Top 5 Salt Water Chlorine Generator Problems

Let me start off by saying that we are huge proponents of salt water chlorine generators and do recommend them to most customers.  However, there is no such thing as a perfect system.  The purpose of this article is to bring to light several of the issues we’ve seen with salt water chlorine systems after installing close to 1,000 of them over the past 8 or 9 years.  As you’ll see, most of the issues we’ve encountered haven’t been with the actual salt water systems, but with the impact that the system has on other pool components.     

 

1.  Corroded handrail and ladder anchors

The high salinity level of the water does cause galvanized deck anchors to corrode prematurely.  We’ve found that within 4 to 5 years of installing a salt system that galvanized deck anchors will corrode to a point where it is difficult or impossible to remove the handrail or ladder.  The solution to this problem is to use brass anchors as opposed to galvanized steel.  If you are considering installing a salt system on an existing pool with galvanized deck anchors it would be a good idea to spray them with some type of corrosion inhibitor to slow the deterioration process.  If you are having a new pool built, make sure the contractor uses brass anchors.

 

2.  High Chorine

One of the greatest advantages of salt water systems is that you reap the benefits of a chlorine pool without the adverse effects associated with chlorine.  This is wonderful….no strong smell, no burning eyes, etc.  The disadvantage is that it’s possible to generate a high level of chlorine in the pool and never know it.  This can have an adverse effect on the pool shell, pool equipment, etc.  To keep this from happening, simply test chlorine levels on a weekly basis. 

 

3.  Cell Replacement

Although salt chlorinators typically cost less during a given season than chlorine, there will come a day when the cell, which is the component of the machine that converts salt to chlorine, will fail.  The cost of cell replacement may off-set the savings experienced over the previous years.  The average cost of cell replacement is $800-$1200 and the average life expectancy is 4-8 years.  There are many wonderful advantages of salt chlorine systems, but my experience is that cost savings is not one of them in the long run. 

 

4.  Tough on Auto Covers

There’s simply no getting around this one.  Salt systems are tough on the metal components of automatic covers.  Many of the major components of “auto-covers” such as the track system, the tube the cover rolls up on, the hardware, and the leading edge are all made of metal.  The best way to prevent premature corrosion of these components is to periodically rinse them with fresh water from a garden hose.    

 

5.  Corrodes vinyl liner pool walls

This applies to inground and above ground vinyl liner pools with metal walls.  Most vinyl pool builders today use polymer/plastic walls, so this is not so much an issue with new construction of liner pools.  However, if you are considering building a vinyl liner pool with a salt system, do yourself a huge favor and avoid metal walls like the plague!  Regarding above ground pools, it’s debatable whether the low-maintenance aspects of the system outweigh the impact that the salt water has on the metal wall structure of the pool.  After doing many liner replacements on above ground pools with and without salt water systems, I can tell you that there is a significant difference in the amount of corrosion on the wall after a very short period of time.  It’s a question of how long you want your pool to last.  In my estimation, you’ll get 10-15 years out of an above ground pool with a salt system as opposed to 20-25 years without.

 

Taking all of these issues into consideration, you need to ask yourself the question:

 

Do the benefits of salt water chlorine generators outweigh these problems?

 

In my opinion, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”  Although there are cases where salt chlorine generators may not be the best alternative, for the majority of pool owners throughout the world it’s tough to beat the superior water quality and low maintenance of a salt water pool. 

 

Thanks for visiting, comments and questions always welcome!

 

Should I Get a Salt Water System in my Pool?

Now that the summer is here, many pool owners are again facing the question that they've been asking themselves for the past few years now: Should I get a salt water system in my swimming pool?

For those readers that are already enjoying the wonders of salt, please feel free to go back to doing whatever you were doing. But for the many that have still not decided to take the plunge, please consider the following arguments to be made for such a wonderful piece of technology:

‘It Costs Too Much'

Yes, salt chlorine generators do cost a good bit of money. The average system is anywhere between $800-$2000 installed, but look at it this way: Swimming pool owners that use salt, in many cases, will spend less than $100 a year on chemicals. Yep, $100. Pretty awesome, huh? Without  salt, I've seen regular chlorine users spend well over $300 a season on chemicals. Compound this over the course of 5 years or so and you've easily paid for the system. And as for Baquacil users, the savings are monumental. It's nothing for a Baquacil user to spend over $500-$1000 on chemicals alone for just one pool season. For this reason, it is my opinion that anyone using Baquacil over salt may need a head examination.

‘It's Too Hard to Maintain'

Say what?? Salt water pools make for the ultimate low maintenance swimming pool experience. Most users check their water once a week to make sure the system is producing natural chlorine. Beyond that, there is very little one needs to do, other than balance the water on occasion. This is also why salt water pools are perfect for people with weekend homes or those that are constantly traveling and thus unable to attend to their pool. With its consistent feed of natural chlorine in the water, salt practically eliminates the ‘hard work' and vigilance issues that come with swimming pool ownership.

