3 Bad Facts About Salt Water Pools 

Have salt water pool for 5 years, had 0 issues. Very happy with it. Once in a year when I open pool for a season - I just bring water sample to my pool store, they test water, give me all chemicals I need to add once - and that's it. No other maintenance for a year, no problems.

I had a saltwater pool at our house in Georgia for almost 20 years. Performed all testing and maintenance myself and never had any of the issues mentioned here, and with proper maintenance the converter plates do not present a drawback. I solar heated the pool using solar panels with a water to water heat exchanger system and even when idled in summer months had little scaling issues and no unexpected negative problems. So my guess is if you have issues it's maintenance related or a poorly designed system. I will be duplicating my old Georgia system in my upcoming Florida build.

Ive been servicing 40 to 60 pools weekly for almost 10 years. Salt water pools are the easiest and cheapest to maintain. The ph going up depends on the type of plaster mainly. Pools with vynil liner actually stay in perfect range when you convert them to salt. Only about 3 months a year i have to adjust the ph weekly...

I have an above ground pool, now in its third season, for which I use a salt water system. I use about 3kg of pool salt per cubic meter of water and my convertor releases chlorine gas, (generated from the salt, sodium chloride) into the water which kills off the algae and bacteria. As long as the pH is set and kept at around 7 (by using pH-minus), and the pool is kept (almost) free of leaves and other debris, the salt water system works very well. I use filter balls in my filter which I exchange for clean ones usually once per season, and I have crystal clear water in my pool. I remove fine debris from the bottom of the pool by using the Pool Blaster Max.

we have been installing and servicing salt water systems for over 12 years and once pH is kept under control and water properly balanced we havent had any issues. You can use acid injection system to keep pH in check or what we have been doing is to lower the Total Alkalinity down to around 70ppm which prevents the pH from bouncing up. Of course all other levels effect the Calcite Saturation Index (CSI) so they need to be adjusted. We have maintained pools here in the Bahamas where we go once every 3 months to balance and check systems and the pools are kept in perfect balance. Cells cleaned every 3 months so this works. We have had pools stay in balance up to 6 months without service but we dont recommend that long. ideally pH should be kept between 7.4 and 7.6 on a weekly basis.

I had a saltwater pool (and about to build another with a salt cell), the first pool I had was pretty easy to take care of maintain and the water was much softer and didn't smell like high chlorine and didn't make my skin itch.

I can only speak to my own experience but Ive had a salt water pool for 3 years and have had no issues with scaling (vinyl liner inground). My pH is stable around 7.6. My approach though is that I vastly oversized my SWG, so I run it at 20% of output capacity for 8 hours overnight, essentially just over 1.5hrs in a generation state to keep around 3 to 4 ppm. All other levels of pool are balanced per recommended by troublefreepool forum. You should have clarified this information based on type of pool, as a concrete pool or fiberglass pool will have different characteristics than a vinyl pool.

I’m getting my 3 year old a kiddie pool I want to put salt water in it instead of chlorine because it seems less maintenance. Idk how much to use or if there is any other steps besides throwing some salt in there..

Good info Steve. Thank you. Aside from the heater is scale a big deal? Are there types of water heaters that aren't affected by scaling?

Is it also apply to Seawater Aquaculture pond ?

All I care about is, easier to keep clear or not? Could care less about PH. Clear or not? Am I adding 2 gallons of chlorine per week or not? Algaecide, and all the other GD chemicals? Just looking for a easier clear pool system.

I’ve owned a salt water pool for 18 years at the same home, never had a issue with high PH probably cause the rain balancing it out or the proper Maintanence, also cleaning the system is normal maintenance, so this video is screwy in a way, to funny how people make claims.

