How To Check Salt Water Pool Levels

Salt Water Pool Maintenance

Salt water pool maintenance is actually quite simple with the engineering bachelor in todays chlorine generators and testing equipment. You'll spend less coin and time monitoring the chemistry of your puddle and spend a lot more time enjoying all the benefits. You should never accept to buy, transport or add harsh chlorine to the h2o and since salt water is a lot more stable past nature, it will require less chemicals than a regular puddle.

salt water pool maintenance

At the get-go of the season information technology's of import to ensure that you get your table salt water puddle started on the correct track. If you are just getting it up and running for the season we have an splendid footstep by step guide that will help yous with opening your table salt water pool in the spring. As the pool season progresses at that place will exist some simple weekly and monthly maintenance that tin be done by a handy pool possessor. It's important to always follow the manufacturers instructions for your specific chlorine generator cell considering the requirements tin can vary slightly.

salt water pool maintenance guide

Table salt H2o Pool Maintenance Checklist

We've put together a salt h2o puddle maintenance checklist specifically for salt water pool owners. As yous continue reading proceed in heed that non all pools, generators and water quality are the same which will nowadays unique maintenance challenges. We've also put together a detailed hot tub maintenance checklist with helpful tips and communication specifically for salt water hot tubs.

Daily

Remove Debris
Empty Pump Basket
Clear Skimmer

Weekly Table salt Water Pool Maintenance

Your weekly salt water pool maintenance routine volition depend on pool usage and environmental factors. In add-on to spot cleaning with a skimmer net, vacuuming and emptying the pool pump basket the most common thing you'll need to practise is balance the water chemistry. A pool app designed for use on a smartphone is a great companion for pool possessor'south that desire to keep their pool chemical science in check all flavour long.

Complimentary Chlorine

Ideal Complimentary Chlorine: ane.0 - 3.0 ppm

The free available chlorine levels should be monitored and tested weekly and more than oftentimes if your pH or alkalinity have been fluctuating. The combined chlorine and total chlorine can exist ignored for purposes of testing and balancing, a quality pool examination kit should be used that specifically measuresfree chlorine.

If your free available chlorine levels are depression, ensure your table salt levels are sufficient so your generator can convert acceptable amounts of chlorine. Low levels of free chlorine tin can too exist caused by calcium build upward on the salt cell, an expired prison cell or inadequate pool circulation.

At the start of the puddle season or after heavy puddle usage it might also exist necessary to stupor your pool. The temporary boost of chlorine that a shock provides will let the generator to start doing its chore and should only exist necessary occasionally throughout the pool season.

Lower Free Chlorine by reducing the output setting on your chlorine generator, run your pool apportionment organisation for less time or run your pump on a lower speed.

Raise Costless Chlorine past increasing chlorine production, pump run-times, super chlorinate or using a pool daze.

Stabilizer orCyanuric Acid

Ideal Stabilizer or CYA: 30 - 80 ppm

The stabilizer level is very important to the over salt water pool maintenance, and is often overlooked past owners and professionals. A proper cyanuric acid level volition prevent chlorine from being lost due to the sun's UV rays. An outdoor pool without stabilizer could lose up to 95% of information technology's produced chlorine on a sunny day leaving your pool unsanitary and potentially unsafe to swim in.

A salt water puddle requires slightly higher levels of stabilizer than a regular pool and should be kept in the range of 70 - 80 ppm. If y'all have an indoor salt water pool that doesn't go a lot of sunlight you can keep levels in the 5 - 30 ppm range. Stabilizer and chlorine piece of work interchangeably and when ane rises, the other should also.

Lower Stabilizer levels by diluting your pool water either by draining and adding fresh water or correct over time.

Heighten Stabilizer levels by adding cyanuric acrid and following the manufacturers instructions.

pH

Ideal pH level: 7.ii - vii.8

A proper pH is important for allowing chlorine to finer remove germs, bacteria and create a safe swimming environment. You may discover that your pH rises slowly over time and if that is the instance yous will need to add together an acid occasionally. Information technology's of import to add the acid or brine slowly and in pocket-size increments, allowing the h2o to circulate for at to the lowest degree 4 - 6 hours before testing and repeating if necessary.

A smart water care monitor tin can take your table salt water puddle chemistry management to the adjacent level. It will monitor and notify if pH levels fall out of recommended ranges and some devices will even dispense acid automatically.

Lower pH with a liquid muriatic acid or hydrochloric acid. If you employ a dry acrid nether the name sodium acid sulphate or sodium bisulphate you may end upwards experiencing chemical science issues over time.

Heighten pH with an alkali calcium carbonate or soda ash.

Monthly Common salt Water Pool Maintenance

As a full general dominion you should ensure that the following levels are checked at least once a month. Information technology's common for them to fluctuate during times of high usage or extreme weather so yous should keep that in heed throughout the yr. You may observe that these levels don't fluctuate throughout an entire yr while other puddle owners volition notice significant changes.

You might be interested in our pool maintenance cost page that provides some estimates for how much y'all tin expect to spend monthly and yearly depending on whether you maintain your pool yourself or hire a professional pool service.

