Now that the saltwater swimming pool is gaining attention, are you wondering if you can switch to a saltwater swimming pool from a chlorine swimming pool?
You might have other reasons to consider the change, which is fine. The contention is, is that even possible?
Yes, you can switch your swimming pool from being chlorinated to a saltwater swimming pool. You sure need a guide on how you can do that. This article is perfectly suited for you.
Before we see how we can change our chlorinated swimming pool to a saltwater pool, let us get into some necessary details.
Table of Contents
Advantages of Changing to a Saltwater Swimming Pool
There are several advantages that saltwater swimming pools have over the chlorine swimming pool. Here they are:
Saltwater is cool to the body than chlorine.
Chlorine seems harder on the body than salt water, and moving to saltwater is good if you ask me. The only issue is that saltwater is not free of chlorine.
If the chlorine level is in a stable form in a saltwater swimming pool, you will be able to swim in the pool without feeling any hurt in your eyes when you open the pool. Also, when you get out of the swimming pool, you won’t feel the dryness you always feel on your skin and hair when using a chlorine swimming pool.
People using saltwater swimming pools feel better in a saltwater pool than in a chlorine swimming pool.
Cheaper maintenance
It takes a little to maintain a saltwater swimming pool. A chlorine swimming pool is more expensive to maintain. The rate at which a saltwater swimming pool will be cheaper to maintain than a chlorine swimming pool is dependent on several factors like your environment, the pool size, etc.
You would have to spend hundreds of dollars for a chlorine swimming pool. Also, there will be a time when you have to change the chlorinator cell. The replacement should be done at the frequency of 5 years.
You will also have to worry about spending on the chemical needed to keep the swimming pool water balanced. This is the upside of a saltwater swimming pool; you don’t have to spend as much on the chemicals to keep the water stable and balanced.
Pretty safer than chlorine swimming pools
The fact that there are fewer chemicals in a saltwater swimming pool is enough to justify the safety of saltwater pools.
It smells better
You know that smell that has been attached to a swimming pool. Yes, that specific one on your mind is caused by chlorine in a swimming pool.
This is absent in the saltwater swimming pool. Trust me; this is a huge deal for many people who love swimming.
Disadvantages of Saltwater Swimming Pool
You don’t expect the saltwater swimming pool to be perfect without any downsides.
- Huge initial investment
I know I said earlier that saltwater pools cost less to maintain. The initial cost of making a saltwater swimming pool might be a little on the high side.
Saltwater pools can streamline the kind of heaters and lighting that you can use with your pool.
How Much Will it Cost to Change to Saltwater Swimming Pool
A Saltwater swimming pool is not all that expensive, depending on your pocket. It does not matter if you are starting a saltwater swimming pool or you want to switch to a saltwater swimming pool.
You will need specific equipment for your saltwater; this includes a chlorinator and a sacrificial anode. You can get some chlorinator for around $800, while others can be as high as $2500. The sacrificial anode stops the salt in the pool from corroding the metals in contact with the pool water.
Then, you have to consider how much the person you hire for the services will charge. You may have to prepare about 2000$ for this.
These initial costs should not bother you much, as maintenance is not as costly.
How to Change your Chlorine Swimming Pool to Saltwater Swimming Pool
Here is a detailed guide on how you can switch from a chlorine swimming pool to a saltwater swimming pool:
Use the appropriate system
You should get a larger system than required for salt systems, pumps or heaters. You will need a system built slightly above 10000 gallons if your swimming pool is 10,000 gallons.
You want to know the capacity of your swimming pool. First, know the depth of your swimming pool.
You will need the depth of the shallow end and also the depth of the end. Multiple them, and divide them by 2. This gives the average depth of your swimming pool, measured in cubic feet.
Now, we want to calculate the swimming pool’s capacity or volume. It would help if you multiplied the length, width, and average depth.
The answers you get should be multiplied by 7.5. This is because there are 7.5 gallons per cubic foot.
In short, you are calculating length multiplied by average depth multiplied by width multiplied by 7.5.
Getting the right locations
You will need a perfect spot for your saltwater system. To change the swimming pool, you must replace the chemical feeder with a salt system. Don’t proceed with the process without turning off necessary things.
Don’t tamper with the plumbing.
Make sure that you don’t overturn or overtwist. You can keep things in check using a PVC check valve. This keeps the water from flowing back through your pumping system.
Before installing your salt system, it would be best if you cleaned the PVC pipe using primer and glue built for the saltwater swimming pool.
Hook the control the panel up
Set your control panel and the power supply in a location suitable. The location should be around the chlorine generator chord. After this, make sure to connect to the power supply. You can get an electrician to help with the electricity, considering it is close to water.
Now, you can add salt.
This is the last step in the process. You need to add the salt in the right proportion, relative to the capacity of your swimming pool and the salt level already in the swimming pool. Though, there will be next to no salt in the swimming pool.
You only need to add 30 pounds of salt per 1000 gallons. This is the generally recommended quantity. Just pour the salt inside the pool. Get the salt to circulate in the swimming pool. After about 24 hours, you can then put the generator to work.
Get the surrounding area ready.
I stated earlier that saltwater could corrode metals around the pool. You might wonder if salt is just about ten percent of the swimming pool. This is enough to corrode the things around.
You might need to change some swimming pool amenities because of this switch. The salt can affect a wooden deck, mortar, metals, and chrome. A zinc anode can douse the effect of the salt.
Final Thoughts
Yes, you can switch from a chlorine swimming pool to a saltwater swimming pool. The switch can be advantageous.