‘It Will Hurt My Eyes'

Again, almost never true. Keep in mind that salt pools are nothing like what we swim in when we're in the ocean. In fact, salt pools have 1/10 the level of salt that an ocean has. To give you an example, my son is 6 years old and he rarely uses goggles in our pool, despite the fact that he's is under water 50% of the time and always has his eyes open. And of the 1000+ systems we've installed, I've never had a customer that said their eyes were adversely affected by the salt.

‘It Tastes Funny'

Well, I guess if you like to drink pool water this could be the case....But seriously, just as I mentioned in the last paragraph, the salt levels are so low in the pool that most people don't even know they are swimming in it. Yes, you can taste it just slightly if you lick your lips while in the pool, but again, no customer has ever told me this was an issue of concern.

‘It Will Affect My Pool and Equipment'

Yes and No. There are debates in the pool industry as to the effect of salt water on concrete pools, with the majority of professionals, myself included, recognizing that a salt system will cause a concrete pool owner to resurface their pool sooner than they otherwise would have. The real debate lies in just how much quicker salt speeds up the process. As far as a fiberglass pool though, salt will have no impact on the shell's surface longevity. And as far as the general equipment is concerned, the only drawback we've been able to notice as a company is the fact that pump seals (w/the filter system), an inexpensive part to replace, wear out quicker with a salt generator.

 

So there you have it folks. If you are debating the merits of salt in your swimming pool, I do suggest you stop delaying the inevitable and make the call. I've literally had pool owners that have used Baquacil or regular chorine for years switch to salt and absolutely rave about its benefits and ease of use. After all, the whole purpose of owning a swimming pool is to relax more, not work more. Salt chlorine generators will certainly accomplish this goal.

Marcus Sheridan

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Baquacil: Cloudy Water, Problems, and Why It's a Rip-Off

I was sitting with an inground pool customer last night that had owned her previous pool for about 19 years. It was a small, 12'x24' design with only about 7,000 gallons of water. She was in the process of tearing out her old pool and getting a new one, and when the subject of pool chemicals came up she mentioned to me that she had spent $700 this past summer to keep the water clear. Before she even mentioned what type of chemical she had been using, I knew there was only one that could cost so much for such a small pool for just one summer: Baquacil.

Having owned a retail pool store now for almost 10 years, there was a time when we at River Pools and Spas carried Baquacil Products. Being new to the business and wanting to offer a chlorine alternative to our customers, the representatives from Baquacil met with us and told us that not only was it a great chlorine alternative, but we could also make quite a bit of money off of its tremendous residual sales. Seeing Baquacil's popularity throughout the industry, we decided to bring in and promote the product. It did not take us long to realize, though, that the representative from Baquacil had only been partially accurate in his assessment of the product's benefits. Yes, it was quite profitable. No, it was not a good chlorine alternative. In fact, it's the type of product that hurts the swimming pool industry and gives it a bad name. Allow me to explain.

What is it?

Baquacil, which is classified as a Biquanide, is a non bleach/halogenic product whose main oxidizing component is hydrogen peroxide. With peroxide being the main oxidizer, the problem with the system is that waste builds up in the pool water over time and eventually a pink sludge build up results in the pool's plumbing. This is also why most Baquacil users have good success with the product the first year or two, and then have to use more and more ‘Shock' to keep the water clear. Again, this phenomenon is due to the un-oxidized waste build up. Once we as a company started to realize just how ineffective and expensive Baquacil could be after a few years of usage, we started recommending to our customers that wanted to stay on the system to open the pool at least every other year with chlorine, and then they could switch back to Baquacil. Because chlorine is such a great oxidizer, it quickly cleans out any sludge and waste build up, which then allows Baquacil to work effectively again in a more cost-effective manner.

Striving for Low Cost and Low Maintenance

Notwithstanding Chorine's ability to cure this problem, after a few years of selling Baquacil we stopped recommending it to our customers. Because the goal of our business is to promote low-maintenance swimming pool ownership experiences, Baquacil clearly didn't fit the bill. Yes, it was making us a nice supplemental income but it was also leading to many trips to the pool store for our customers and hundreds and hundreds of dollars each summer for clear water. This is why we switched to salt water about 5 years ago and haven't looked back since. Not only have we installed about 700 salt chlorine generators on new pools, but we've also converted another 300-400 customers who were either using regular chorine or Baquacil to salt. Such a conversion, especially for previous Baquacil users, can be a major paradigm changing experience when they go from spending $500-$1500 a year on chemicals to, in most cases, less than $100. The feedback we've gotten since we've made the switch has been phenomenal and as owners of the company, we are happy to know that our customers are now spending very little time at our retail store and much more time as a family enjoying their swimming pool. We've also been thrilled by the fact that we almost never deal with salt customers who have algae in their pool. Baquacil is notorious for allowing algae to grow in the pool and it's incredibly expensive to remove the algae once it has started to grow with Baquacil's weak oxidizing components.

Salt: A Better Choice

To close, I'd just like to recommend to all those pool owners out there that are not currently on salt to consider the option. We've got quite a few articles about salt chlorine generators on this blog and on our website and if you have any questions regarding Baquacil or any other pool chemical for that matter, please don't hesitate to comment below and we'll answer promptly.

As always, happy swimming and don't forget to subscribe to this blog on the upper right hand portion of the page.

Marcus Sheridan, http://www.poolschool.us/