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How to Test and Balance a Salt Water Pool!
Discover how to test, balance, and maintain your saltwater pool's ideal level.
One Minute Read Summary
•The ideal salt level in a pool should be around 2700 - 3400 ppm, with 3200 ppm being the sweet spot.
•Testing your salt levels can be done using a liquid kit, digital salinity tester or test strips.
•When adding salt to the pool turn off the chlorine generator, determine the amount of salt needed and add the salt in your pool, spread it around using a pool brush; let the pump run for 24h and then turn the chlorine generator on. Test results
•To decrease salt level in a pool you need to drain some of your actual pool water and replace it with new fresh water, you can start by replacing 1/10 of your pool water, then test results
•Calculate the amount of salt needed using this formula: Pool volume in Gallons x 8.35 x (0.0032 – Current Salt level / 1,000,000)
Read below for more information
Keep your saltwater pool pristine with Sapphire Pool Service.
The ideal Salt level in a Pool
Should be around 2700 - 3400 ppm! The sweet spot is 3200 ppm.
How to test Salt levels in a Pool
Take a look at your saltwater generator's digital display to figure out how salty the pool is. But be careful, sometimes these machines can misread, so double-check with a few other techniques before taking any action!
•Liquid Kit. Fill up a couple of vials with your pool water then add reagents according to instructions until it changes color - voila! Your readings are ready for review.
•Digital Salinity tester; it’s easy, accurate, and fast. Just dip it into the water for a few seconds and let technology do its thing.
•Salt test strips. Dip them in a water sample, and wait a few minutes for an approximate reading. It's not as precise, but it does the job at just a fraction of the cost.
How to add Salt to a Pool?
Make sure to get the right salt, at least 99.8% pure sodium chloride (NaCl), evaporated, food-grade form with no anti-caking agents
1: Test and determine your salt level (as shown above)
2: Determine how many pounds of salt you need to add to your Pool (There’s a method below that explains how to calculate it)
3: Turn off the salt chlorine generator, but leave your pump working and doing its job to dissolve the salt
4: Give your Pool a salt-sation! Add the salt into the shallow end of your pool and spread it around (you can use a brush). It may take a day for it to dissolve (Finer grades of salt will dissolve faster)
5: Turn the salt chlorine generator back on once the salt is dissolved and test the water to check the results (the sweet spot is 3200 ppm)
How to decrease Salt Level in a Pool?
It's a common mistake for new saltwater pool owners: You think your body of water is larger than it actually is, and you end up with a salty surprise! To fix this you can dilute with fresh water by draining some of your existing supply and replacing it - it will depend on how high your salt level is, but you can start by replacing 1/10 of your pool water and then test the results. Repeat the process if necessary
Here is an article with some Tips for the proper function of your Salt Pool
Is a Salt Water Pool better than a Chlorine Pool?
Read this article to find out: Chlorine Pool vs Salt Water Pool
How to know how much Salt to Add to your Pool
There are several calculators online, but with this formula, you can calculate it yourself (by the way, how many Netflix series have you watched since the last time you solved a formula?)
E = Mc^2 :)
You need:
•Your Pool Volume in gallons (10,000 in this example)
•Current Salt level (2500 ppm in this example)
•Desired Salt level (3200 is the ideal salt level)
Pool volume in Gallons x 8.35 x (0.0032 – Current Salt level / 1,000,000)
=10,000 x 8.35 x (0.0032 - 2500 / 1,000,000)
=10,000 x 8.35 x (0.0032 - 0.0025)
=10,000 x 8.35 x 0.0007
=10,000 x 0.005845
= 58.45 lbs
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