Salt Water Pool Maintenance 101: How to Keep it Clean?

This guide will teach you how to take care of a salt water pool for beginners. It will help you keep the salt water pool clean and healthy. From managing salt levels and water chemistry to regular cleaning and preventative measures, this article delves into the essential aspects of salt water pool upkeep.

1. Achieve Optimal Pool Performance With Proper Salt Level

Achieving optimal pool performance in a salt water pool centers on maintaining the correct salt level. Unlike other pool chemicals, salt remains in the water, requiring infrequent additions. Here are 5 ways to keep your swimming pool salt level at the right level.

Initial Salt Addition: For a 20,000-gallon pool, approximately 568 pounds of pool-grade salt (99% pure sodium chloride) is required, equating to around 14 bags of 40 pounds each.
Salinity Range: Maintain salinity levels between 2,700 to 3,300 ppm (mg/l), with an ideal target of 3,000 ppm (3,000 mg/l).
Adding Salt: Turn off certain chlorine generators before adding salt (consult the owner’s manual). Ensure the pool pump is on to circulate the salt.
Dissolving Process: Distribute salt at the pool’s deep end, using a pool brush to aid in dissolving and spreading. Run the pump and filter for 24 hours for even distribution.
Salinity Testing: After distribution, use a digital salinity tester or salt test strips to check levels. Adjust by adding more salt or diluting with fresh water if necessary.

Regularly monitor salinity, especially after dilution events. It’s easier to add more salt than to remove excess. This approach ensures consistent salinity, critical for the efficient generation of chlorine and overall pool health. Regular monitoring and adjustment, guided by these steps, maintain the pool in optimal condition.

2. Cultivate A Healthy Pool With Balanced Water Chemistry

Balancing water chemistry is a cornerstone of maintaining a healthy salt water pool. This involves 5 steps, each critical to the pool’s overall well-being. The steps are listed below.

Test Free Chlorine Levels Weekly: Aim to keep free chlorine levels around 0,8 to 1 ppm (mg/l) for proper sanitization. Despite the salt water generator’s automatic chlorine measurement, a weekly manual test with a liquid kit or test strips is advisable for accuracy. It’s acceptable to have slightly higher levels than 3 ppm due to the even chlorine dispersion by the generator.
Balance Your pH Levels Weekly: Salt water pools naturally exhibit higher pH levels. Regular weekly testing is necessary to maintain pH within the ideal range between 7.2 – 7.6, to prevent skin and eye irritation and scaling on pool equipment. Use pH decreaser or muriatic acid for adjustments.
Manually Test Salinity Levels Monthly: Although salt water generators display water salinity, manual monthly checks using salt water test strips or a digital salinity reader are recommended. This ensures the accuracy of the generator’s readings and correct pool maintenance, especially after heavy rain or significant water drainage.
Monthly Alkalinity Testing: Maintain total alkalinity levels, ideally between 80 and 120 ppm. Due to the high pH from the salt water system, slightly lower alkalinity levels are tolerable.
Monthly Calcium Hardness Testing: Aim for calcium hardness levels between 200 and 400 ppm to prevent harmful calcification and scale build-up in your swimming pool.

In addition to these steps, it’s important to note that the running time of the salt water generator impacts pH levels. Limiting the generator’s operation to no more than 6 to 8 hours daily can help maintain a balanced water chemistry. Regular testing and adjustment of these parameters ensure a healthy and well-maintained salt water pool.

3. Enhance Pool Purity With Efficient Water Circulation

Efficient water circulation is pivotal in maintaining pool purity and uniform salt levels in a salt water pool. Achieving this involves 3 key steps. The steps are listed below.

Test Salinity in Multiple Areas: Use a digital salinity tester to check salt levels around the pool. This ensures that the salt concentration is consistent throughout the water.
Adjust Return Jets: If there are significant differences in salinity readings from different parts of the pool, reposition the return jets. This helps in circulating water in ‘dead zones’ where salinity may be higher.
Maintain Regular Pump and Filter Operation: The pump and filter should run for a minimum of 6 to 8 hours daily. This duration is crucial for promoting adequate water circulation, preventing stagnant areas, and ensuring even distribution of salt and other chemicals.

4. Maintain A Sparkling Salt Water Pool With Weekly Maintenance

Maintaining a sparkling salt water pool necessitates consistent weekly cleaning and maintenance. This routine process is pivotal in keeping the water free from debris and ensuring clean pool surfaces. The 4 pool maintenance steps for a sparkling salt water pool are listed below.

Skimming: Utilize a skimmer net to remove floating debris such as leaves and insects.
Brushing: Employ a pool brush to scrub the walls, floor, and steps, preventing algae growth and dislodging dirt.
Vacuuming: Use a pool vacuum or a robotic pool cleaner to eliminate settled debris and fine particles from the pool floor.
Checking Equipment: Regularly inspect pool equipment, including pumps and filters, to ensure they are functioning correctly.

These tasks not only preserve the pool’s aesthetic appeal but also enhance the effectiveness of the pool’s filtration and chemical treatment systems. Employing a robotic pool cleaner can simplify this process, offering an efficient alternative to manual vacuuming.

