Swg Questions For Above Ground Pool

[Nikki]

Hello! We will be getting a 24ft above ground pool. I decided that I want to go with a salt water generator since it's minimal upkeep and healthier. The place where we will be getting our pool only sells the Mineral Springs. I've discovered that we do NOT have to use the bags of Beginnings and Renewal. Now my questions:

Is it ok to use the water softener salt that is sold at places like Lowes Home Improvement?

What size bags are they and how much do they generally run?

How much salt will we be adding to a round pool that holds 13,000 gallons of water?

How often will we probably be adding the salt (pool will be in direct sunlight away from any trees)?

Should we purchase a different SWG brand instead of the Mineral Springs one?

I'm also concerned that we might be getting ripped off on the price of the SWG. We were quoted $1700 for the system and startup salt.

Thanks in advance!

[waterbear]

Hello! We will be getting a 24ft above ground pool. I decided that I want to go with a salt water generator since it's minimal upkeep and healthier. The place where we will be getting our pool only sells the Mineral Springs. I've discovered that we do NOT have to use the bags of Beginnings and Renewal. Now my questions:

Is it ok to use the water softener salt that is sold at places like Lowes Home Improvement?

Yes, as long as it is at least 99.5% pure and does not contain any additives for removing iron or cleaning the softener. I like the solar salt because it is faster dissolving than the pellets.

What size bags are they and how much do they generally run?

Usually 40 and 80 lb. In my area a 40 lb bag is about $5 and an 80 lb bag about $8

How much salt will we be adding to a round pool that holds 13,000 gallons of water?

You will need about 340-350 lbs of salt initally to get to a 3200ppm salt level and you will need about 7 1/4 lbs of cyanuric acid to reach the proper stabilizer level in your water, assuming you are starting from 0 for both of them.

How often will we probably be adding the salt (pool will be in direct sunlight away from any trees)?

You only need to add salt to make up for any lost from splashout, filter backwashing, or leaks. Ditto for the CYA. You will need to add acid on a regular basis to keep the pH in line since SWGs tend to cause the pH to rise. Not really that big a deal.

Should we purchase a different SWG brand instead of the Mineral Springs one?

The Mineral Springs is a rebranded Goldline (Hayward) AquaRite unit. It is one of the better ones out there. Goldline also makes a unit specifically for above ground pools call the AquaTrol. IMHO, the best unit on the market is the Pool Pilot Digital with the Goldline units running a close second.

Check out www.goldlinecontrols.com and www.autopilot.com for more info.

Good units are also manufactured by several other companies such a Zodiac, Resilience, WaterMaid, Pentair, and others.

I'm also concerned that we might be getting ripped off on the price of the SWG. We were quoted $1700 for the system and startup salt.

You can get the unit itself or a comparable one for between $600-$1000, the salt and CYA should be about $60 or so. If they are installing it you have to figure in labor.

Thanks in advance!