JS-jh4cy]

Advantage is you can pee in it

[@brushenas]

This guy is just too pessimistic. I and other family members have salt pool systems installed years ago and never had these issues.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

I made 2 videos. One on good facts about salt pools. This one about bad facts about salt pools. I am just trying to help people make an informed decision. I have been selling, installing and servicing.salt chlorinators in pools for 30 years.

[@SimberLayek]

It's crazy how many know-it-alls give their "professional opinion" in the comments section ... I've been a professional pool cleaner for over a decade and this guy knows exactly what's up