5. Ensure Consistent Chlorine Generation By Regularly Monitoring Your Salt Cell

Ensuring consistent chlorine generation in a salt water pool requires regular monitoring and maintenance of the salt cell. This is pivotal to prevent calcium buildup, which can obstruct the cell’s function and lead to inefficient chlorine production. Here are 6 steps for effective salt cell maintenance.

Inspect the Cell Quarterly: Regular inspection of the salt cell every three months is crucial. Check for any visible calcium deposits, which appear as white, flaky spots on the metal plates inside the cell.
Clean the Cell as Needed: If deposits are observed, they should be gently removed. Use a hose for rinsing off loose deposits. For more stubborn build-up, a diluted solution of muriatic acid (1:5 acid to water ratio) can be used. This process involves soaking the cell in the solution for about 10 minutes, allowing it to foam and then rinsing thoroughly.
Follow Safety Precautions: When handling muriatic acid, it’s important to wear protective gear like gloves and a face mask. Moreover, the acid should be added to water, not the other way around, to avoid dangerous reactions.
Limit Chemical Cleaning: While chemical cleaning is effective, it’s advisable to limit its frequency. Frequent use of chemicals like muriatic acid can shorten the lifespan of the salt cell.
Reassemble and Test: After cleaning, reassemble the salt cell and the system. Ensure everything is securely in place before turning the generator back on.
Avoid Overuse of High pH Chemicals: High pool water temperatures and elevated pH levels can accelerate calcium buildup. Therefore, maintaining balanced pH levels and appropriate water temperature is key to reducing the frequency of cell cleaning.

By following these steps, the efficiency and longevity of the salt cell can be maximized, ensuring consistent chlorine generation and overall pool health.

6. Protect Your Pool From Degradation And Buildup With Preventative Measures

Preventative measures are crucial in safeguarding salt water pools from degradation and buildup. The 6 things you can do to keep a salt water pool from getting degraded and buildup are listed below.

Regular Rinsing of Surrounding Areas: Splash out can cause high concentrations of salt outside your pool, leading to erosion, particularly on limestone or other soft stone coping. Regularly hosing down the pool’s surrounding areas prevents this erosion.
Maintenance of Pool Liner: Salt concentrations on the outside of your pool liner should be rinsed off to prevent damage.
Care for Automatic Pool Cover: If your pool has an automatic cover, ensure that its metal tracks and hardware are rinsed with a hose every few weeks to avoid salt damage.
Monitoring for Calcium Carbonate Flakes: White flakes in your pool, typically calcium carbonate, are not salt but a byproduct of high pH and scale formation in your salt cell. These flakes often appear when the salt water generator is first turned on for the season and generally resolve after some time. However, regular cleaning of the salt cell is important to prevent this buildup.
Avoiding Calcium-Based Chlorine Shocks: Salt water generators are prone to calcium buildup; thus, using chlorine shocks with calcium, like cal-hypo shock, should be avoided.
Regular pH Level Testing and Balancing: High pH levels can cause corrosion to your pool equipment. Regular testing and balancing of your pool’s pH levels are vital in preventing this issue.

Implementing these measures diligently will significantly reduce the risk of degradation and buildup in your salt water pool, ensuring a longer lifespan and better pool health.

How Does Salt Water Pool Maintenance Differ From Traditional Chlorine Pool Maintenance?

Salt water pool maintenance exhibits distinct differences compared to traditional chlorine pool care. The 6 distinctions are as follows.

Salt Chlorinator Inspection and Cleaning: Salt water pools necessitate regular inspection and cleaning of the salt chlorinator, a component absent in traditional chlorine pools.
Water Chemistry Maintenance: Both pool types require monitoring of water chemistry levels. However, salt water pools typically need less frequent adjustments due to the continuous chlorine generation process.
Algaecide and Clarifier Use: Occasional use of algaecide and clarifier is common in salt water pools, while traditional chlorine pools may require these chemicals more regularly.
Chlorine Addition: Traditional chlorine pools demand manual addition of chlorine, either in tablet or liquid form, whereas salt water pools generate chlorine automatically through the salt chlorinator.
Chemical Adjustments: Regular pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness adjustments are necessary for traditional chlorine pools. Salt water pools also require these adjustments but may have different frequency and intensity due to the nature of the salt chlorination process.
Cost and Corrosion Potential: Salt water pools can be more expensive to install and maintain due to specialized equipment like salt chlorinators. They also have a higher potential for corrosion, especially in components exposed to salt.

Overall, while salt water pools are often perceived as requiring less maintenance due to their automated chlorine generation, they do have unique requirements and potential challenges compared to traditional pool maintenance.

Is It Easier To Maintain A Salt Water Pool?

Yes, it is generally easier to maintain a salt water pool than a chlorine pool. The salt water generator simplifies chlorine management, reducing the need for frequent chemical adjustments. While annual top-ups of pool salt are required, attention to the salt water generator and salt cell condition remains essential for pool care.

What Chemicals Do You Need For A Salt Water Pool?

Maintaining a salt water pool primarily requires pool salt, chlorine stabilizer, pH decreaser or muriatic acid, and calcium hardness increaser. Additionally, having non-chlorine shock and dichlor shock or liquid shock on hand is advisable for manual pool shocking. Regular testing and adjustment of these chemicals ensure balanced water chemistry. If you want to learn the most common salt water pool maintenance mistakes, read our blog post.