Pools - Saltwater or Chlorine?

[iceman (Mike)]

Hi all

My wife and I are looking at/thinking about getting an above ground pool.

Do you recommend salt or chlorine, and why?
Pros and cons of each?

Also, for any locals, if you have any experience with any pool shops or above ground pool installers, please let me know who I should contact or stay away from

Cheers and thanks.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by iceman

Hi all

My wife and I are looking at/thinking about getting an above ground pool.

Do you recommend salt or chlorine, and why?
Pros and cons of each?

Also, for any locals, if you have any experience with any pool shops or above ground pool installers, please let me know who I should contact or stay away from

Cheers and thanks.

Saltwater definitely. Better/softer on the skin, cheaper to run and maintain. It's only slightly dearer to set-up the first time though but in the long run it's the way to go. Especially with young kids. I hate the smell of strong chlorinated pools.

[Hagar (Doug)]

Having had both types of pool there is not a whole lot of difference overall. Salt is onverted to clorine in a chamber killing the bugs the re converted back to salt in the main pool. Cleanliness is the key to a backyard pool. Diligence in cleaning is required.
The saltwater is a little easier on kids eyes but it also does a good job of killing the garden surrounding it. Both are quite expensive to keep and use. Both take a lot of time and a definite commitment to keep them clean and safe.

My recommendation would be go to the beach regularly but if you go down the pool road and in particular an above ground pool, have it professionally installed. The installation looks pretty easy but a pro installer will make a much better job of the task and make maintenance much easier.

[Barrykgerdes]

As someone who thought a pool was a great idea I installed an above ground pool over 40 years ago. Installation was no problem. Had a lot of fun with it. However upkeep was not worth the trouble. (Mike! You will have no time to run IIS)

Children loved the pool. All I ever got was the maintenance. Kids shy off cleaning pools. That's a well known fact!

After about two years the liner got a couple of holes. I could not get rid if it quick enough. Now I am quite happy to use the neighbour's pools who invite me all the time.

Barry

[Terry B]

As a third option, we had an ionizer on our pool at my last house (in Moree. I don't need a pool in Armidale).

It doesn't have chlorine or salt. The best of both worlds and about the same price.

[RB (Andrew)]

We've tried both Mike and much prefer the saltwater pool.
The kids love the saltwater too, IMO it's much more pleasant to swim in and I find it better to maintain, like Marc said.

Besides, you can't go fishing in a chlorinated pool.

[pgc hunter]

If you are prone to sinus problems, runny nose, hayfever etc. go for salt. I've got a chlorine pool and as soon as I jump in I'm plowing my way through the tissue box.

[Dennis]

We converted from chlorine to salt and the daily maintenance and monitoring workload dropped significantly – it is a no-brainer. However, our pool water is only polluted by 2 responsible adults, no children, parties etc! The salt cells/plates will require periodic replacement; ours seems to need it every 4 to 5 years.

Our pool is an in-ground pool, 9x4.5 metres holding approx 60,000 litres. One person has to dedicate their life to pool chemistry and maintenance otherwise it can easily slide out of balance. They are expensive to maintain!

We also use a Floatron to "keep it clean" and the savings in electricity in the reduced running of the salt water chlorinator and pool pump over 12 months has paid for it already. We make overseas purchases through Carolina, an IIS member who operates PriceUSA a US/Aus import agency. We were very impressed with Carolina’s service.

Cheers

Dennis

From the Floatron website:
Floatron is the original portable and floating water purifier combining solar electric power generation with ionization, resulting in the only solar ionizer manufactured today.

By introducing atomic amounts of specific minerals into water, microorganisms such as algae and bacteria cannot survive. While these ions, or atoms, are completely safe and nontoxic to you, microscopic life forms cannot exist under their influence. Unlike chlorine, which loses potency after only hours, the mineral ions produced by the floatron remain effective for weeks.

[aerobrake (Michael)]

HI mike,

Salt water is the go, as always there are pro's and cons. Salt better on the eyes but will cause corrosion on fences around the pool etc.

i never thought the maintenance was that much of an issue to be honest, I've got trees all around so I do get leaves in the pool but the setup is such that even surface leaves end up in the basket so easily empty once a week or so.

