Not Compatible With Salt Water Pools
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A question that comes up a lot with pool owners is whether a particular piece of equipment is compatible with salt water or not. There are a lot of reasons why the answer to this could be confusing or misinterpreted so this article will explain which equipment is compatible with salt water and which is not. Fortunately you will find the answer to be pretty easy to understand with the possible only exception being with pool heaters as there is a little more concern about matching heaters with salt water pools versus other equipment like pumps or filters.
The first point to understand is that increasing the level of salt in your pool by 10x can have some adverse effects on certain parts of your pool. Most pool owners know about this by now or at least know enough to be wary about choosing and using salt water in their pool. You do not need to look very far online to find stories about salt water causing damage to pools and sometimes the damage amounts can be catastrophic. So how can you as a pool owner protect your interests and your investment? The first thing you need to do is increase your knowledge on the subject. The more informed you are the easier you will be able to make decisions about how you care for your pool. A great starting point would be to read this article about Getting informed about salt water pools.
Salt water pools - At the heart of the confusion about pool equipment and compatibility with salt water is the fact that many makes and brands of pool equipment, pumps, pool lights etc. all say right in the owners manual "this product is not compatible with salt water pools". When I used to work as telephone support for one of the largest pool equipment manufacturers in the world this is a call that I would field almost every single day. When you are reading an owners manual for residential grade pool equipment and you see a reference to "salt water pools" this is actually referring to real salt water pools...the kind that killer whales swim in. Sea water has over 25,000 ppm of salt, where a "salt water pool" is more like 2500 to 3500 part per million. 99.9% of pool owners would call their pool a salt pool because it has a salt water chlorinator, but in fact this is a misnomer. This is a regular pool with an electronic chlorine generator. Salt water pools are different and definitely require special equipment suitable for submersion in sea water. As a residential pool owner when you see a warning about salt water pools this does not apply to you.
Pool pumps compatible with salt water
As common of a question as this is you might be surprised to know that there are (as far as I am aware) no pumps on the market whatsoever that are not compatible with a pool with an electronic chlorine generator. Perhaps a pool with a salt system might experience early failure of a pump versus a regular chlorine pool, but even this is a stretch as the quality of water chemistry maintenance is more important than the salinity count in a pool. If you have a salt system for your pool and you have selected a pump to buy but are concerned whether it is okay to use in your pool chances are that there is no problem in using that particular pump.
Pool filters compatible with salt water - Pool filters are very non-technical. Essentially a big tank filled with a filter media. The three types of filters are DE filters, sand filters and cartridge filters. All filter types are compatible with salt water pools so there should be no concern for the make and model that you choose.
Pool lights compatible with salt water - All residential swimming pool lights will list in the owners manual or installation instructions that they are not compatible with salt water pools. This refers to 25,000+ ppm salt levels and not pools with 2500 to 3500 ppm of salt from an electronic chlorine generator.
Pool heaters compatible with salt water - Of all the pool filtration equipment on your equipment pad the heater is the one that carries the most concern for compatibility with salt water. It is not the salt directly which damages the heater, but an increased conductivity in the water from the increased salinity combined with prolonged poor water chemistry, especially the pH level, as this is a chronic problem with most salt water pools. If you maintain your pool outside of a neutral saturation index then you may experience problems over time with either scaling or corrosion. High pH and high TDS associated with salt systems in pools makes the saturation index calculation in the scaling state for most pools. This can lead to the formation of scale on pool surfaces, of which the metal internals of the heater are specifically susceptible to damage. The type of metal that the heat exchanger in your heater is made from will usually determine whether a heater is suitable for use with salt pools or not. Copper, which is the entry level heat exchanger material for many brands of heaters, is the least robust and able to withstand the potential for damaging effects from poor water chemistry and advanced galvanic corrosion. Cupro-nickel is an upgraded exchanger material more suitable to the demanding environment of pools with increased salt levels. Titanium is the best (and most expensive) heat exchanger option but would be the ideal solution to mitigate the damaging effects of high salt levels in the pool. Poor water chemistry balancing can definitely harm any type of pool heater no matter what material the internals are made from.
You are right to be concerned about the potential for damage to your pool equipment and pool surfaces from salt water. In addition to equipment related issues as listed above you must also be aware that pools with electronic chlorine generators may experience issues with staining or pitting of concrete and natural stone decking and coping. It is important to research the materials you intend to use and make sure they can be used along with elevated salt levels. Often this will boil down to needing to seal exposed surfaces regularly. At the end of the day salt water does have some benefits but definitely there are some concerns as well. Most pool owners will end up discovering that many of the benefits of these systems are oversold and you are left with an investment that does not mtet your expectations. You definitely still want to use chlorine in your pool as I identify in this important article on chlorine free pools and generating your own chlorine from salt water is certainly convenient. If you were hoping for more benefits than just the convenience of making your own chlorine then I would encourage you to research the newest technology on the market for water quality management, which is advanced oxidation potential.
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