mamapjama Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 We are looking at purchasing a pool for next year. We are the organic eating, avoid chemicals as much as possible types. Is there really a big difference between using the salt water solution for cleaning over the regular chlorine solutions? The guy told me that the salt water solutions that I add convert something to chlorine. So is it basically the same then? The price goes up quite a bit for getting a resin pool over the steel and then it needs a special generator or something. Anyone have any experience or info on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I don't have experience in owning a saltwater pool, but I'd say you'd want to make sure you have the experience of swimming in one before you purchase one. My kids really dislike it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Everyone I know that has a salt water pool loves them! They are easier to maintain. My dc say it does feel different, but it doesn't bother them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I have a friend who has a saltwater pool. They got it because their 2nd daughter has horrible allergies/eczema and the saltwater actually heals her skin. They are very anti-toxin people, so I'd think there would be a huge difference between a saltwater and regular water pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 it's not chlorine but I don't know what they do use. We went to Great Wolf Lodge this weekend. The water tasted like a salty solution, but not like the ocean, not that strong. I personally liked swimming in it. I always sink when I float and this water held me up! Well, let me say that once my eyes were no longer bothered by the water I enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinMominTX Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Salt water pools are awesome and feel really good to swim in. They also make curly hair look really nice when I am done swimming! They were very popular around here for a while. However, people are now finding that the salt interacts with the mortar used around the pool and it is causing many people's decking to crack. I would discuss with a pool contractor the differen types of approved "salt water" decking. We swam in a bromine pool the other day. It was AWESOME and even better than the salt water pools we've been in before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilymax Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 The resort we visit each summer switched from chlorine to salt two years ago. We loved the difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I've never been in a salt water pool before. Does it hurt your eyes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdeveson Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 (edited) Salt! Absolutely. We built our pool five years ago. When it was time to decide, we did some research and opted for salt. It was the best decision we ever made. In a chlorine pool, you pour several gallons of chlorine into your pool all at once almost every week. It's nearly impossible to use it on the same day you do that. For the next few days, the chlorine dissipates slowly until it gets too low, your pool is about to go green, and you do it all again. Chlorine is a known carcinogen. The less you are in contact with, the better. It also irritates the lungs and eyes. With a salt pool, the salt turns very slowly into chlorine in minute amounts -- just enough to keep your pool perfectly clean, not enough that you are aware of it in any way. There is never any chlorine that you can detect in the water. Your hair doesn't turn to hay, your never come out with bloodshot eyes. You certainly can't smell any. The kids don't need to rinse off after the pool. The water in the shower has more chlorine than what they just came out of. The water is like pasta water. You can barely taste the salt -- not like ocean water. We love our pool! We threw in a heater and it's year-round delicious. Edited September 22, 2009 by tdeveson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdeveson Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Regarding the reaction to mortar, they will use non-reactive stuff when they build your salt pool. Ours is five years old and looks exactly like when we had it built. I can see how the salt would damage some materials. All our plumbing is PVC or whatever that white pipe is made of. No metal parts. I'm sure the salt would eat that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdeveson Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I've never been in a salt water pool before. Does it hurt your eyes? On the contrary. It's just about as salty as you are, so it's the most comfortable water for your eyes. It's like saline solution, which is what the doctor would use to clean your eyes. Plain water would irritate them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Salt. We had a horrible time maintaining our pool until we converted to salt system a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamapjama Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share Posted September 22, 2009 So forgive my ignorance but the salt water does turn to chlorine - the same chlorine that would be part of the chemical system, but just a lot less of it correct? So it too would be carcinogenic but in minute amounts. For those of you that did go with the salt water, did you purchase the resin pool? The dealer said that the resin pool has steel wall, the same as the steel pool, but the supports were plastic as opposed to the steel. But the supports aren't in contact with the water. He would be inclined to go with the steel pool, but if I used salt water in it, it would void the warrenty. We are pretty far north. He didn't mention mortar at all. The base of the pool will be gravel and then crusher dust to level it. Then the pool. If that is what and where you mean. Thanks so much for your insight. I definitely am leaning toward the salt water now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I never wanted a pool of our own, till friends had a saline pool. I just *loved* it: how it was to swim in, how easy it was to care for... I would totally go for it, if I had the option of a pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yinne Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 We had one last year, but we also have very hard well water and the hard well water didn't work with the salt generator very well. We ended converting this year to a Nature 2 system http://www.nature2.com/, which is very low levels of chlorine. It worked will with our hard well water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 What is the approximate costs for converting to salt? Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabelen Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 My youngest takes swimming lessons in a salt pool and they don't wear goggles. Her eyes don't sting nor do they go red. All the kids seem happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 We have a traditional chlorine system in our pool, but some good friends of ours have a salt system and love it. We've been in their pool, and I couldn't really tell a difference in the water. Hubby and I have talked about switching over, but we haven't really looked into it, yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.