Have A Salt Water Pool? Learn To Maintain It The Proper Way

Having a pool to throw some splash in the summer months is really amazing. And what makes it even better is having a swimming pool right in your backyard. Though there are a lot of different types of pools, the most commonly found are saltwater pools. And there are a lot of reasons why they are so popular.

Benefits of Salt Water Pools

As an owner of one, you would agree that they do not require a lot of chlorine for their maintenance. The reason is that they make their own chlorine through electrolysis, which converts salt into chlorine and lye. On top of that, what makes them even more desirable is that they do not come with smelly chloramines and have softer water.

With all the benefits, if that gives you an idea that they would be zero maintenance then you could be slightly wrong. There is very little to be done though which plays a crucial role in its longevity. To break it easier for you, we will break it into the categories of frequency.

What do You Need to Do Daily?

One of the daily tasks that you need to do is clean the pools and their filters regularly. In the long term, this helps to save money and time. Also, you should clean the skimmers and empty the pump basket. Debris can wreak havoc, so you need to get rid of them too. Doing these daily would lessen your burden when it comes to cleaning on a weekly or monthly basis.

What do you need to do weekly?

Your pool’s saltwater pH and chlorine testing is something that you should be checking every week. If “the best pool service” providers are to be believed, maintaining the proper water chemistry and fixing the occasional hiccups are important. If you struggle to do that, then you should get someone who can help you and save your time and efforts.

The normal free chlorine should be 1 to 3 ppm, whereas the pH should be between 7.2-7.6. In case you find your chlorine level to be off, you can adjust your generator. If you have high levels of pH in your pool, then you can use baking soda or sodium carbonate, or muriatic acid to lower it.

What do you need to do monthly?

When it comes to doing the monthly tasks, there are chiefly four things that you need to take care of, namely, salinity, alkalinity, stabilizer, and calcium. The salinity of your pool must be between 2700 and 4500 ppm and the alkalinity should be between 80 and 120 ppm. When it comes to the stabilizer, the levels that you should be aiming for are 70 to 80 ppm. You can use Cyanuric acid or CYA as it is considered the most preferred stabilizer for saltwater pools. The last thing to check is calcium hardness which should be between 200 to 400 ppm to avoid scaling and corrosion.

Is that all?

Apart from all the things mentioned above, you should also open and inspect your saltwater cell. It is important to look for scale build-ups or deposits. If there is no debris, you can reinstall it without any trouble. However, if there are, use a high-pressure hose to flush everything out. For more effectiveness, you can also use an acid wash.