Many of our clients at Pool People ask us about changing their swimming pools from fresh to salt water. Our women clients tell us how much they love the feel of salt water and how kind it is on their skin. We always ask our clients how much that feeling is worth, because when all is said and done, the initial installation and ongoing maintenance costs of salt water are far higher than fresh water.
Salt systems simple take salt water and change it into sodium hyperchloride (chlorine) by running the water through a cylinder with low D.C. voltage, thus splitting and changing the salt molecule. Sadly, the initial installation is expensive up front. For 2-3 years, the pool requires little except standard maintenance and salt.
And then the problems set in. Salt raises the level of total dissolved solids in the swimming pool dramatically, making it necessary to drain and refill the pool every 2-3 years. In addition, pool owners generally experience chemical problems as the water gets thicker and thicker. The pools become cloudy much more frequently, salt levels become unstable, the pools experience bursts of algae for no apparent reason, the PH and alkalinity balance fluctuate wildly, and phosphate readings get out of control. Our salt water clients generally find themselves in a chemical tail spin as they are forced to buy more and different products in an attempt to balance the chemicals in their pools.
At Pool People, we do plenty of maintenance on salt water systems and we frequently join with our clients in battling the chemical instabilities. That is why we don’t recommend salt systems to our clients unless they are prepared for the challenges such systems bring.
If you have questions about whether or not you should change to a salt water system give us a call at 623-362-8888. We will be happy to sit down and compare costs with you and explain in more detail the advantages and disadvantages of salt versus fresh water systems.
Pool People in Glendale, Arizona, provides regular pool and spa cleaning, pool and spa maintenance, pool remodeling, pool and spa repairs, as well as tile cleaning for residents of the Northwest Valley in Phoenix. We also have a fully stocked pool store at 5830 W. Thunderbird Rd., Suite B-6, Glendale, AZ.