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We Fix Ugly Pools

Pool building expert busts three myths about salt water pools, offers system-saving tips

Brian Sodoma
Salt water pools have grown in popularity, largely because of public fears around the safety of chlorine.

Salt water pools have grown in popularity, largely because of public fears around the safety of chlorine. Naturally, a salt water pool system sounds like a healthier and safer option to many consumers. However, as quickly as salt water pool systems have grown in popularity, a trail of failures and questions about quality has also followed. Here, Brian Morris, owner of We Fix Ugly Pools, dispels three common myths about salt water pool systems.

Myth #1: With a salt system, you no longer have chemicals in your pool.

With a salt system, you are using sodium hydrochloride with a system generator that converts salt, with the help of electrolysis, into hypochlorous acid and sodium hypochlorite. These are chlorinated cleaning agents used to sanitize pools. You are not directly adding chlorine to the pool, but you have a system using salt as its base to make the chlorinated compounds that keep your water safe from bacteria and toxins.

The advantage is that a salt system requires fewer byproducts to stabilize that chlorine, such as what you will find in liquids, powders and tablets. As a result, people often say a salt system tends to be gentler on the skin, hair (and especially the eyes). But it is important for people to know that their pool still has chlorine in it, and the systems needed to do this work must be of very high quality. There are several manufacturers that leave customers disappointed with a salt system due to a poorer quality of unit.

Additionally, you still need to maintain the Ph and Alkalinity in your pool which is commonly adjusted through the use of Muriatic Acid.

Tip: Make sure you buy a salt water unit from a company that has a long history in the business and at least a three-year warranty on its product.

Myth #2: Inexpensive systems can last a long time with maintenance.

I have had people call me in less than a year saying there’s something wrong with their salt generators, and the short answer is: no, not all systems are created equal. A cheap system is a very expensive mistake.

As acknowledged in the first myth, it takes a system with high quality components made by people who understand the process required to convert salt to bacteria-fighting chlorine. We recommend and install Pentair units on new builds and for repairs and replacements; but there’s more to it than brand names. Ironically, some of the most notable “brands” of the swimming pool industry have some of the poorest quality units.

Tip: Look at the parts per million (ppm) of salt that is needed to maintain a pool. Systems requiring 4,000 to 4,800 ppm can be corrosive to your pool surface and other pool equipment because they need higher levels of salt to keep functioning. Look for noncorrosive systems with ppm ranges between 2,800 and 3,200 instead. And back to that first myth, you’ll notice many of the cheaper systems have much higher ppm requirement levels.

Myth #3: Failures happen because salt is too hard to hard to maintain.

This is one of the biggest myths out there. It all has to do with system sizing and minor maintenance. Aside from offering cheap units for attractive bids, inexperienced retailers or installers are notorious for under-sizing a system. A system that is too small will require more frequent cleaning and not produce enough sodium hypochlorite to counteract a heavy bather load, higher temperatures or larger swimming pools.

Keep this tip in mind.

Tip: Make sure the unit you are installing is oversized by at least 35-40 percent more than the pool gallon size. So, for example, in the case of a 20,000-gallon pool, a minimum 30,000-gallon system should be installed.

To learn more about Brian Morris and his company, visit the We Fix Ugly Pools website or call 602-253-4499.
