Optimal Care and Maintenance
Salt water pools require less maintenance than traditional pools, but that doesn’t mean they are maintenance free. In addition to using the highest quality mechanically evaporated salt, you’ll need to test and balance your pool regularly.
For residential pools, we recommend weekly testing of pH and chlorine and monthly testing during the season of total alkalinity, calcium hardness, cyanuric acid, and metals. (Certainly, commercial pools should have their pH and chlorine levels tested more frequently.) In saltwater pools, testing and adjusting pH is very important because the electrolytic process for making chlorine constantly increases the pH. We also recommend monthly testing of salinity levels to ensure they are maintained at the proper level.
Using the highest quality mechanically evaporated salt plus testing and balancing your pool regularly will go a long way toward preventing the turbidity, staining, and scale that can harm a pool and create premature equipment failure. Instead, it will help pool owners get maximum enjoyment from their salt water pool while protecting their investment.
Bob Harper is general manager of pool products at North American Salt Company, a subsidiary of Compass Minerals. He has more than 20 years of experience in the pool and spa industry and is an expert in salt water pool systems. He can be reached via e-mail at harperb@pristiva.net.
