Picking the best salt system is very tricky. I like a lot of them from the Jandy TruClear to the Circupool RJ Series. THE CMP (owned by Jandy now) is great! The Ichlor is not bad either and Pentair seems to have fixed all of the initial issues.
I default to what is best for your pool rather than push a brand. If you have a pool of 30,000-40,000 gallons the Circupool RJ Series or the CMP and even the IntelChlor IC60 would be good choices. But if you have a pool of 20,000 gallons or less the Jandy TruClear would be a great fit.
Of course, I am all for making things easy so if you have a Pentair Intelichlor cell and want to upgrade, the iChlor would be easy and fit in the same spot without any replumbing needed. You can even use the same power unit or if it is attached to automation you can just purchase the cell only (with the special retrofit union). If you have a Jandy Aqaupure cell you can purchase the TruClear with the unions and it will fit right in the same area that your old cell came out of. You will need the new power unit however so it is not exactly plug-and-play like the Pentair iChlor.
I like the Jandy TruClear because it is affordable and more importantly the replacement cell is under $500. It also has a nice clear plastic top that will allow you to see if the cell plates have calcium buildup and you can also check to see if chlorine is being produced by the way of bubbles bouncing around the top of the clear window. It does not have a salinity meter which means you will have to purchase a digital salt meter. Not a major drawback.
You don't save any money when you convert to a salt pool. It cost a lot more than using Chlorine or Bleach in your pool. Factor in the cost of the unit plus installation, say $1,500, and then a new salt cell every 3-5 years at $500, and the salt to start at $150 and you’re looking at over $2,000 for the first 5 years. And this is a low estimate in some regards. You would have to spend over $400 a year on chlorine to match that number. Typically, you are not spending over $100-$200 a season for your chlorine.
I am pretty honest about the true benefit of a saltwater system, the fact that it adds chlorine to the pool without you having to do anything. This means no more trips to the pool store for shock or liquid chlorine. It is a great time saver for sure. But for me, that is the only benefit.
With that said, a saltwater system is a preference. And if you can absorb the cost of the system and don't mind the extra overall cost of a salt pool, then it is the way to go. I mean who wants to add tablets and liquid chlorine or shock every week to their pool? With a Saltwater Generator connected to your pool equipment, you can set it and forget it. Of course, there is some maintenance required like cleaning the salt cell, making sure the salt level is good, and setting the output to the correct setting to chlorinate your pool, but for the most part, it is much easier than trying to maintain a steady chlorine reading during the season by manually adding chlorine to the pool.
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