Well, like everything, there are pros and cons to every decision. We can promise you that the pros outweigh the cons (in our opinion) when it comes to converting your pool over to a salt water system. We have converted so many happy customers over to a salt water system that we even converted our own pool over. We love it! The number one benefit is definitely never having to buy expensive buckets of chlorine tabs and powdered shock again!
First of all, the system we recommend (pictured) is the Circupool system sold right here in Waller, TX. (see www.circupool.com) It has a seven year warranty for the same price as all of the other systems we know of (the average warranty being between 3-5 years for the competitors). The conversion can be made to most pools for less than $1500
Why would I even bother or spend the money?? How do salt water systems work?? Glad you asked! Here are the answers!!
- SAVES MONEY!!! You will NEVER have to buy expensive buckets of chlorine tabs and powdered shock ever again.
- SAVES TIME!!! You will not have to constantly worry about shocking your pool or refilling your chlorinator with tabs
- ALLOWS YOU TO TRAVEL!! For people who leave early and come home late for work, this is a great option. If you travel out of town it is even a better option! You can leave knowing your pool is still getting chlorine even if you are gone for a week or two!
- FEELS GREAT ON THE EYES AND SKIN!! (most people report enjoying swimming in a more pleasant environment)
If you remember back to chemistry class in high school, salt is described as NaCl. The CL is chlorine. Salt water systems take the CL out of NaCL and sanitize your pool with anywhere from 1-2.5 pounds of chlorine every day. This process is done through electrolysis. But what that really means to you is it is like magic! Once the chlorine is used it recombines to make salt. So you use the same salt and chlorine over and over again (like magic)! All you need to do is keep an eye on the control unit for it to tell you that you need an $8.00 bag or two of salt (40lbs) (once every month or two). It is very simple, a light comes on that says “add salt”. With the circupool stystem it is almost impossible to put in too much salt, so generally one or two bags is all you need.
We have several customers who struggled with persistent algae problems because they could not keep a consistent level of chlorine in the pool. Once they converted over to a salt water system their troubles were over! (Really, we could give your their contact information if you are skeptical). The reason their troubles were over is simple. Salt water systems put a small but consistent amount of chlorine in the pool every day rather than shocking your pool with heavy amounts once a week. The result is a lower overall level of chlorine (about 1/3 the level of shocking the pool) that keeps the level just right. What you want is just the right amount to kill algae and keep the water clear, without it being excessive and burning your eyes.
Cons: The only one we know of is the need to make sure your slate/natural stone is sealed as they do have a tendency to erode natural stone at a faster rate than a standard chlorine pool. However, you should be sealing your stone anyway because the stone will degrade quickly regardless of whether you have a salt water pool or not! If you constantly notice what appears to be sand in your pool, you already have an stone/rock erosion problem that can be eliminated with a product called “Deck O Seal” . (see our post regarding sealing your rocks)
We can convert your pool from a regular chlorine system to a “turn key” salt water system for about $1500. If you want more info..click on the “contact us” page of our website @ www.thepoolscrubbers.com