Salt water pool

[sticky]

I am thinking of converting my pool to salt water I would appreciate any suggestions regarding which pool company to use.

Cheers

[muimatt]

Do you mean a salt-chlorinator?

[Rooo]

I have just replaced my salt water chlorinator, used TSP pools. Re advice, you can also look here for various tips etc.....

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/forum/108-swimming-pool-forum/

[Tropicalevo]

I have just replaced my salt water chlorinator, used TSP pools. Re advice, you can also look here for various tips etc.....

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/forum/108-swimming-pool-forum/

Yep - TSP pools inMaenam are a good bet.

[SantiSuk]

I ran with the basic approach of chucking chlorine in the pool a couple of times a week for two years. Pretty damn easy.

I recently switched to the salt water chlorinator approach. A chlorinator cell and control unit (Astral Pool) had been installed at the build stage two years ago, but incorrectly by a dumb installer. I waited for my 50 kg tub of chlorine to expire before correcting the installation under guidance from the manufacturers agent and switching on).

My early reactions (one month in) are that yes, it's a bit easier to operate a pool with a salt water chlorinator if you are absent from the pool and have an unreliable 'pool boy' as cover. I can get my wife to check the yellow low salt light from time to time and get BIL to tip a couple of bags in while I am away. However in all other respects I can't see what the fuss is about with chlorinators. If I was paying again to build a pool I would not bother with the extra cost of a chlorinator. Hand-fed chlorine is easy and cheap if bulk bought. Takes 5 minutes to put the mask and gloves on. Once you get used to your pool checks can be done weekly - say 10 minutes (pools are flexible - you don't need to keep it at a constant 1ppm or whatever). BIL could chuck a couple of cups in every time he came to clean while I was away and although I would sometimes find the chlorine level a bit low when I came back there was no lasting damage

Go ahead and use your chlorinator if you've got one but those without or wishing to build a pool on the cheap should not feel they are missing out by not investing more dosh.

Cue the rush of outrage/defence from the pool geek brigade

[Rooo]

No outrage at all, I've had salt water pools for the 29 years, just like them, don't like the smell or effects of a pure chlorine pool, in particular after treatment.

[Tropicalevo]

I ran with the basic approach of chucking chlorine in the pool a couple of times a week for two years. Pretty dam_n easy.

I recently switched to the salt water chlorinator approach. A chlorinator cell and control unit (Astral Pool) had been installed at the build stage two years ago, but incorrectly by a dumb installer. I waited for my 50 kg tub of chlorine to expire before correcting the installation under guidance from the manufacturers agent and switching on).

My early reactions (one month in) are that yes, it's a bit easier to operate a pool with a salt water chlorinator if you are absent from the pool and have an unreliable 'pool boy' as cover. I can get my wife to check the yellow low salt light from time to time and get BIL to tip a couple of bags in while I am away. However in all other respects I can't see what the fuss is about with chlorinators. If I was paying again to build a pool I would not bother with the extra cost of a chlorinator. Hand-fed chlorine is easy and cheap if bulk bought. Takes 5 minutes to put the mask and gloves on. Once you get used to your pool checks can be done weekly - say 10 minutes (pools are flexible - you don't need to keep it at a constant 1ppm or whatever). BIL could chuck a couple of cups in every time he came to clean while I was away and although I would sometimes find the chlorine level a bit low when I came back there was no lasting damage

Go ahead and use your chlorinator if you've got one but those without or wishing to build a pool on the cheap should not feel they are missing out by not investing more dosh.

Cue the rush of outrage/defence from the pool geek brigade

Part of my business is cleaning pools. I agree with you ,re why go to the expense of a chlorinator (and I have seen a few having to be replaced because of the elecrtrical problems on the island). Expensive!

But you miss the main point with salt water pools - they make beer taste awful I mean - who does not enjoy a beer whilst cooling down in the pool? Salt on lips - beer - yuk.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Tropicalevo

[Tropicalevo]

No outrage at all, I've had salt water pools for the 29 years, just like them, don't like the smell or effects of a pure chlorine pool, in particular after treatment.

Just put in less chlorine - more often?

[Rooo]

But you miss the main point with salt water pools - they make beer taste awful I mean - who does not enjoy a beer whilst cooling down in the pool? Salt on lips - beer - yuk.

Drink Tequila.

[SantiSuk]

Never had a problem with chlorine smells in the pool and never had comments from the myriad kids from the village that I've turned from pond-life into pool-life. Chlorine smell is the accusation that salt-water chlorinator users usually level at us cheapskate chemical dumpers. That and the fact that they don't like handling raw chlorine. Personally I don't find the odour you are bound to get even when wearing a good 5 quid mask particularly unpleasant. Fair enough though if they've been there done that and didn't like it.

Kids now jump in my pool and comment "Chem" (salty).

.

