If temperatures are expected to drop below freezing, saltwater pool owners should consider adding salt and a salt chlorinator winterizing kit. Owners should always cover their saltwater pool when temperatures dip below freezing to retain as much warmth as possible — especially if their pool is heated.
It's much easier to winterize and put your pool enjoyment on hold during the off-season. If you've recently made the switch to a saltwater pool, you're also going to have to winterize and shut it down for the season.
Answer: It depends on a few factors. 1) are you closing your pool every year and therefore draining and refilling with fresh water at least a bit. 2) water chemistry - the more you have to add, the more your total dissolved solids will increase leading to the need to drain and refill.
Do saltwater pools freeze? Yes, although their freezing point is just a bit lower than regular chlorinated water. Salt water pools freeze usually freeze closer to 28 degrees as opposed to 32, but nonetheless, they still freeze. So, treat it just like any other pool.
Winterizing a Saltwater Pool
Owners should always cover their saltwater pool when temperatures dip below freezing to retain as much warmth as possible — especially if their pool is heated. This can help prevent expensive damage and needed repairs.
There's a danger of freeze damage to your pools if and when temperatures fall below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
The salt cells used in most residential saltwater pools are good for 10,000 hours of operation, or approximately three to five years. The life of a generator depends on multiple factors, including the frequency of pool maintenance, salt level, water chemistry, and other factors.
Saltwater Pools Have Less Maintenance
While some of the basic cleaning duties are the same, such as skimming debris off the top of the water, applying a vacuum to the bottom, and cleaning the sides at the water line, the maintenance of the water is rather simple, simply add the required salt at the prescribed times.
You'll spend about $100 per year on pool salt and chemicals for a salt water pool, $80 to $100 for monthly cleaning, plus $800 every three to seven years for a new salt cell. You may spend more on repairs too, as the salt can damage pool equipment.
You want salt levels at the low end of the normal range because salt could react with contaminants over the winter months, staining your pool. Use the same winterizing chemical steps as you would use on any inground pool, including shocking the pool and adding algaecide and stain and scale preventers.
Depending on the size of your pool, we still recommend you run your pump run at least 4-6 hours a day during the fall and winter months. The daily cycle can be divided into multiple cycles, but each cycle should be no shorter than 4 hours, for all the water to pass through the filter at least once.
The harsh weather conditions throughout the winter season can create potential damage to more than just the pipes. If you don't winterize your pool, the water could turn green with algae—or worse, bacteria called pink algae can grow.
You will want to use NaCl, sodium chloride, of at least 99% purity. To add salt, turn on your filter pump and add the salt directly to your pool water. Use a brush to help the salt dissolve and to prevent the salt from piling up on the bottom of your pool.
Salt stays in the water, so you only need annual boosters to replace salt lost to backwashing or splash-out. You can use the equation above to figure out exactly how much salt to add to keep the pool salinity at an ideal level.
So when it comes to day-to-day maintenance, saltwater systems are both easier and cheaper to maintain.
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.
How often do you shock a saltwater pool? A lot of pool maintenance folks recommend shocking a saltwater pool once a week, especially during the busiest parts of swim season.
Every pool must turn over at least once a day, so most pool pumps should run approximately 8 hours a day. But here's the thing: you don't have to run your pool pump consecutively. You can choose to run it for three hours in the morning before you leave for work and another 5 hours in the evening.
The ideal salt level for a pool is around 3,200 PPM. If you're starting with no salt (0 PPM) and you have a 10,000-gallon pool, you'll need to add 267 pounds of salt. That's six to seven 40-pound pool-grade bags of salt.
If your pool water is green and murky or slimy, do not swim in it. If you've been working to clean your green pool but it's still green tinted, test your pool water for bacteria, chlorine, and pH levels.
Water temperatures are slow to heat up, and just as slow to cool down. Water is very "stubborn" to change temperature. It takes 4 times the energy to heat up water than to heat air. Water also "feels" colder because water is a more efficent medium than air to cool our body down.
Snow and ice can cause severe damage to pool pumps if they are not protected. Like your garden hose, pool pump lines can freeze. Some internal components of the pool pump are also sensitive to the cold. Snow or freezing rain could coat an unprotected pool pump and cause serious damage.
Our rule of thumb is to wait until the temperature is consistently around 65 degrees. This is the best time to winterize and close your pool. In our climate, the best practice is to cover your pool and winterize the piping and equipment before freezing temperatures occur.