My personal opinion only but I would stay clear of ioniser systems, you are putting heavy metals into your pool which you are then swallowing, yeah I know it very low but its still there, also my brother is a pool guy and he recons about 80% of the ioniser systems he deals with is people having them removed after a year or so of frustration due to lack of performance.

My 2c worth.

Cheers
Mike

[Octane (Humayun)]

<quote>
I saw a commercial for an above-ground pool, it was 30 seconds long. Because that's the maximum amount of time you can picture yourself having fun in an above-ground pool. If it was 31 seconds, the actor would say "The water is only up to here? What do I do now? Throw the ball back to Jimmy? Or put some goggles on and look at his feet?"
</quote>

Ah, Mitch Hedburg, you are missed. :sadface:

H

[kinetic (Steve)]

No one has suggested a deep end option Mike.
Go with that if you go ahead with the pool kit.

Definitely salt water. Minimal maintenance as long as you watch
the chemistry.

I bought the salt a/ground /deep end kit and fitted it myself 3 summers
ago. Mine is excavated half in , half out of the ground on a sloping block.

Also, someone suggested once to me, if you don't go with heating
on your rooftop, then DONT put decking all the way around the pool
because the radiant heating effect of a hot day on the metal wall of
the pool is almost nil. I can't validate this because we didn't deck but
ours is easily up to temp late Oct/early Nov using the cover.

Steve

[wasyoungonce (Brendan)]

We recently put in a 30,000L salt water pool (fibreglass), mid last year.

We used a tri-control unit. It controls chlorine; PH & pumps etc...makes it easier for maintenance. There are many variations of this on the market and they alll principally do the same job.

We have a Jandy cartridge filter. Worst thing ever!

The cartridge filters are hard to clean and generally need cleaning in under 2 weeks between. You cannot get into the pleats even with a HP cleaner. It takes a good 20 mins to clean the filter. Replacement cartridges are hellish expensive $200+ and generally need replacement every 8-10 months. They tout the cartridge as filtering better than 5 micron...it's a croc! They do not! We are so peeved we are looking at replacing with a sand filter.

IMHO do not get a cartridge filter...get a sand filter. You can backwash them for cleaning....bugger the water waste! Cartridge filters are great for the pool supply shops...to keep you coming back to buy!

Solar:
Get a Solar heater system & controller. They add a month or so to the shoulder periods for swimming...keeping the water temp nice'n cosy. But in mid summer turn the heater system to off (or low, or winter mode) as it'll heat the water too much!

Pool Equipment:
You need to protect your pool pumps & controllers etc so we built a pool equipment box. Good idea! But on our part...we put it in the worst place possible! Best piece of bad planning we have ever done! So do your planning for power & plumbing & positioning well in advance!

Astronomy:
Pools & pool decks with steel reinforcement play havoc with local magnetic deviation. My whole pool deck is concrete with sandstone paver's & my compass is out by 10 degrees! So if you hold a come & set up observing party...everyone will be in a tizz trying to find magnetic south!

I also wonder about the effect of the pool environment ...aka salt water...on my astro gear. I guess time will tell!

Apart from all the above...it's great...come on in!

[iceman (Mike)]

Thanks for all the advice so far. I'll respond in more detail shortly.

My wife thinks there is some regulation that with a new pool, you must have a water tank as well. Is that true?

[starlooker (Duc)]

Wow, I just got a good education on pools!

[wavelandscott (Scott)]

I've only had "in ground" pools...but both salt and chlorine...prefer the salt.

As has been noted, pool chemistry is an art that needs to be mastered for longer term enjoyment (think collimation of a reflector)...

We don't have one now (aside from it being winter and freezing here) but miss having one a lot. Kids swam nearly daily and after a long day at work I too enjoyed a refreshing dip regularly.

[Paul Haese]

13 years ago I had a salt pool, around 12 meters long. One thing I can say is that I ended up doing nearly all the maintenance on the pool and I will never, I repeat never own one of these time sponging units again no matter how hot things get. The bigger the pool the easier it is to keep clean and free of nasties. If you have a lot of traffic going in and out of the pool the cleaning gets intense. Body fat makes its way everywhere no matter how much people wash before getting in and then often people just get lazy. People say they will help but this does not last long. Either you or your wife will end up cleaning the monster and this gets under your skin.

