Time to Upgrade to a Saltwater Pool

Some of the best reasons to upgrade a pool to a saltwater pool are the consistency of having chlorine delivered each day in a measured dose. This will prevent the need to shock a pool and treat it for algae and other issues that arise when a pool zeros out on chlorine. Does the customer save any money by having you install a saltwater generator? Yes and no.

 

If you charge them for tablets and shock it may indeed add up to a cost savings if you add up 5 years of chemicals and the cost of a replacement salt cell. The initial system should last 15 years or more and the only real wear part is the salt cell itself. They are typically rated for 10,000-20,000 hours of use. Prices for a replacement cell are system dependent and they can be as little as $500 to as much as $1,400. So there is no real cost savings but there is a hassle-saving factor that makes a SWG more than pay for itself.

 

One drawback is the constantly rising pH. It’s partly due to the process itself and the chemical reaction and partly due to the turbulence of the salt cell. So although you save on chlorine you may spend a bit more on muriatic acid to keep the pH in check.

 

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.

 

Upgrading is a personal choice and one you should make according to your overall pool care budget. Everything depends on how much more you are willing to spend on not worrying about adding chlorine each week to your pool. I have a Saltwater Pool and I am so used to the convenience of it that I wouldn’t be able to go back to a manual chlorine pool. So, once you convert you probably will not go back either.