Home Salt Pool Guide

High usage, excess swimmers
Will introduce more pollutants like body oils, perspiration, suntan lotion and so on, and you need to compensate by adding more chlorine. Encouraging pool users to shower first has merit, but welcome to the real world!

Rain
Will usually make the water in your swimming pool lose its clarity (start to turn green, or lose its transparency). Add a shock dose of chlorine (say 3-4 times the daily dose) to get the water back to normal. Check the pH - the water may need acid. When preparing acid solution, remember: water in the bucket first, acid last- DRY acid also known as Lo'N’Slo is a safer option.

Check the water level
Ensure that the water level is never less than halfway up the skimmer opening. If the level is too low, the pump will begin to suck air, and may burn out. 

A little about your Salt Pool
Having saltwater in a pool is really just an alternative way to chlorinate the water. Yes it's healthier in the sense that it's like bathing in the ocean, but its cleansing action is more to do with electrolysis than anything else. Salt, of course, is Sodium Chloride, and chlorine is made when electrolysis occurs in a salt chlorinator. It's not the salt that does the sanitizing; it only provides the raw material to make chlorine! Don't forget that a salt chlorinator is only doing its job when the pump is running!

Salt Pool Maintenance Monthly 

  1. Check total alkalinity and adjust if necessary.
  2. Check salt levels every month. – Please note salt should be added only as instructed and salt content is varied dependant on each individual chlorinators manufacturing salt content.
  3. Clean salt chlorinator cell if needed. Use salt cell cleaner in salt cell jug as per instructions on bottle (not if self cleaner)
  4. Shock pool with Salt Pool Sparkle or Lite during swimming season to stop eye irritation every 2-4 weeks depending on temperature and bather load.
  5. Check PH and dose with pool acid or dry acid (Lo’N’Slo) every 2 weeks if PH is above 7.5
  6. If any sign of green in pool shock with Swim Clear or Power Chlor. 
  7. Add monthly does off AlgiGuard 30Mls per 10.000 Litres.

To Clean Cartridge Filter 

  1. Turn off pump – Utilize chlorinator & turn to the off position.
  2. Remove bleed valve on top of filter.
  3. Unscrew black ring in a clockwise motion take off and then carefully remove lid off filter.
  4. Pull out cartridge.
  5. Hose cartridge with fine point spray until cartridge is clean (this will take 5-10 minutes).
  6. Replace cartridge back in filter.
  7. Regrease lid ‘O’ring and refit lid, and loosely fit bleed valve.
  8. Reprime pump basket if needed.
  9. Open any valves that were closed.
  10. Turn on pump (Air will bleed out top of filter and screw down bleed valve when water is coming out).

To Clean Pool Pump Basket

  1. Turn off pump.
  2. Shut off any pipe valves before pump and after filter if system is below water level.
  3. Remove lid off pump basket and remove basket clean and refit.
  4. Reprime pump with water to top off basket.
  5. Regrease pump lid ‘O’ ring and refit lid of pump.
  6. Open any valves that you may have closed.
  7. Turn on pump and watch to prime (this may take 1-2 minutes).

Pool Safety
ALWAYS keep the pool fence gate shut, because we can't predict when children will enter the pool area and get into trouble. Always use plastic tumblers (rather than glass) in the pool area, to avoid unexpected injury. Learn about basic resuscitation techniques before you put in your pool: you won't regret doing a CPR course. Legislation requires you to have a current CPR chart in your pool area these can be purchased from Sapphire Pool & Spa for $22.95.

Has your Pool Been neglected & turning Green? ☹

  • Empty the leaf basket in the skimmer, and the lint pot in the pump 

    Backwash the filter 
  • Adjust the alkalinity to about 120ppm 
  • Adjust the pH factor to about 7.5 
  • Shock dose the pool with chlorine 
  • Run the filter till the water clears 
  • Vacuum the silt that is now on the bottom of the pool to "waste" 
  • Maintain the free available chlorine at 3ppm 

    Storms & Your Pool
    After a storm remove leaves and other debris from the pool, because they tend to affect the water balance rather quickly. Take in a sample of your pool water to your local pool shop for testing on a regular basis. They can do more rigorous tests than is possible with a simple test kit, and can suggest additives to correct water balance. Keep an eye out for metal parts on kid’s toys: if they remain in the pool, they may cause rust stains.

       

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