In my opinion they are not worth the effort. In the end you hate the thing because you will be cleaning it and everyone else will be enjoying it. Don't forget trees drop leaves too. Wind always blows leaves into the pool and this has to be gotten out as quickly as possible.

Good luck with your decision.

[Screwdriverone (Chris)]

Hi Mike,

I have an 8 x 5m inground Saltwater chlorinated pool, and yes, the saltwater is nicer to swim in and doesnt taste yuck if it gets in the mouth, but its worth pointing out that even though there is salt in the water, it is still sanitised by the generation of chlorine gas from the salt in the water by a nifty electrolysis type chlorinator. Why I mention this is that even in a salt water pool, if the chlorine level is too high (I know it sounds strange, but its true) then you still get burning eyes and a strong smell. With my pool on 3/5 level for chloring generation and running at 6-8 hours a day filtering, it remains sparkling for MONTHS by simply having the Kreepy Krauly connected which sucks up the gunk like leaves etc. The electricity costs (adds about $100 per quarter) are the pain rather than time or fiddly water levelling on my pool.

My best suggestion is to go with a simple filter on the above ground pool and use your local pool shop's water testing service (free at my one) to TELL you what needs to be done with the water. Once you get the hang of it, its a doddle to add this, bring that level down etc and they will tell you EXACTLY what you need to do based on their report of the water test.

Chlorine is a bit fiddly to get the levels right and potentially dangerous to handle, alternatively, chucking in a bag of salt every now and then when it gets low isnt hard, but I still have to add acid or alkali to adjust occasionally which is also hazardous to handle.

6 of one, half a dozen of the other, perhaps the best thing is to visit your local pool shop (yes, like we suggest with beginners and astro clubs) and ask the staff there what the pros and cons are of each. This will give you a good feel as to what your preferred method would be.

A general rule of thumb is, if its going green, add chlorine, for everything else (alkalinity, sunscreen, ph etc) , talk to your pool shop and get your water tested say every 2-4 weeks depending on the clarity of the water.

I hope this helps.

Cheers

Chris

P.S. why not save the cash on the pool and put the observatory in and buy the wife a jacuzzi instead???

[MortonH]

Our daughter (15 months) has eczema and before she goes into a chlorine pool she has to be completely covered with a barrier cream. We also need to limit the time she's in there and then bathe her thoroughly afterwards.

With saltwater we wouldn't need to worry about that stuff.

Morton

[astropolak (Joe)]

I thought I would add my 2c here....
I have a the bad , bad chlorine fresh water pool, it is computer controlled to maintain 1-3ppm chlorine and Ph at 7.4. The pool is very refreshing to use, we never have any smells of chlorine and the water tastes just like your tap water (probably cleaner).

I always talk to people praising their salt water pools as they "never get green" and are "free of chlorine" - the truth of it that their pools are SUPER CHLORINATED most of the time and most of the owners have no idea what the chlorine levels are in their pools....

Fresh water chlorinated pool for me...(With Nature 2)

[JimmyH155]

Here are experiences of JimmyH155

We had an above ground chlorine pool for 15 years. I bought a new liner just after we moved in. Said it was guaranteed for 5 years – lasted 15.
I bought a large filter. The larger the filter, the longer you can get away without cleaning it.
We had trouble with leaves so we bought a “hairnet” You just stretch it over the pool at night and in morning, you can easily brush off all the leaves, then just peel it back when you go swimming.
We never bought a Kreepy Krawley – much too expensive, and the little vacuum gismo that came with the pool was quite adequate.
NEVER buy chlorine from supermarket – RIPOFF
Here in Brissie, the pool shops almost give the stuff away, $5 for 20 litres. AND you can dilute some for SWIMBO to use with all her cleaning fluids – millions times cheaper than buying a bottle of bleach from supermarket.
Chlorine spills? No worries, just wash it off or dunk hands in pool. We only had to add chlorine once a week.
Later years we found this floating thingey that you put one or two large tablets in and it just floats around pool dosing the correct amount of chlorine and other necessary chemicals. This method ensures that you dont put too much chlorine in
We loved it. Finally the liner popped and the steel support rusted away, but that was after at least 20 years!!
My next door neighbour has a salt water pool. His pool is ALWAYS GREEN and the pool shop is constantly calling round