Salinity

Ideal Salinity: 2700 - 4500 ppm

The electrolytic cell operates almost efficiently when the salinity is within the range specified past the manufacturer. The range tin vary slightly with unlike models then it's important to know what your specific jail cell requires. If your cell and control console does non have a built in salinity monitor or brandish we recommend testing weekly with a exam kit that includes a salinity examination or a digital salt meter.

If your common salt levels are low you will need to add salt, making certain that you never add besides much because the only way to lower the salinity is to add fresh h2o. Learn more than about adding salt to your pool, pool common salt specifications and more common salt water pool maintenance advice.

In extreme cases you tin cause damage to the salt cell and other pool hardware if the table salt concentration is college or lower than the recommended range. It could also lead to an unsanitary swimming environs if levels are low because there won't be enough chlorine produced which tin can also pb to pool algae.

Total Alkalinity

Ideal Total Alkalinity: eighty - 120 ppm

Alkalinity is of import for keeping pH stabilized and preventing it from fluctuating. If you have low alkalinity it could pb to corrosion, staining or dark-green water while high alkalinity tin can cause cloudy puddle water and other problems. When adjusting alkalinity it'southward important to do it slowly and in small increments, waiting 2 - iii days earlier testing and adjusting over again if necessary.

Lower Total Alkalinity with sodium bisulphate and following the manufacturers instructions. If your pH is also low you may also want to consider using muriatic acid.

Raise Total Alkalinity with sodium bicarbonate in a slow and methodical process to ensure you don't raise levels too high.

Calcium Hardness

Ideal Calcium Hardness: 200 - 400 ppm

If calcium levels get besides low the water volition go corrosive and can leach calcium from plaster, stone and concrete surfaces in contact with the pool water. High levels of calcium can issue in scale formation or a clogged filter and pipes resulting in poor filtration and circulation that can lead to cloudy h2o and irritation to swimmers.

Nosotros recommend contacting a pool professional if your levels are above 400 ppm because this could lead to build up and stains that are very difficult to remove. If you want more information on how to make clean stains from puddle tile exist sure to read our pool tile cleaner page.

Lower Calcium levels is very difficult and is remedied by draining water from your pool and replacing it with fresh clean water.

Raise Calcium levels hands by calculation calcium chloride to your pool slowly and retesting every few hours to permit information technology to dissolve completely.

Total Dissolved Solids

Ideal Total Dissolved Solids: 3000 - 6000 ppm

The total dissolved solids, TDS for a salt water pool volition exist college than a regular pool considering salt registers as a dissolved solid. This means that your TDS should exist exactly the same every bit your salinity in a pool that has no dissolved solids. If your TDS reading is 1500 ppm or college than your salinity you may need to clean your filters or backwash more ofttimes as part of your routine salt h2o puddle maintenance.

A TDS of over 1500 ppm, excluding salt can reduce the effectiveness of the chlorine and other added chemicals, resulting in cloudy h2o or other issues. These levels are influenced by chemicals that have been added and organic compounds from anyone that uses your pool. In pools with extremely loftier TDS readings you will accept to drain some pool water and supplant with fresh h2o.

Copper, Atomic number 26 and Manganese

It's too an important part of your overall table salt h2o pool maintenance to test for Metals such every bit copper, iron and manganese to ensure they aren't present. The best time to examination for metals is when y'all add fresh water or at the beginning of the pool season.

A great way to check the overall chemistry in your salt water puddle is to calculate the Langelier Saturation Alphabetize. This formula uses the alkalinity, calcium hardness, cyanuric acid, water temperature and pH of your h2o to assistance ensure that your puddle isn't susceptible to scaling or corrosion.

Yearly Salt Water Pool Maintenance

If you have kept on peak of your weekly and monthly salt h2o pool maintenance you should just need to exercise a few checks at the end or starting time of the pool season. As you learn the behaviour of your pool it volition be become articulate what needs to be checked more often and what you can do less often.

Jail cell Inspection

The salt prison cell should be inspected every 2 - iii months to ensure that the plates are costless of calcium buildup that tin can decrease cell performance. If you want to clean the cell yourself be certain to read our salt water pool cell page with helpful tips for cleaning your jail cell in as little every bit 10 minutes. The average life span of a jail cell is roughly 4 - six years and tin can be increased with routine cleaning and proper chemistry maintenance.

Zinc Anode

A lot of table salt water pool owners decide to apply a zinc anode equally office of their puddle system. A sacrificial anode is an affordable device you can purchase for added protection against possible corrosion and impairment to pool hardware. It'southward a skilful idea to bank check it in one case a year to ensure it hasn't degraded fully.

At the end of the season a thorough pool closing is an essential step in your overall salt water pool maintenance. A closing kit will treat your pool water, making it a lot easier to open and balance in the springtime especially if yous experience temperatures below freezing in the U.s. or Canada.

Liner Inspection

It goes without saying that if you notice a rip, tear or sagging edges in your pool liner you should address the outcome every bit soon every bit possible. A damaged liner can worsen over time and eventually cause irreparable damage to the liner and even worse it can cause harm to your side by side yard in the form of erosion or flooding. A good place to beginning when considering pool liner repair is to determine the the seriousness based on size of the tear. A liner should exist inspected at least once or twice a season as role of your salt water pool maintenance to prevent costly damage.

Disclaimer

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