Apart from the regular chlorine water pool, saltwater is another popular option as your home pool. In many areas, especially in hot sunny conditions, a saltwater pool is a significant relief. It’s also a better choice as it helps heal your skin and hair. That’s one of many reasons many pool owners prefer saltwater pools to traditional chlorine water pools. Saltwater pools also require less upkeep as well. But you first have to know how to maintain it properly; otherwise, it’ll end up as waste. Here’s a guide for you that you can easily follow.
Marinating traditional pool vs. saltwater pool
- If I ask you what you use for sterilizing your swimming pool, no doubt the most common answer would be chlorine. It’s due to its oxidation level, tidiness, purity, and lower price.
- In the case of regular chlorine pools, the chemical agent chlorine is a mandatory reagent that has to be added more-or-less to maintain a constant chlorine level. You’ll also need to use chlorine in your saltwater pool.
- The only difference is in the case of dumping chlorine just like the traditional ones, and you would need to use a salt-chlorine generator. It’s a unique chemical system.
- Saltwater requires minimal maintenance, and without any more prominent modification, it can go for an extended period. In contrast, a traditional pool requires frequent chemical maintenance and regular adjustments.
- Despite all these positive notes, there are some negative effects as well. Salt is a modestly corrosive particle.
- In normal concentration, it’s not risky for your health or other pool equipment. But in case it goes beyond 6000 ppm, it’s horrible!
- It will start damaging all pool parts, from the pool liner to the railing. So, it’s a must to maintain the optimal salt level in the pool.
How to Maintain Your Saltwater Pool?
Maintaining your saltwater pool
Many people hire professionals for the maintenance of saltwater pool. It’s a much easier task to do. You can save some bucks and go for it if you know the steps properly and know some basic tips. So, let’s learn them.
Pool-hack 1: Check the pump and filter
Maintaining salt water pool is literally a snap if all the pool parts function perfectly well. Pool parts like a pump, skimmer, filter, etc., need to be in good working condition. All these parts work together to keep your swimming pool water fresh. Inspect them on a regular basis and don’t let them get clogged by debris and dust. Cleaning them every week will help you avoid future buildup and hassle. Try to clean your pool’s generator cells every now and then to avoid them becoming scaly by the pool’s salt buildup. You can easily clean them up by spraying high-pressurized water spray. You may also use a plastic tool to scrape them off.
Pool-hack 2: Maintain perfect pool circulation
If the water circulation of any saltwater pool isn’t a uniform one, then there might be a chance that its concentration goes up in some specific places only. It’s also tough to set salt chlorine generators in irregularly maintained pools. If your pool filter can circulate all of your pool water at a good pace, you’re all good to maintain proper pool circulation of your saltwater pool. A salt concentration detector is a handy tool to check the pool concentration. If different numbers come up at different spots, you might need to change your jets’ angle.
Pool-hack 3: Clean the pool regularly
Cleaning a saltwater pool is somehow different than cleaning a regular one. Saltwater pool cleaning tools & devices are also different. Pay proper attention so that too much water doesn’t get splashed outside the pool. If it does, it might lead to a higher salt concentration of the external side of your pool liner and cause damage to it over time. Use a water hose to spray down the area and push the salty water back to the pool. If you see salt crystals start to grow at any part, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to remove them immediately.
Pool-hack 4: Maintain perfect pool chemistry
- Salt level: At least 3000 ppm require for the proper functionality of the salt chlorine generator. The exact level is any range close to 3400 ppm. If it’s lower than the expected level, you should add some additional pool salt.
- Chlorine level: It should be between 1 to 3 ppm. In warmer conditions, the required level would increase. If pool water gets diluted, you can add cyanuric acid to level it up.
- Managing stabilizer: Stabilizer helps your saltwater pool chlorine not to get evaporated. Managing pool stabilizer perfectly ensures the stable chlorine level of your pool.
- Maintaining pH level: The ideal pH level for any saltwater pool is 7.4 or any range closer to this. You need to maintain it properly as saltwater tends to increase continuously.
- Shock the pool, if needed: If you think your pool requires an immediate shock, arrange it by using granular chlorine. In case the normal chlorine level drops too low, you can use this to burn up any organic molecules. You’d need to wait for around 8 hours after shocking your pool, no swimming or bathing at that time. It’s also a great solution for algae control.
Final Thoughts
Opting for a saltwater pool rather than a conventional chlorine one is never easy. But you can surely go for it considering your comfort, convenience, and most importantly, to cut your cost. Maintaining your saltwater pool is actually nothing. All you need is to make sure that all chemicals are well-balanced and your generator is clean. That’s it.