Great video very clear Yah bless

I’m getting chlorine or salt flakes in the pool regularly. The pools older but I replaced the salt cell this year. I use acid probably every other month to bring the ph down. I’m running the salt cell at 60% and maintain chlorine levels as long as water temperatures don’t exceed 90. Im also on well water which is extremely hard.

any way to pervent rust using saltwater on intex pools i has a best way coleman n it rusted out i was told add a zinc annode to keep it from rusting is this ok or what will pervent it from eating it up

I've had a salt system for about a year and my PH has never tested above 7.4.

What about the water temperature and the chlorine generator? Does the water actually have to be over 70 fatenhight?

This is not true we had a saltwater pool for 15 years and the pH never went above eight. Every once in a while it did go up, but the rain tend to be acidic and balanced it out. Overall the pool tended to have a lower pH tended then higher. Everyone’s experience is different, whenever anybody tells you ‘you’ll always have this’ or ‘always have that’, be a little suspect. We also did not have excessive scaling, I cleaned our generator once a year there was some scaling but not an excessive amount like it’s stated in this video. Note that our water here is not hard to begin with, if you have hard water, your experience will be different.

Many years ago Australia was the only place in the world that sol salt water chlorinators! The ONLY reason was the chemical companies in the US bought up the US patent and would NOT allow it to be sold! Salt water pools are a thousand times easier on the pocketbook and maintenance! I have had one for about 25 years now and maybe spend $150 a year on stabilizer and salt! No other issues at all! Chlorine is expensive and very difficult to maintain comp0ared to salt! Our community pool switched to salt and have saved about $15000 a year on chorine and mtse!

Just wanted to add, do yourself a favor if you have or considering a salt water pool - install a ZINC ANODE along with your salt generator to combat scaling and PH issues. Hope this helps someone. Happy Swimming!

Super accurate I’ve always noticed the ph problem in salt pools. The biggest question is though is the chlorine produced from the salt cell REALLY HEALTHIER (no red eyes better on skin and for asthma patients) than chlorine poured in straight from the bottle? That’s the main reason why people want them. Thanks

good info. I never considered the points you made.

I think a lot of people are missing the point in the comments below. This is not for people who stay on top of their chemistry and understand how the process works. This is for people who think all you have to do is throw a bag of salt in the pool and call it a day. This is absolutely accurate I know tons of people with salt pools that forget to add acid to their pool and they commonly have scaling. This video is very helpful and anyone who didn't pay attention to detail will probably suffer later on down the road if you think you know it all already. I've been working on pulls for a while and I learned something in this video I wasn't even thinking about the fact that it can do damage to the heaters and such. So thank you for that and keep the good videos coming in.

So no heater no worries? We just acid clean the Chorine generator a little more often?? And for PH dont we just add acid a bit more often? Thank you

Thanks for the clarification. I am looking to build an "ocean water" pool, meaning filling a pool with pure ocean water (no chlorine). Do you know if this is possible and maintainable? Thank you.

Hi Steve. What is your opinion using borates. I'm a bit concerned sinces it's been banned by W.H.O because of it toxicity.

Not all salt water pools have chronically high ph. I haven’t for 7 years now. I do keep my Alkalinity around 60-70 and add 50 ppm borates. My ph stays at 7.6 chlorine.

This was a very clear explanation of what I’m going through. I wish I had seen this video before I got a salt water converter. It scaled up the entire inside shell of my hot tub. I have a mess to clean up if I didn’t ruin it. Thanks very much!!

Is there a way to reduce TDS? What is a “normal range” of TDS? Have read that you subtract salt PPM from TDS and the remaining number is your actual TDS. Been around 4500 ppm (14,000 gal.) since opening new salt water pool Salt level 3200 ppm leaving 1300 TDS?Thanks Steve always great info.

