Knowing your swimming pool's Salinity
Level often referred to as the pool's “Salt Level” is very
important in insuring a Salt Water Pool is properly sanitized. If the
salt level is too low the salt cell will not produce chlorine or will
produce it at a much lower level. So proper testing at the beginning
of the pool season and during the season is critical.
If you have a salt system that displays
the salinity level of the water, generally that reading is accurate.
But there are a few things that could give the system a false salt
level reading. If the salt cell has a lot of calcium build up on the
plates inside of it, a false salinity level is often displayed. I
suggest inspecting the salt cell monthly and cleaning it when needed.
Some systems will indicate when the cell is dirty and needs cleaning.
So a salt cell with a lot of build up can give the system a false
salinity level.
If the salt cell is old and near the
end of it's useful service lifespan, a false salinity reading can
also be displayed. The salt cell just is not working correctly
anymore, which also effects the salinity displayed on the control
panel. Likewise, if the control center or power unit also has a
problem, it can display a false salinity level. Very cold water can
also throw off the salinity reading giving you a false low salt level
reading.
So just relying on the salt system to
display the salinity level for you can be problematic in the above
listed situations. That is why I suggest using an alternate method of
checking the pools salinity level. You can do this with a digital
salinity tester, sodium chloride test strips or taking a sample into
your local pool store for testing.
My preferred method of checking the
Salinity Level is with a digital salinity tester. This is the most
accurate and reliable method, as well as the easiest. There are many
testers available online, some as inexpensive as $25.00. I prefer
using the HACH or LaMotte brands, but of course the price is higher
but the reliability and workmanship are factored into the higher
price.
Here are the two I use on my pool route
which are priced around the $90 range:
Salinity Tester (Salt level) #9531600 by
Hach®:
TRACER PockeTester with Carrying Case by
LaMotte – Salt/TDS/Temp:
Simply dip the tester in the water
sample and the pools salinity level is displayed on the screen. The
results are accurate to +/- 1%. So the results of the test are quick
and reliable every time.
The next method is
with test strips, like the AquaChek
561140A Salt Water Swimming Pool Test Strips.
This
method is fairly easy but you only get a ballpark reading and there
is also user error since you have to watch for a color change in the
strip. The test takes about 3-4 minutes and the results are accurate
to a point. You will at least know within a margin of error the
salinity level in the water. The strips are very inexpensive, around
$10.00:
The
last method is to take a water sample in to your local pool store and
they will test the salt level for you. There is nothing wrong with
this at all, except that you are going into a pool store and will
likely walk out with products. But your local pool store would be
happy to check your salt level for you. This method is usually free
so utilize your local retail store and support small business in your
area.
So
these are the methods you can use to check your pools salt level.
Check it often to make sure your salt system is working correctly and
that chlorine is being produced to sanitize your pool.
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my Website: http://www.swimmingpoollearning.com/
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