Your salt levels will vary depending on the type of chlorinator you have. If you're using the Water TechniX Salt water chlorinator then you should try to aim for a salt level of around 3,000 to 4,000 ppm.
Chlorine Feeders:
For each 5000 gallons of pool water, add one 3″ chlorine tablet, more or less. Choose a mid-point setting on the 1-10 dial. The higher the setting, the greater the dissolution rate. A setting of 5 may be too high, and it depends on the number of tablets in the feeder.
Salt Systems work best with approximately 3200 parts per million (ppm) of salt, which is roughly the equivalent to a teaspoon of salt per gallon. However, all Hayward Salt Systems are designed to operate with salt levels anywhere from 2700 ppm to 3400 ppm.
First take a salt reading. On a Hayward Salt Chlorinator, your salt reading should be between 2,700 – 3,400 PPM (parts per million) with the optimum level of 3,200 PPM.
2700-3400 ppm is the idea recommended levels. However, the reading can go up to 4000 ppm before the Hi Salt light appears. The unit will still produce chlorine until the reading goes above 4000 ppm and the GENERATING light usually will go off.
Overall, you need to run your saltwater generator and pool pump for at least 8 hours daily. Not running either of these long enough means not enough chlorine to sanitize the water.
For safe swimming conditions, the ideal salt level is going to be between 2500 ppm and 4000 ppm. An overly salted pool will generally not be a major problem (aside from salty-tasting water), but at levels over 6000 ppm there may be corrosion damage to some of the metallic equipment.
3400 is the recomended high limit, but the readings on the panel are notoriously inaccurate. Generally it's better to have the level on the high side than low, so 3800 should be fine.
Over-salting will not harm your chlorine generator, but it will lead to salty tasting water. If levels exceed 6500 ppm the chlorinator is programmed to protect itself by alerting the user that there are high salinity levels in the pool. To reduce the salt level, drain some water and refill the pool with fresh water.
The pump and filter system should be allowed to run for at least 24 hours after the superchlorination process has been initiated.
Chlorine pucks also allow you to manually control how much chlorine is in your pool's water. It is usually 1 chlorine puck for every 5,000 gallons of water.
Open the top lid of the chlorinator by turning it counter clockwise. (Hayward chlorinators depress the locking tab). Fill with slow dissolving jumbo tabs (3” pucks) or sticks. If possible use plastic disposable gloves.
Floating pool dispensers can be used in aboveground and inground pools, but make sure your pool manufacturer says it's safe to use one. The chlorine floater must be removed from the water when people are in the pool.
Just like a chlorine-based pool, saltwater pools turn cloudy when chemicals are not balanced. You need to ensure that all chemicals are balanced all the time to avoid cloudy water and growth of algae. The major causes of cloudiness are chlorine, pH, Salinity, total alkalinity, cyanuric acid, and calcium hardness.
Because salt does not dissipate from your water, the only time you would add salt to your pool is when you add fresh water or after heavy rain that dilutes salinity levels.
If you've noticed a recent change in the smell or taste of your pool water, it could indicate unhealthy changes to the chemical composition of the water. If the water tastes salty to you, it generally means that something is amiss with the water's TDS level.
To determine the number of inches to drain from your pool to dump 1/8 of your pool water, divide the average depth of your pool in inches by 8 (54 / 8 = 6.75 or approximately 7"). Bottomline - to reduce your salt water level from 4000 to 3500, you must drain out 7" of salt water and replace it with 7" of fresh water.
Instant salinity is just that, what the SWG reads as the salinity at that point in time. Salinity is determined from the voltage, current and temperature in the cell. Instant salinity is updated every second or so. The other salinity usually shown in the default menu is an average over several run cycles.
The rule of thumb is generally 8 hours, although it could be anywhere from 6-12 hours, depending on your pool's size. Each pool is unique, so to keep your pool pump efficient and effective, you need to figure out exactly what your pool's turnover rate is.
Insufficient chlorine in your pool
When you add a bag of salt into the water sodium chloride dissolves and splits into two separate parts – sodium and chloride ions. Chloride won't kill algae, it needs to be turned into chlorine to do this.
Your pool system including chlorine generator should be operated often enough to completely turn your pool water over at least every 12 hours or twice a day.
The main problem that pool owners encounter is leaking because of a worn O-ring in the lid. The unit can clog with scale, but it won't if you regularly clean it. Clogs can also occur in the control valve when you vacuum the pool, and airlocks can develop inside the cartridge.