I'm not knocking anyone using the chlorine from salt method - as I say it has it's conveniences. My motive was to provide objective and independent user-based advice which leads me to want to protect anyone from feeling pressured into investing in one by the weight of the pool salesmen industry. I have absolutely no axes to grind in the matter. I would encourage someone building new to have the pipes set-up with space to retrofit a chlorinator and box if they later felt the need for a lazier dosing regime.

I'll do a fuller comparative analysis of the joys of both approaches when I am a few months in and can provide authoritative costings.

By the way, boy can humping and storing those 25kg bags of salt put a strain on the back! Then again, moving the 50kg tub of chlorine from a local watsadu into its two year position in the pool room half killed me!

[Kommiekat]

I would imagine that the salt in the water makes bouncy a bit easier?

Smoother feel on the skin as well?

[samuibruno]

if your putting chlorine in your pool weekly then you are doing it wrong

chlorine should be put in your pool daily in small amounts to keep everything in balance

not just big lots all at once

thats the benifit of a salt system

chlorination is done daily and adjustable on the timing system

once set up and monitered correctly you can leave your salt system for a long time

i can leave my pool for weeks without problems

overdosing your pool in chlorine can ruin the grouting on your pools [ive repaired a few ]

so keep going and useing your chlorine weekly

it may cost you in the end

[Tropicalevo]

But you miss the main point with salt water pools - they make beer taste awful I mean - who does not enjoy a beer whilst cooling down in the pool? Salt on lips - beer - yuk.

Drink Tequila.

[SantiSuk]

if your putting chlorine in your pool weekly then you are doing it wrong

........ [redacted]

You misread my posts, samuibruno. Read the first line of my first post - I dosed twice weekly.

What's the source of your contention that you have to dose daily? Happy to listen to data or research. The rest is just opinion of which everyone has a different one.

Edited August 31, 2013 by SantiSuk

[samuibruno]

hi

my reply as that it should be done daily

pool sanitation is best done in small amounts and often

daily is best so as not to put your pool water out of balance

hi and low chlorine levels are not ideal [constant levels are ]

so by dosing your pool 2 times weekly you are in fact making your chlorine levels up and down

a salt system takes all the time [wasted ] out of the equation and[once set up correctly]

needs very little more work required

myself now tests ph weekly and chlorine probably monthly

and if set correctly only gives your pool the correct amount of chlorine pretty much most of the time , therefore you are not swimming with excess chlorine [which isnt very nice ]

again if set correctly you should never get [red eye] irritation or bleaching

your grout will stay put [not erode over time ]

and you are swimming in a very slight saline solution which is rather less harsh that some water [especially on samui]

your tear drops are slightly saline so when you open your eyes in a salt pool there should be no irritation [which you will feel with an overdose of chlorine ]

twice weekly still isnt good

daily would be better

up to you tho

i prefer to hardly touch my pool and swim/bathe in a little salt

and not touch/smell/inhale/ breathe, chlorine at all

theres also a self cleaning pool system available so soon we may not have to do so much of that as well

cheers

[crazykopite]

I have just replaced my salt water chlorinator, used TSP pools. Re advice, you can also look here for various tips etc.....

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/forum/108-swimming-pool-forum/

Can you give me an idea of the cost of replacement.

[Rooo]

Depends on the size,I bought a smaller one, installed around 35k.

[samuibruno]

hi all

just been to TSP a few days ago and think asking around 33,000 for basic model [not with PH sensor and auto pump]

after that the skys the limit depending on how automated you want to go

i bought a pump thru [tsp]mr MOO and got 5 years out of it without a problem in that time ,

on my second pump now in 12 years so doing well

[jbrain]

I imported a Zodiac Tri PH large from Australia. Officially shipped and imported by at 1360 AU$ + 3654 Baht transport charge. No import duty on Salt water chlorinator.

The same item is here sold at between 80 and 90.000 Baht.

[sticky]

I finally bought a new Astral VX-3 chlorinator on ebay at around TB 20,000.

It was hand carried by a friend from the US so no duty.

It is up and running the only complaint is the salt residue on my terra cotta tiles around the pool.

[Rooo]

I finally bought a new Astral VX-3 chlorinator on ebay at around TB 20,000.

It was hand carried by a friend from the US so no duty.

It is up and running the only complaint is the salt residue on my terra cotta tiles around the pool.

Nothing a bit of water will not clean.

[davetrout]

tsp pools

[samuibruno]

I finally bought a new Astral VX-3 chlorinator on ebay at around TB 20,000.

It was hand carried by a friend from the US so no duty.

It is up and running the only complaint is the salt residue on my terra cotta tiles around the pool.

you have only just installed it and there's a salt residue stain??????????

me thinks there's already a problem

[Rooo]

I finally bought a new Astral VX-3 chlorinator on ebay at around TB 20,000.

It was hand carried by a friend from the US so no duty.

It is up and running the only complaint is the salt residue on my terra cotta tiles around the pool.

How much salt did you add?