# Dumped 400# of Table Salt into my Swimming Pool last night



## Melensdad

So we got this new thing for our pool, it converts slightly salty water into chlorinated water.  It completely eliminates the need for chorine cartridges, tablets, shock, etc.  Its in line after the water comes out of the filter and heater.  But you pour salt into the water.

Anyone have one of these?  Its an "IntelliChlorl" unit.


----------



## Big Dog

Sounds like a lobster boil to me..................


----------



## bczoom

Never heard of it (but I don't have a pool).

I am curious though, where did you get the salt in bulk and if you don't mind me asking, what did it run?
I recently picked up a 25# bag of table salt for around $4.00.


----------



## Melensdad

Well the heater is set to 90.


----------



## Melensdad

Brian, I got the salt from the pool guy who installed the pool, it was built into the price of the pool.  The bags were 40 pound bags.  I don't have an itemized cost.  This is supposed to last until spring, when I will have to find a local source and buy more.


----------



## Cowboy

Melensdad said:


> Brian, I got the salt from the pool guy who installed the pool, it was built into the price of the pool. The bags were 40 pound bags. I don't have an itemized cost. This is supposed to last until spring, when I will have to find a local source and buy more.


 

 Just a thought MD , but using that much salt I would check into the salt mines in your area for bulk salt I beleive there are a few in indiana . 

  I used to haul table salt from carey salt in Hutchinson KS to a dog food plant in columbus Nebraska by the semi load . There were allways others there getting it in 55 gallon barrels & even pickup loads for farm & water softner uses I,m assuming . I dont remember how much it was but it was cheap


----------



## XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Water softener salt is only around $4 a 40lb bag.  It can't be too expensive.


----------



## EastTexFrank

No Bob, I haven't a saltwater pool (yet) but more and more people around here seem to be going in that direction.  My neighbor had his converted over this spring and so far he loves it.  He says it is so much easier to maintain.

I flirted with the idea two years ago because we went off for a couple of weeks, it was really warm, and returned to a green slime hole.  I spent the rest of the year and a fortune in chemicals trying to reclaim it.  Eventually I decided to get a pool service and let them worry about it.  

Keep us updated on how you like it.  Later this year or more likely next spring, I have to have the pool drained and replastered and I may have it changed over at that time.


----------



## OhioTC18 RIP

Salt water pools are becoming more and more popular around here.


----------



## fogtender

Harder to drown since you float more in salt water....... 

Course then people will want to harpoon you if you look like an small ocean too....

Just sayin...


----------



## muleman RIP

If I did not have a steel above ground pool I would be very interested in trying this type of unit. Would pay for itself in the amount of chlorine we use in a few years. I shut mine down a week ago and now I have to get the winter cover put on it.


----------



## Melensdad

muleman said:


> If I did not have a steel above ground pool I would be very interested in trying this type of unit. Would pay for itself in the amount of chlorine we use in a few years. I shut mine down a week ago and now I have to get the winter cover put on it.



Well mine is ONLY open this late into the season because its brand new and I am still waiting for delivery of my winter cover.  The arrival of the winter cover will determine when I close down my pool!  I'm hoping it arrives by mid-October.  In the mean time I'm enjoying the hot tub portion of the swimming pool (_our pool and hot tub are connected_).  I am no longer keeping the pool water warm but the hot tub is running about 100 degrees and feels great on these cool nights 

The SALT system is pretty interesting, so far I've had to do NOTHING to the pool (other than cleaning) but the computer controlled salt system is doing everything automatically and I don't have to do anything until the little light flashes to add more . . . so far its not flashing!


----------



## Dargo

I only use the robot to clean the pool, about twice a week, and I spend about $70 on chemicals for my 20X40 pool a year.  It doesn't seem to be able to get much easier or less expensive for me.  My neighbor was heavily pitched on using salt water in his pool he had installed this spring.  He opted against salt water.

As I mentioned, chemical costs for me are minimal.  I don't see ever reaching a break even point for any expense to convert.  Besides, with my wife having a 300 gallon salt water fish tank in our home for over 20 years, I want absolutely NOTHING to do with salt water anything!  I bet I have $40k in that stupid fish tank.

My question would be how does salt water not corrode fittings etc. in short order and there are more living organisms in salt water than anywhere else on earth.  My thought was that the light chlorine was to kill all these things; not give them a better environment in which to thrive.  I guess I don't get it.  Besides, with the ease of upkeep and very low annual costs, I wouldn't consider going to salt water if it were free.  I can think of hundreds of down sides of doing so and not many positives.  Wouldn't backwashing your filter kill your yard if you pump salt water into it?  Like I said, I just don't get it.


----------



## Pandabear

EastTexFrank said:


> No Bob, I haven't a saltwater pool (yet) but more and more people around here seem to be going in that direction.  My neighbor had his converted over this spring and so far he loves it.  He says it is so much easier to maintain.
> 
> I flirted with the idea two years ago because we went off for a couple of weeks, it was really warm, and returned to a green slime hole.  I spent the rest of the year and a fortune in chemicals trying to reclaim it.  Eventually I decided to get a pool service and let them worry about it.
> 
> Keep us updated on how you like it.  Later this year or more likely next spring, I have to have the pool drained and replastered and I may have it changed over at that time.



I had the same question and that's how I found this forum. If we put a pool cover over the pool, will it heat up too much and increase the slime we see? I wouldn't want to make it worse. But it seemed to me that the 'dark' would stop the algae from growing? I don't want to use salt because I have two kids and my wife doesn't like 'chemicals.'

Thanks.


----------



## Melensdad

As the thread came back up we had the pool running on salt water all last summer without any grief.  I did turn down the "salt generator" and that actually created a minor problem for me as we had a period of bright sunshine that was evaporating the chlorine so I had to shock the pool with regular pool shock.  I then turned the "salt generator" back up a bit and left it alone.  All was good after I stopped messing with it.  

FWIW, I added 40# of salt during the whole of last season.

We do use a solar cover on the pool when we are not swimming in it, it did not seem to 'increase' any slime issues but it did save the chlorine from evaporating in the bright sunlight when the pool was not being used.  I don't use a safety cover during the summer months.  Didn't have one on my old pool, didn't install one on this pool when it was built.


----------



## Pandabear

Melensdad said:


> As the thread came back up we had the pool running on salt water all last summer without any grief.  I did turn down the "salt generator" and that actually created a minor problem for me as we had a period of bright sunshine that was evaporating the chlorine so I had to shock the pool with regular pool shock and bought some pool covers Indianapolis. I then turned the "salt generator" back up a bit and left it alone.  All was good after I stopped messing with it.
> 
> FWIW, I added 40# of salt during the whole of last season.
> 
> We do use a solar cover on the pool when we are not swimming in it, it did not seem to 'increase' any slime issues but it did save the chlorine from evaporating in the bright sunlight when the pool was not being used.  I don't use a safety cover during the summer months.  Didn't have one on my old pool, didn't install one on this pool when it was built.



Great news, good to hear that the cover doesn't increase slime. I also found some organic ideas for pool salt (it's akin to ocean water!). Thanks, mod.


----------



## Melensdad

What isn't organic about salt?  I thought the pool salt was essentially finely ground table grade salt (without additives).


----------

