How To Spice Up Your Swimming Pool With The Best Pool Salt

Chlorine has been used as a sanitizing agent in swimming pools for decades. Over the last few years, however, hoteliers and homeowners have been ditching chlorinated pools for their saltwater counterparts. Several reasons have been sighted for this, chief among them being chorine’s harshness to the body and its environmental impact.

That does not mean saltwater pools do not use chlorine to keep their water clean and sparkling, they actually do. Saltwater pools are equipped with systems that generate chlorine from pool salt.

Saltwater pools have an ideal salt level of around 2700-3400 ppm (parts per million). Although this may sound like a lot, it’s not even enough for your taste buds to detect it. On the other hand, ocean water is ten times saltier than a saltwater water pool since it contains around 35,0000 ppm.

Saltwater pools are more friendly to the eyes, skin, and hair compared to chlorinated pools. Their softer and silkier water makes them an easy choice for pool lovers. 

Besides their gentleness on the skin, saltwater pools are easy to maintain, provided you know how and when to add salt. Here is how the chlorine generation happens and what you need to do to get started with a saltwater pool:

Buy A Chlorine Generator

A chlorine generator is the primary piece of machine you’ll need for this kind of pool. The chlorine generator breaks dissolved salts into sodium hypochlorite and hypochlorous acid (chlorine) through electrolysis. Both sodium hypochlorite and hypochlorous acid are the sanitizing agents used in chlorine-based swimming pools. Hypochlorous acid eventually reverts to salt in a saltwater pool. Due to the continuous process of chlorine generation, chloramines cannot build up in the pool.

A salt chlorine generator typically costs $500. However, the generator is just one component of the saltwater pool system. Other components include a saltwater filter and chlorination system all of which costs anywhere between $1500 and $2500

Determine Your Optimum Salinity Level

The ideal salt levels for the pool depends on what your chlorination system can support but generally falls anywhere between 3000 and 5000 ppm. Some saltwater pool systems may have a little variance, so you’ll want to check your manufacturer's manual for the recommended salinity.

Check Your Existing Salt Level

Before we get to the best pool salt to use for such pool systems, you’ll have to test the pool’s current salt level. Of course, if you just filled your pool with fresh water, it will probably have close to zero ppm. However, pools can naturally acquire up to 500 ppm of salt over time. To test the current salinity levels, you can use salt water test strips, which are easy to use. If you can’t get the strips, you can take water samples to a pool store near you for a more accurate result and they will most likely test it for free!

Get The Best Pool Salt

Now it’s time to get some salt from the store. Any salt labeled ‘pool water salt’ is generally accepted, although “Water Softener Salt” may be the best salt for swimming pool because it’s cheaper and readily available. Pool salt typically comes in 40lb bags, which often range from $5-$7. Non-iodized salt with pure sodium chloride (NaCl) levels of at least 99.8% is typically the best pool salt. Be sure to avoid salts with anti-caking agents as they may stain your pool.

Add Salt To The Pool

Assuming you have already installed your saltwater chlorination system, have it turned off when adding salt until it is fully dissolved. Pour the salt directly to the body of the pool, particularly in the shallow areas where it can dissolve faster. The dissolution rate will depend on the texture of its granules.

It is advisable to run the pump for at least 24 hrs to ensure the salt is completely dissolved and that it’s well circulated.

Tip: You don’t have to dissolve all the salt necessarily; you can spare 10% of it just in case you did not calculate the size of your pool correctly. The best approach is to add 90% of the salt and retest the salinity level just to be sure before adding the remaining salt. In case you find the water is already too salty, you can drain and dilute it with fresh water.