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.
We suggest you start your salt chlorine generator at 50 percent output and run it for a couple of days, then check the chlorine level. In a balanced pool, a good chlorine level is 1-3 parts per million. If your chlorine levels are low, you can raise the percentage, and if it's high you can lower the percentage.
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.
Try to maintain a consistent salt level of between 2,700 parts per million (ppm) and 3,400 ppm, with 3,200 ppm being ideal. Clean the chlorinator cell at least once a season or as needed.
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.
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.
Most pools need the chlorine generator to be on for 8-12 hours per day. This will produce enough chlorine to properly sanitize the water.
The recommended free chlorine levels should always be between 2-5 ppm, depending on the level of cyanuric acid in the pool as indicated in this chlorine/CYA chart. Low salinity levels reduce free chlorine.
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.
It's best to run your pool pump during the day
Not only does sunlight give fuel for algae to grow, it also destroys your pool chlorine and this is why you should always run your pool during the day!
Simply putting the chlorine pucks in your skimmer is something you should never do. Putting the pucks directly in the skimmer will dissolve them way to quickly and will send concentrated chlroine through your whole filtration system wearing it down very quickly. The first tip is if you are using a chlorinator.
Never put chlorine tablets into the skimmer baskets of your pool. Some pool companies will put chlorine tablets directly into the skimmer baskets of the pool. Never allow anyone to put chlorine tablets in these skimmer baskets.
To keep things easy, remember that a single 3-inch tablet can sanitize up to 5,000 gallons of water. Which means four tablets are enough to sanitize a 20,000-gallon pool. To calculate how many chlorine tablets to add to your swimming pool, first round your pool's size (in gallons) to the nearest 5,000th.
If the chlorine smell is very strong, however, you may soon spot “red-eyed” swimmers emerging from the pool. That's when the pool water is assumed to have “too much chlorine” in it. Ironically, a strong chemical smell around the pool and “swimmer red eye” may be signs that there is not enough chlorine in the water.
Sometimes a saltwater pool's chlorinator isn't creating enough chlorine, and the water can become cloudy or develop algae. When this happens, a bit of chlorine can save the day, said Hunker. You can add extra chlorine to the pool through calcium hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite, or chlorine tablets.
Using baking soda will not actually lower your pool's chlorine level. If your ph is way too low it may. Prevent corrosion and damage to pool equipment; To raise your ph levels, it can be as simple as adding seven to nine pounds of baking soda to your pool water.
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 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.
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.
On the chlorinator box there should be a light or dial that indicates it is working. Take your test kit and place your thumb over the test tube. Then place it right into the eyeball and take the water. Test the water that water has just left the chlorinator - it should have a very high chlorine reading.
Chlorine tablets are slow dissolving and therefore need to be placed in either a floating dispenser, in-line chlorine feeder or a skimmer basket.
How Often Should I Shock My Pool? Shocking your pool regularly will help to keep the water clean and free of contaminants. You should aim to shock your pool about once a week, with the additional shock after heavy use. Some tell-tale signs that your pool needs to be shocked are cloudy, foamy, green, or odourous water.