On 2/25/2014 2:53 PM, Poco Loco wrote:
On Tue, 25 Feb 2014 13:55:59 -0500, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 2/25/2014 1:32 PM, F*O*A*D wrote:


What little I have read of this thread reinforces my long-held belief
that owning a swimming pool requires more effort than it supplies fun.


Naw, we are just debating how a pool gets chlorinated using a salt system.

I am no pool expert but curiosity has prompted me to try to understand
the process. That said, and having had three conventional pools (two in
Florida and one up here) and one salt based system at our current pool
the advantages of the salt system are crystal clear to me (pun intended).

1. Far less maintenance. Pretty much automatic.
2. Cheaper to operate. Salt is cheap. Pool chemicals aren't.
3. Clearer water.
4. Softer water.
5. No need to inventory or store dangerous chemicals.

Only disadvantage is a higher initial cost.

I should mention however that all salt systems are not the same.
Some are manual systems and need more checking, adjustments and
intervention. We opted for the fully automatic, microprocessor based
system that senses and adjusts as requirements and demand dictate.

At the beginning of the summer season the cell is operating
approximately 55-60 percent of the time that the pool pump is on.
By the middle of the season it has dropped to about 45 percent of the
time and towards fall it is operating about 30-35 percent of the pump on
time.

A friend in North Carolina has a new pool - a year or two old. During a recent visit he said it was
a 'salt water pool' although the salt was very mild. He bragged about how easy the maintenance was
compared to other pools he'd had. He loved it.

If I were ever to have a pool, which I'm not, I'd definitely be looking into that salt system.


Can't see any reason not to really, especially if you entertain. The
technology is so cheap now, the pools too.. Our pool is 18 feet round
and 52 inches deep. We dug it a bit deeper in the middle. The pool,
complete came from Walmart for about $300 with filters and pumps,
ladder, cover, ground cloth and sets up in about an hour. The salt
system was another hundred bucks and the salt for the season was about
40 dollars... Like I said, I set ours up in an afternoon, filled it
overnight, poured in the salt, set the computer operated salt system,
and vacuumed it here and there over the summer... The water stayed
crystal clear, right through September and I didn't have to touch it
once. Now for the next ten years I figure it will cost me 40 bucks a
year for salt......