What is a saltwater pool?
A saltwater pool is an alternative to a chlorine pool. Don’t think a saltwater pool doesn’t contain any chlorine because you don’t put any. It has a lesser amount as compared to your chlorine pools.
If you think a saltwater pool will have tons and tons of salt, you’re mistaken. Saltwater pools contain ten times less salt as compared to the ocean.
Saltwater pools are usually installed because they don’t irritate eyes, hair, skin, and lungs as much as a traditional chlorine pool. Chlorine pools are quite common at homes, whereas saltwater pools are common at hotels, cruise ships, and resorts.
Chemistry Of Saltwater Pool
Electrolysis is the science behind how saltwater pools create their own chlorine. If you are a pool owner and are tired of buying tons of chlorine just to keep the water disinfected, saltwater pools are your best option to choose from. Apart from the fact that you’d have to spend less on chlorine, saltwater pools don’t emit the chlorine-sh smell. Other noticeable benefits a saltwater pool has over chlorine pools is that they are easy to maintain and need lesser care as compared to their chlorine counterpart.
By saying they are easy to maintain, we don’t mean they need zero maintenance. So here are some tips and tricks that will help you to keep your saltwater pool clean for a longer period of time.
Compared to a traditional swimming pool, a saltwater pool is easy to maintain and doesn’t need a twice-a-month kind of cleaning. Annual cleaning for a saltwater pool is more than enough.
Salwater Pool Maintenance
Daily Saltwater Pool Maintenance:
Skimming your pool regularly shouldn’t even be considered a task. And it’s not unique to saltwater pools. No matter what kind of pool you have, skimming becomes extremely important. Any visible debris must be cleared at once. This daily ritual will save you from cleaning your saltwater pool thoroughly and also ensures fewer algae deposition. This step also makes sure that your weekly and annual cleaning steps become an easy breeze.
Weekly Saltwater Pool Maintenance
This weekly task will require a strip kit. Testing the pH of your pool on a weekly basis is a must. High amounts of free chlorine can lead to lung irritation, skin, and eye damage and exacerbate asthma. On the other hand, low chlorine levels lead to bacteria and algae buildup. The normal free chlorine level is 1 to 3 ppm, while the pH should be between 7.2 to 7.6. If you want to raise the chlorine level of your pool. Use baking soda. If you want to lower it, use muriatic acid to lower it.
Monthly Saltwater Pool Maintenance
Monthly cleaning includes a deeper cleanse. Factors like salinity, alkalinity, stabilization, and calcium need to be checked regularly. The salinity levels of your pool must remain between 2700 and 4500 ppm. However, make sure to contact your pool builder, as they know which model can afford to have larger levels of chlorine. To check the salt levels, a salt meter can be used. Some swimming pool generators come with a salt meter. If yours doesn’t, you gotta buy a saltwater pool. The ideal alkalinity levels are between 80 to 120 ppm. The same set of acids, as told earlier, can be used to lower or raise it.
To stabilize your pool, the use of CYA or Cyanuric acid is a must. The levels must remain between 70 to 80 ppm.
Calcium hardness is another factor that must be kept in mind. Your aim should be 200 to 400 ppm of calcium to keep scaling at bay and avoid corrosion.
Other important factors
Every three months, make sure to see whether or not the salt water cell has any buildup, like debris and scale. Use a high-pressure hose to flush it away. Debris buildup in the saltwater cell can be harmful for the pool. If your high-pressure flush doesn’t help with the buildup, use a mild acid wash to scrape the scales away. If it snows in your area, winterize your pool and other equipment.
