Considering Adding Water Softener Salt to Pool...

[psbailey]

Hello,

I am considering adding to water softener salt to my pool via my now unused puck chlorinator.

Has anyone else done this?

Does it impact the chemistry (ie, chlorine, ph, alk., etc.) levels in the pool? What consequences should I expect? Does it make the water nicer to swim in?

Any comments/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Paul

[mer1844]

Hello,

I am considering adding to water softener salt to my pool via my now unused puck chlorinator.

Has anyone else done this?

Does it impact the chemistry (ie, chlorine, ph, alk., etc.) levels in the pool? What consequences should I expect? Does it make the water nicer to swim in?

Any comments/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Paul


I hate to jump in on another persons question, but I too am interested in adding salt to my non-SWG pool. I thought instead of starting another thread, we could share the information.

Where Paul would be using his unused puck chlorinator, I would be just dumping the salt in the pool.

I've read where is it softens the water, but what are the other advantages to adding salt to a non-SWG pool?

What are the cons or problems one may encounter by adding the salt?

I know, that the amount of salt added would depend on pool size/gallons held, but what would be the approximate PPM that one should shoot for?

I know that I have read other threads concerning this, but can't seem to locate them now.

Thanks
Mark

[Tootie]

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=3355


I believe that's the Thread

[Lenny]

No reason to use a chlorinator. Just dump it in. It'll dissolve in an hour or so.

Go ahead and do it. It feels great. Just buy a test kit and test your salt content first so you can confirm whether you currently have any salt in there.

[psbailey]

I'll get a saline test kit tomorow. What levels should I be shooting for? I have a 45,000 IG plaster pool. My numbers are:

Cl: 6
FC: 0
TC:6
PH:7.4
ALK: 120
CAL: 320
CYA: 53(ish)

Thanks,

Paul

[brent.roberts]

Paul

I hope your test results were posted wrong.

FC = 0 and TC = 6 is a warning of an impending frog pond.

check it out.

[psbailey]

Yup. Sorry, I transposed those two numbers.

[psbailey]

My FC and TC is 6 ppm.

[Bleach=Chlorine?]

Paul,
I have heard that people shoot for approx 1000ppm which would translate to 375 lbs of salt. I would add 1/2 - 3/4 into the pool, help it disperse and then test the salinty and the way it feels the following day. Add slowly to reach your ideal ppm because you have to drain the pool to remove salt. Also, this is assuming you have no salt in the pool already... you might want to have the pool store check the salinty if you don't have a salt test. FYI - Download Michael's BleachCalc as it will do these calculations for you.

** You want the most pure - 99.something% solar/water softener salt. You can buy 40# bags for ~ $4 at Lowe's or HD.

[mer1844]

Also, this is assuming you have no salt in the pool already... you might want to have the pool store check the salinty if you don't have a salt test.


Well, I went to Lowes today and purchased my salt (3-40lb bags) and took the above advise and went to the pool store and purchased a salt test kit. Boy, I'm glad I bought that test kit. My pool already had 600 PPM of salt in it already. Had I not tested FIRST, and followed the clacualtor figures, it would have been too salty. My pool is small; 14 x 28, so I added a 40 lb bag and tested a couple of hours later; 1000 PPM. I think I'll stop with that amount and she how it holds up.

[SoCalBoo]

For future reference on the type of salt to use, you want the purest form of salt you can get. Some salt contains YSP which I've been told can cause stains. Last I checked at HD and Lowe's locally, none of the salt contained it, but there was one bag of 'solar salt' produced in Mexico that didn't say anything. Just be careful and know what you are adding into your pool. Obviously, it will be mostly sodium chloride, but just watch what else is attached.

I found one HD in town (San Diego) that carries pool salt. It is 100% pure salt in small eraser sized pieces. Breaks down instantly on water contact. $4.50 for a #40 bag. Nice price to boot. I walked accross the parking lot to a pool supply store, who wanted $12.00 for the same thing.

[psbailey]

I used 99.8% pure Mortons Water Softener Salt in the blue bag. It comes as crystals and is about $4.50 per 40 lb. bag here in Indiana.

I have a 22 x 42 IG plaster pool that holds about 45,000 gal. I added 4 bags of salt and that raised the concentration to 1420 ppm. I could taste the salt a little, but it wasn't obnoxious. And, I swam w/o my goggles and experienced no irritation. My skin didn't smell of chlorine afterwards and my hair wasn't as stiff as a board. (I keep my chlorine b/w 5 and 7 w/ a cya reading b/w 50 and 55.)

Still, I decided to drain some water out of the pool and try to get the concentration down. (In addition, I my CYA runs a little over 50 and I wouldn't mind getting that under 50.)

I just swam and retested the water. The water is at 1200 ppm and I can't smell or taste the salt. Plus, I am still getting the benefits of "soft" water.

So, in conclusion, I can recommend the process. I like my pool non-swg pool water at 1200. So far, so good. Good Luck to anyone who wants to have a "soft water" pool.

Paul

[bparks]

Another one here, added 40lbs today, may add another bag. This is probably the best 4 bucks I've ever spent on our pool. The water is certainly softer, my eyes are happier, much less itchy after getting out. If pool stores were smart they sell this to everyone.

[Poolsean]

The YPS is used with granular salt (food grade) and may cause staining if you add it and leave it undissolved on a plaster finish. If you turn your pump on, add the salt to the deep end of the pool and brush the granular salt into the main drain, you will not have a staining problem.

Regarding Salt levels: You should not have any fear of salty tasting water until you get into the high 3000's. I'm at 3800 ppm this weekend and hardly taste the salt, but you do notice a salt taste, just not undesirable. Remember, the ocean is about 35,000 ppm, almost ten times higher than a normal SCG recommended levels.
Your body is even higher than 4000 ppm. How does this compare? Remember the salty taste of your tear when you see a sappy ole' movie with your significant other?
Contact lens saline solution/eye drops are typically around 6000 ppm.
The higher you can bear, the more comfort you will achieve from the added salt. Your kids will appreciate the it too! No more red devil eyes!

[psbailey]

Thanks, Sean. Regarding putting the salt in the pool, that's exactly what I did with good results. I put it in the deep end and used a brush to push it to the drain. In my case, the salt dissolved quickly.

I was noticing another benefit this morning: with the increased bouyancy in the water, my Polaris 380 can now climb walls like Spider-Man! It took no time for it to clean the pool. It just climbed and went all over the place. Before, it struggled to climb the walls in the deep end and I had to brush debris to the floor. Not anymore, though. I like it!

Paul