Outdoor Wood Furnace Info

All-Purpose OWF Discussions => Pools & Hot Tubs => Topic started by: coolidge on May 26, 2015, 03:50:15 AM

Title: Salt water
Post by: coolidge on May 26, 2015, 03:50:15 AM
Does anyone have a salt water pool? The past few years we have had so much trouble with algae that we don't want to open it this year. So there is a salt water sytstem that takes care of itself I guess.
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: farmboythegreat on May 26, 2015, 05:01:00 PM
the plates are prolly  crapped over
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: slimjim on May 26, 2015, 05:14:48 PM
Heating a salt water system requires a titanium heat exchanger!
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: coolidge on May 26, 2015, 05:21:00 PM
Not heating, just changing from chlorinated water to salt water
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: slimjim on May 26, 2015, 05:23:21 PM
Ok just wanted to be sure!
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: woodmaster40 on June 03, 2015, 02:18:19 PM
Just to be clear. There are Salt water pools and there are pools with "salt systems". The two are very different and most people confuse them.

A salt water pool is just that... a pool that uses salt water. One adds salt, amongst other chemicals to its filtration in order to stabilize the water. Note, salt water pools are not chemical free and DO NOT TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES. Typically these are much more complicated systems and most people are referring to "salt systems" when they talk about salt water pools, "Salt systems" are not really salt water pools.

A "Salt System" is a pool that uses salt in a system that converts it to chlorine. It is a chlorine generator. You don't use traditional chlorine tabs in your pool but rather use salt to make it. It is also not chemical free and requires maintenance. You still need to use chems to balance PH, Acidity level, Algae, etc. This system is generally "softer" on the skin than regular chlorine but make no mistake about it, your pool is making chlorine using salt.
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: Jeremy.flaugh on July 09, 2015, 05:42:44 AM
I have a salt water pool and I love it! I've had it up and running for 4 years now and it's never been green or cloudy and I keep the water temp at 85F it is almost maintenance free. Just keep the PH at 7.2 and the salt at 3200PPM.
The biggest issue I'm having now is the rain washing my salt out but it's only $5 for 40lbs.
I use a Hayward SWG for my 27' above ground.

And yes regarding heating if you ever go down that road it will require Titanium for the heat exchange my buddy thought he could skimp out in that dept and his stainless exchanger did not last long.
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: willieG on July 09, 2015, 09:57:24 PM
I have heard that some times you have to be careful that when heating a pool that you don't draw the heat out of your furnace water to quickly....that got me to thinking of heating with sort of what you might describe as a "double boiler"   pool water running through a cheap home made plastic coil inside a vat made from cheap home made mild steel where your furnace water would circulate. I know the plastic may not transfer the heat well but it may be good enough to not draw your furnace water down too quickly?

salt water would not hurt PVC pipe would it? or you could use a coil of pex?

just a thought
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: mlappin on July 10, 2015, 07:12:12 AM
I have heard that some times you have to be careful that when heating a pool that you don't draw the heat out of your furnace water to quickly....that got me to thinking of heating with sort of what you might describe as a "double boiler"   pool water running through a cheap home made plastic coil inside a vat made from cheap home made mild steel where your furnace water would circulate. I know the plastic may not transfer the heat well but it may be good enough to not draw your furnace water down too quickly?

salt water would not hurt PVC pipe would it? or you could use a coil of pex?

just a thought

Thats exactly what a buddy does, has a coil of pex inside a fifty five gallon drum, pool water flows in naturally then the pump sucks it out of the bottom, seems to work okay.

Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: coolidge on July 21, 2015, 06:20:10 PM
Broke down and bought the saltwater system, waiting for the install.
I have had too use a bag of shock, 3 of the 3" chlorine tablets plus a scoop of chlorine tablets every two days, just to keep the algae at bay. If I went three days I got a green pool.

Hope it works
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: fireboss on July 22, 2015, 07:06:41 PM
Why not just drain and clean and then add new water?
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: Chas on July 23, 2015, 03:42:07 AM
I had a 27' above ground for 12 years. Started out using bromine instead of chlorine from day 1 and talk about maintenance free. I set the auto-feeder on 5 and set the timer on the pump to run 8 hours a day and the only time I had an issue was when the bromine level in the auto feeder got low. But a pool is a lot like a boat, the best 2 days is the day you get it and the day it goes away. I don't miss it at all.
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: slimjim on July 23, 2015, 03:58:04 AM
Chas, I had never heard that before but, WOW what a true statement!
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: mlappin on July 23, 2015, 02:04:09 PM
I had a 27' above ground for 12 years. Started out using bromine instead of chlorine from day 1 and talk about maintenance free. I set the auto-feeder on 5 and set the timer on the pump to run 8 hours a day and the only time I had an issue was when the bromine level in the auto feeder got low. But a pool is a lot like a boat, the best 2 days is the day you get it and the day it goes away. I don't miss it at all.

Lol yeah. Buddy built a new house, I asked his wife if they were going to move the pool to the new one, if looks could kill.
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: fireboss on July 23, 2015, 10:24:06 PM
I have a 24' round pool heated to  85-- 90 and have no troubles I have a two speed pump and keep it on low 24 /7 and add a hockey puck size chlorine tablet every other day and nothing else ! The guy who installed my pool said nothing goes in   a pool but chlorine  and my water is crystal clear ,
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: coolidge on July 24, 2015, 01:32:52 PM
Can't keep chlorine in mine, if this doesn't work the pool is going, especially since NO ONE uses it
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: fireboss on July 24, 2015, 07:41:57 PM
I don't blame you to get rid of it if no one uses it  I don't really go in mine much , but the family and  the kids friends use it almost every day!
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: coolidge on August 16, 2015, 07:01:01 PM
Well been about three weeks since I had the saltwater system hooked up, took care of my algae problem and the water looks great.
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: coolidge on October 17, 2015, 01:56:24 PM
It's now Oct 17 pool has been closed for a month and still not a sign of algae, well worth the investment.
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: mlappin on October 17, 2015, 06:49:43 PM
It's now Oct 17 pool has been closed for a month and still not a sign of algae, well worth the investment.

If I may ask, how much did a salt system set you back?

Both the wife and I are still doing physical therapy yet from the car accident last year about this time, both our therapists has suggested a pool or hot tub might be a worth while investment.
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: coolidge on October 18, 2015, 10:49:36 AM
I think it was around 1500 installed.
Title: Re: Salt water
Post by: mlappin on October 18, 2015, 01:38:46 PM
My other more preferred option to me at least would be to move the bathroom door over far as possible so I could get a 36” wide tub in, move the window to the north a foot and install a  3’ by 6’ whirlpool tub. You can get em pretty deep once you get int the 36” wide models.