This kind of system can be used in an in-ground or above-ground pool the same. A salt water pool is an excellent choice for someone that gets irritated by chlorine easily and with proper monitoring can provide years of trouble-free service.
A resin pool, however, should be fine. Vinyl pool liners are also good at resisting damage from salt. If you do use a saltwater system with an above ground pool, you should check and, if necessary, replace metal components regularly.
Here's how it works: You add pool-grade salt to your pool and wait until it dissolves. Power is applied to the saltwater chlorinator to convert the dissolved salt into chlorine. Fresh, pure chlorine-treated water is returned to the pool for complete sanitization and swimming comfort. It's as simple as that!
The Basics: How Long Does the Average Above Ground Pool Last? In general, the average above ground pool will last between 7 and 15 years.
Simply put, steel and aluminum above ground pools are not compatible with saltwater systems. Even when such pools have protective coatings, they remain far too vulnerable to corrosion and oxidation. The only type of above ground pools compatible with saltwater sanitation systems are those made from resin.
There is no such thing as a “salt water pump” or “salt water filter”; any pool pump or filter will do just fine. That said, it is a good idea to avoid heaters that have copper heat exchangers.
Although saltwater pools require a different generator than chlorine pools, chlorine is actually much more expensive than salt is. This is especially true with the chlorine shortage happening right now.
The average cost to install an inground saltwater pool is $29,000 to $57,000. To convert from a chlorine pool to a salt water swimming pool, expect to spend $600 to $1,100 for an above-ground pool, and between $1,100 and $2,200 for an inground pool.
Will My Saltwater Pool Freeze? Yes, they will! Saltwater pools only have a fraction of the salinity of ocean water, so they will freeze in Ottawa's cold winter temperatures. This is why it's important to drain the water to below the skimmer and blow out any lines when closing the pool for the winter.
There is still chlorine in the water, but it is “bound up” with itself, unable to sanitize, creating the typical public pool smell. So, saltwater pools, with their continuous source of free chlorine, typically don't have a public pool smell to them.
The longest-lasting material for above-ground pools is resin. This material provides excellent durability and weather resistance for years. Plus, resin holds less heat than its steel or aluminum counterparts, so the material is ideal for use in hot and sunny climates without warping.
If you own a salt water pool, you probably know how big of a problem algae growth can be. Once these organisms contaminate the pool, they can grow and spread quickly. Both chlorinated and salt water pools need proper water chemistry levels in order to prevent algae growth.
The water stays sanitary and the balance is less finnicky. You'll undoubtedly incur some startup costs from converting to a salt water pool, but after that, the money you save an chemical and maintenance means that the conversion will eventually pay for itself.
Because the salt cells in a saltwater system only produce chlorine as needed, the pools require less maintenance when compared to traditionally chlorinated swimming pools.
Shocking a saltwater pool is possible, although it might seem counterintuitive. Saltwater pools are theoretically self-cleaning, which means that shocks are not typically needed to sanitize the water. That said, most people still choose to shock their saltwater pools periodically to keep the water even cleaner.
Saltwater pools do not generally taste salty. To compare, the salt in seawater is concentrated to about 35,000 parts PPM (parts per million). Saltwater pools' salinity is about 3,000 PPM. So, the salt—and the taste of salt—in saltwater pools is about 10 times less than that of seawater.
You should service your saltwater pool every six months. If you use your pool frequently or you live in a warm climate, you may need to service your pool more often. Salt cells need regular inspection and cleaning (at least every three months) and you'll need to replace them every three to seven years.
With a properly sized filter and salt chlorinator, run times of 7 – 8 hours will generally be necessary. The defining factor governing filtration times in a salt pool is usually determined by the size of the filter/ioniser and the need to make sufficient chlorine.
To maintain your pool's water chemistry, you'll need pool salt. You'll also need a chlorine stabilizer, pH decreaser or muriatic acid, and a calcium hardness increaser in check. You will also need some non-chlorine shock and dichlor shock or liquid shock on hand for shocking your pool manually.
If you're converting to a salt water system for the first time, you'll need about six or seven 40-pound bags of pool salt (for a 10,000-gallon pool).
Converting from a chlorine to a saltwater pool simply means installing a Saltwater Chlorine Generator, a device that creates a steady supply of pure chlorine in the pool by using a very low-level of ordinary salt in the water to create a strong, safe sanitizer that keeps the pool clean and beautiful.
It's virtually the exact same thing, and ranges from around $5-$7 for a 40 lb bag- which is the typical size you'll find at most stores! Using our previous example, we would need to buy about 15 bags of salt for the 20,000 gallon pool.
If your pool is green and cloudy, it's likely an algae problem. Algae can persist in a pool even after shocking. A green pool – especially one that turned green overnight or after rain, can also be from a pool pump that isn't properly circulating water or an issue with your filtering system.