So do you suggest just having a chlorine pool? I’ve had a saltwater pool for 11 years. I’ve had regular pool maintenance and have also had seasons where I’ve done it myself. My chemicals regardless of who is doing it are always off. I have always had scale and calcium buildup as well. At one point I turned off the salt cell and just balanced as anyone would a chlorine pool. Any suggestions? Thanks, Robin

Excellent report, thank you. What about mineral ionizer systems? I've heard copper/silver ionizer systems are the cheapest and best system overall for pools. Any ideas appreciated, thanks 👍

Sound like your trying to dissuade people from owning a salt water pool. I owned one before and never had an issue pool wise or PH wise. The only drawback was the build up salt on surrounding concrete and eny thing the water came in contact with. This to can be controlled with good wash down maintenance. You seem to be vary knowledgeable on this subject. Can you recomend a system that can electronically maintain the proper ph balance in a above ground salt water pool. Thank you for posting this content.

Hey Steve, how often is a saltwater pool tested? weekly? Daily?

can you lower your PH in a salt water pool using C02? maybe using a c02 concentrator from the air? so you could lower the ph. A higher pH is closer to the ocean conditions, and it will be an optimal place for microbes.

We hadno Ph issues with our salt water pool. We have had to add very little salt or calcium for over a year. One half of a bottle of Shock upon closing and the other half upon opening the pool. It's always in balance and crystal clear.

The simple way to control pH is by installing a CO2 delivery system. The CO2 system synchronizes with the pump schedule and delivery is automatic. The daily pH change is between 7.5 and 7.8. There is a knob to raise or lower the pH range window.

Can D.E. pool filters be used with a salt water pool?

How does salt water react against treated wood decks in a lot of sunlight ?

Switched my pool to salt water and never had pH level issues ever. It's the easiest and cheapest to maintain. I barely have to do anything and the levels stay pretty perfect.

Another use for Borax? Nice!

Does the salt system really damage a concrete pool?

Hey can you have salt water if you have steel walled pool ? Ive been wanting to switch but I have been advised not to do that because the salt can erode the steel . I’ve also heard that the liner will be enough of a barrier to protect the steel walls .

I have a brand new inground pool for about 2 months now and PH is always 8.0 or higher even after adding PH down twice, lowering the salt cell percentage and reducing pump run times. I also just tried pointing my jets downward because they created a lot of turbulence on the water while running. I'm considering Borates once I figure out how to get the PH down a few points. Thank you for the video.

Can I drain my bromine hot tub into my salt water pool?

I’m having issues with too much chlorine and not ph.

Salt Water pool for 5 years,, never had high PH in my water, if anything it is low.

I briefly thought about a salt system for the pool but realized it involved electroysis of salt solution and that would forever condemn me to stockpile salt and muriatic acid in the area. I'll stick with the old school chlorine addition letting someone else make it. Then I don't have the constant formation of lye.

tell me the price difference between salt and chlorine tablets

I have very hard water, well water. My TDS is off the charts and my PH is very high. I have a chlorine pool. Guess I will think twice about switching to a salt system. Sounds like my issues would be worse.

TDS must be the reason I always see fine sand like material in my fine filters in the robotic Dolphin vacuum.

No problem with my salt pool. It’s better .You started off by saying 3 problems then after #1 you said it was not really a problem. ..

Regarding the "stuff" that accumulates.....wouldn't that be solved/mitigated by being gathered and cleaned out of the fine filters?

How do I reduce scaling in my salt water pool?

The first video I've seen with the truth about Saltwater Systems i own a pool maintenance and repair company in Florida I make really good money installing a salt system but I tell the truth about them and lose about 98% of my sales which is fine with me I only have about 110 customers since I downsized my business but the Saltwater Systems have all have Gone down this year Weather it be a circuit board or a bad cell some repairs upwards of $900 people think Saltwater Systems are easier on your skin or eyes but 98% of all irritations are caused by alkalinity or pH not by chlorine you also have to run a higher stabilizer value then you do with a normal chlorine system however the higher the stabilizer the more it slows down the ability of chlorine to kill bacteria so it is sort of an oxymoron that is why public pools have a maximum of stabilizer values usually way below 50 however a saltwater system requires at least 80 in Florida anyway.... I think they are okay up North but down in the southwest of Florida it is like driving a Toyota Prius up a steep hill with your foot to the floor for its whole life no matter how many gallon cell you have anyway thanks for telling the truth

My salt water pool has proven to be perfect. The Ph never goes above 7.5 7.6, ever. Chlorine runs 2 to 4 regularly. My alkalinity does run up to 120 to 130 ppm. I have no scaling issues. It's perfect.

