[Anonymous]

Have heard that salt/sea water swimming pools have become very popular, are relatively self-cleaning, no need for chlorine etc.

Wonder if anyone has any experience/knowledge of these kind of pools – are they a good idea?
Thinking of having one for my new-build.
Any info/experience appreciated, I don’t have a clue about them at all!

[Melosine]

Originally considered this option ourselves . The special pump for 10 x 5 was about 800 euros a year ago
Have a look at this website. Tells you everything you need to know.
http://www.watermaid-europe.com/

[Anonymous]

Hi Melosine

When you say ‘originally considered’ I gather you didn’t go ahead with one. Was there any particular (logistical) reason?

Am trying to find out the good and the bad with this type of pool. I like the idea in theory, but would like to know of any drawbacks, if any.

[Melosine]

No we didn’t but not because we didn’t think it a good idea originally, more so if one has small children , but primarily because the extra pump and wiring should preferably have been installed before the pool surround was finished.
Pools are high maintenance whatever system you use and the cost of yet another pump and fitting against the chlorine tablets etc didn’t compute financially. To date we have never had a problem with chlorine. So think it really a personal preference.
If you decide for chlorine there is an excellant book from USA “Pool and Spa Maintenance” .

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info (and link – interesting reading).
Appreciate it.

[Anonymous]

I have no idea if this system works but it sounds interesting:

http://www.thecostapooldoctor.com

[Anonymous]

We had a chlorinater fitted to our swimming pool – it cost about 1,000 euros and the firm fitted it after the pool had been installed and it sits next to the pump in the pool room.

My husband is the expert, but it produces chlorine by electrolysis and we have to keep a certain amount of salt in the pool to produce the reaction.

You have to keep a check on the salt content and there is a special test kit for this.

The chlorinater runs for several hours a day when the pool pump is running.

It means you are still using chlorine as an antibacterial device, but not adding chlorine tablets. My husand thinks it is a more efficient system and several of our neighbours have this sort of system.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply. Appreciated it – and gave me a lot to read! Goodness, magnets, electrolysis (thought that was for removing unwanted hair!!). Seems there are several alternatives.

Would still be interested to hear from anyone who does have a salt-water pool installed as to what their opinion is.
Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I have a chlorine pool my next door neighbour has a salt water one.

Their poolman is very impressed with it and says it is easier to maintain than a traditional pool, requiring less cleaning. In fact he says when he moves house he’s having a salt water pool himself.

[Anonymous]

Charlie, perhaps I wasn’t very clear. Ours IS a salt water pool, but I was just explaining that the salt is used to produce the chlorine by electrolysis. You still have to have chlorine, its just another way of providing it.

As far as I know there is no pool which runs just on saltwater, apart from the sea!!

[Anonymous]

This is an interesting article:
http://phoenix.about.com/cs/wet/a/saltpool01.htm

[Anonymous]

arabrab – you were probably making yourself very clear to everyone else, I’m just such a novice at all this, am being the perfect twit!
Thanks for explaining and re-explaining!

So having read your positive post and Dazzles, feel this is the way to go.
Thanks to all of you for your input and links.

Being a bit of an eco-nut, found this one interesting –
http://www.ecosmarteusa.com/?gclid=CIrr5MCbsIsCFQrlQgodyH4g2Q

but suppose one can go on and on.

One American company (Ozone system) boasts the water is so pure in your pool, you can drink it…….yuk.

[Anonymous]

Salt water systems are merely an alternative to putting chlorine in your pool. They generate chlorine from the salt in the pool. It also means that if you do not use the pump for the required period (often excessive) then the chorine will not be generated.

They are not any “cleaner” than a conventional pool with added chlorine – tablets, powder or liquids.

€1000 buys an awful lot of chlorine tablets/powder.

Pool maintenance really doesn’t get any simpler than popping a couple of chlorine tablets in the skimmers every week or so and checking the chlorine and pH levels every week..

In my opinion it is a clear waste of money.

[Anonymous]

Sorry Sid, I can’t agree. I have a salt water pool with chlorinator and auto pH. The water is kept at 7.2 pH level automatically (via a sensor and a tube which can take in pH reducer when necessary) and the chlorine level is maintained by adjusting the salt chlorinator between 5 and 99% depending on how much use the pool is getting etc. Result – a sparkling clean pool that requires little other regular maintenance apart from the occasional vaccuum.

The benefits for me are that I can go away for several months at a time and the pool is still crystal clear when I return. Also the salt water (which is actually less salty than a teardrop) is wonderful for the skin.

I paid £1200 euros for both machines and that was installed and commissioned. I think that it was money well spent particulary as I don’t have to buy the expensive chlorine.

[Anonymous]

The problem simply using tablets is that they contain more chemicals than you require all the time so you need to measure, regulate how many tablets you use and then use another form of chlorination – Unstabilised Chlorine.

Using either a chlorine salt generator or a liquid chlorine feeder takes away the requirement to measure and change types of Chlorine just once a year measure the stabiliser level and add maybe a cupful of stabiliser if required.

Saltwater generators are becoming more popular but a little more expensive than a liquid dosing system but then you have either to purchase salt or liquid chlorine.
the least harmful is of course the natural sea salt. chlorine is a dangerous chemical and care needs to be taken when storing and handling – even those tablest innocent though they seem can really get going if they meet up with some other chemicals.

regards,
Dave

[Anonymous]

Hi Charlie.. I am no expert on this but my husband is an engineer, and his option was to go for a pump system on our new-build house that will take either salt-water or traditional chlorine. It may be simply a normal salt-water pump & was more expensive than a traditional pump, but it gives us the choice – we managed to negotiate it in as part of the build package so the cost was not down to us…. maybe you can try that?!!! At the moment it is used as a chlorine pool, simply because that is how it was set up before handover. We have considered changing it over to a salt-water as I get lots of skin problems with chlorine pools, for me it sounds a good option.

[Author]

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