I've had a salt water pool for 20 years and love the feel on my skin, and the lack of burning in my eyes. However, I have had my problems - related to crappy, picky engineering and poor documentation. One system was sensitive to adding too much salt at one time which resulted in a blown capacitor. But would a repairman just replace that capacitor. No - the whole board! Another system's temperature calibration resulted in no chlorine generation when temp was 60 or less. Put in dummy plug in winter and added chlorine, yet cells would always fail when I put them back in the spring, perhaps because phosphates of 500-1000 ppm. Now on my third system. Someone needs to critically review generation systems and write a book about maintaining them.

Some of this is true but there was a lot of inaccurate statements....

Has anyone ever mentioned the absorption (swallowing etc) of salted water is very bad for people with high or borderline blood pressure ?

Never ceases to amaze me how many people don’t realize a saltwater pool is still using chlorine to sanitize.

What about just getting a few tankers load of ocean water?

I've had 2 different salt water pools. The amount of chlorine is much lower than a chlorine pool. I have almost no maintenance, never alge problems. My pool is always crystal clear and I can open my eyes under water, no eye burn and my skin doesn't dry out like a chlorine pool..

I would posit that chlorine tabs drive up the pH far more than chlorine generated from a SWC.

Calcium Hardness 200-400 ppm, Free Chlorine 1-4 ppm, Total Chlorine Within 0.2 of FAC, ph 7.2-7.8, Total Alkalinity 80-120, Cyanuric Acid 50-100 ppm, Phosphates 0-100 ppb, Salt 3000-4500ppm. I like to keep my CyA at 80+ ppm. I was told a long time ago that a salt pool needs more CyA 80-120ppm.

You forgot another bad thing..steel and salt don’t mix..if you have a steel above ground pool you cannot use salt….only all resin above grounds

And I thought PH decreaser is used to keep the PH where it needs to be.

I tell people in our condo community when they ask me to convert the pool to salt water that we are required by the state to have a sanitizer in the pool. Salt is not a sanitizer.

At least chlorine is way more stable using salt cell... adding chlorine manually leads to heavy spikes and lows. I use intelliPh acid feeder, so Ph is moot. TDS is easy to fix and I haven't a problem, not once. I have found that chlorine tabs are horrid, after less than one year's use, they raised CYA to point that chlorine stops working correctly. Shows correct level, but algae grows anyway. Finally got told by some pool site, that the tabs add CYA. Drained out water, rebalanced and never used tabs again. Liquid chlorine and muriatic acid is all I used after that. Never had to adjust anything else. Went 7 years this way. Switched to salt and salt generator and think its great. Self-maintains very well.

Chlorine is but toxic in the adviced ranges. High alkalinity does not try to help to keep your ph down. He doesn't know what he's saying.

Stop saying people without salt cells are looking for “chlorine” they’re looking for “chlorine tabs” salt cells are chlorine as well

You forgot to mention the stains caused by minerals in the salt

Sorry, but im really questioning this fellows experience with salt water pools???

I’m not sure where this guy gets his information. It doesn’t match any of my testing with our saltwater pool. I wonder if his water is bad to start with.

Even if i get the water from the ocean

Another fact, anything that can corroded will corrode if it is anywhere in the vicinity of your pool. Expect anything close by to rust.

Now that 25 lb bucket of Chlorine cost $186 salt water generator looking real good come this summer ill go though 50 lbs of Chlorine I'm in Phoenix so no heater needed.

Clorine is 160 dollars for a 5 pound bag there is a shorage so looks like salt it is

Meanwhile, I love my salt system here in Florida!!

The information on water chemistry is good but calling salt BAD is bias. A non-chlorine generation system requires a high cost of chemicals JMO

I have chlorine and no issues. Last 10 years zero issue. Chlorine never burn my eyes.

Salt is the ONLY way to go. Ph is much easier to deal with than all the issues with a non salt water pool

....good clarification on the absolute fact that your “salt water” pool is still using chlorine. And instead of buying processed chlorine which is made via electrolysis of salt (brine) with DC power, you are doing the processing via your convertor and now forced to deal with the issues associated with that process.

Chronically high? I add some baking soda in my salt water pool and BAM, PH in range.

The alternative to chlorine or salt is Bio, it’s amazing 🎉😂😢

Even if I have around 8 PH that's fine It's same as Mexican gulf

Advantage is you can pee in it

Spend the extra 2k for the salt chlorinator. You will be happy with your choice. easy maintenance and much less costs on chemicals. This guy doesn't know what he is talking about.

This is pool bro science.

Salt water

Nice summary. Exactly the reasons I do not have a salt water and never will.

My friends all have salt water pools and I always found my skin to be so dry after swimming in their pools. I just bought a house that has a pool, it’s a chlorine pool and the water feels so much nicer than my friend’s pools that are saltwater. I have no chlorine smell and the water doesn’t dry my hair or my skin. When I first bought this house with the pool I thought for sure that I would be switching it over to a saltwater (because that seemed to be the popular move these days). I won’t do it. No way! I have an automatic chlorinator, my ph, alkalinity, hardness, everything is perfect and it’s not hard to maintain at all. Two neighbours across the street have saltwater and one had to get a new heater this year and the other one had to have their heater repaired, both because of corrosion, their heaters are 7 and 8 years old. The heater for my pool is almost 15 years old! I don’t see any benefit to this. There is no way that dropping a hundred pounds of salt is easier than a couple of chlorine pucks in my automatic chlorinator! And the water feels so much better without all of the salt in it. There are also some city’s now that won’t let you drain your salt water pool into the sewer system so you have to pay a company to remove that water in the fall when you drain the pool for the winter. I think the idea behind salt water pools came from salt manufacturers! People use less salt in their food and most people don’t even use salt on their sidewalks for deicing anymore. They needed people to buy lots of salt and convinced all of you that it was better and less work than a chlorine puck! 😂

Wow. And this is a guy calling himself a "pool expert". Ridiculous. We have had, in Florida, a salt pool for over a decade. No issues at all. Our family in Australia (and almost all Australian pool owners) have a salt pool and it is trouble free too. And he calls "chlorine" out as his "Number 1 Bad Fact"? As I said, ridiculous. ALL pools need to have their water quality checked. And when done properly it is dead easy to keep them in range. A salt pool is way easier on the eyes and skin, MUCH easier and CHEAPER to maintain, and the "bad facts" he is blabbering about don't exist.

My ph always high

Lol, just say you want to bill them for chlorine man

W.O.W.

I dont understand the saltwater pool concept. I dont see any upside. My neighbor had a nightmare with his system after changing to saltwater. He said it was healthier and I just laughed because he always had that Cali mentality that was always costing him more with no provable benefits. After about 5 years he finally started thinking normal again and got rid of that west coast insanity and is happier and healthier than he's ever been.

Ok so anything positive about my salt water pool?🤷🏻😂

The Ph story is so not true....I've been working with my salt water pool and the ph is ALWAYS in the correct zone....

My ph does drift upwards. Boric acid has helped stabilize it somewhat.

I will never have another pool with chlorine tablets, salt water pools are the way to go Cheaper an easier an love the filling in water. I have no issues of ph either your wrong buddy

It's crazy how many know-it-alls give their "professional opinion" in the comments section ... I've been a professional pool cleaner for over a decade and this guy knows exactly what's up