What type of pool? Salt or Chlorine, the good, the bad, the ugly...

[IMHO]

Hi All,

Looking to get a small pool for relaxation, no larger than 8M x 6M.. It seems like most pool companies in TH are run by foreigners, so I'm hoping some expats who've done this before can share their insights/experience..

First of all, it appears there's 3 basic construction types: cement+tile, fibreglass, and vinyl liner - what are the pros and cons of each type?

Next, what are the pros and cons of salt water vs chlorine?

There also seems to be a huge range of different brand pumps, filters, and other accessories - whats brands should I be looking out for and which should I be avoiding?

Lastly, any advise you can give to someone who's never bought, owned or maintained a pool before? What traps and mistakes should I need to be aware of?

[stevehaigh]

personally, i hate salt pools, i don't like the feel of the water. if i want salt water, i'll swim in the sea. chlorine feels fresher and cleaner to me.

also, i think salt pools are more expensive to run, a lot more electricity and maintenance on the gear

[SpokaneAl]

In my little neck of the woods in the states, they have built some new public pools and they are salt water. Salt water pools are significantly different from swimming in salt water seas - in a pool one may or may not even notice that he/she is swimming in a salt water pool. It did seem, to me at least, that my skin did not dry out as much over time when swimming in a salt water pool several times each week.

It is nice not to be overwhelmed with the smell of chlorine now, and swimming once again in a local chlorinated public pool here in Thailand, I am very aware of that, especially when taking a shower later in the day and experiencing the chlorine once again come alive.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[RigPig]

If you go with a salt water concrete pool, make sure the reinforcing steel in the concrete has a ground wire connected to it (4mm2 minimum, and probably in a couple of places) so that it creates a "Faraday's cage" around the pool. It is possible for a ground fault from somewhere (not even necessarily from your house) to use the lower resistance of the salt water to find it's way back to the supply transformer on the street. It will use "the path of least resistance" and if your in the pool at the time.....

This wire would normally be connected to your ground rod or your switchboard where the "neutral" wire is also connected to the ground bar. People have been killed because of this...

[saroq]

I have been to owner of several pools. My preference is for salt, a lot less mucking around with them to maintain water quality and the salt is only barely noticeable, certainly not enough to affect your eyes when swimming. Think of it as more like an enormous quantity of saline solution in your backyard. Regarding construction there are some differences in appearance and texture. Concrete and tile allows you to choose different shades and patterns if that's your thing. If your ground is unstable then that maybe a consideration. Fiberglass no problems, what you see is what you get. Liners are fine too, very durable but if you do puncture them with a sharp object then they're a hassle to repair because the water will get in behind them. For me I'd go salt and either concrete + tile or fiberglass. Price may help you make the final decision.

[manarak]

personally, i hate salt pools, i don't like the feel of the water. if i want salt water, i'll swim in the sea. chlorine feels fresher and cleaner to me.

also, i think salt pools are more expensive to run, a lot more electricity and maintenance on the gear

I too dislike salt pools.

The water doesn't feel clean, it feels a little bit sticky, the water doesn't have cristalline color like the chlorine pools, even the smell isn't as good.

That's my opinion as a user.

don't know about costs, but I believe salt pools are cheaper to run.

[iamariva1957]

Coming from California and from a community that every house has a pool, this is a very normal topic of conversation and interest during association meetings. The fact is that each type of pool (salt or fresh water) have their own issues with regards to cleaning, maintenance, and over-all costs, etc. The weather in my part of CA is hot and dry. So the humidity here will add to the issues between the two types, of pool. Neither is really better than the other. Chemicals and additives are used for both types though the maintenance for a salt water pool is a bit less in the chemical department but requires more in the mechanical department. So do the research well and carefully. Do it yourself and do not simply rely upon a contractor. Ask around. You might even do is to go to the bigger hotels and see what they use.

Remember that any pool is a headache at best. Oh... it is nice to have, don't get me wrong. However, it is time consuming, costs a small fortune to keep going (electricity for the pump/s, filter cleaning, lights, etc), and the there is all the other stuff one tends to think that one needs to for the dam thing (floats, if you have kids.... toys, and that mosaic pattern on the floor of the pool that the wife just had to have! Lol!).

Just remember the cost of going to a hotel's pool for the day here in LOS is cheap and easier! My suggestion... use theirs and let them do the work!

[bluebellpepper]

Build my pool in 2001 using salt water (less salty than an eye drop) in combination with a Chloromatic system. This system is able to make chlorine from salt at a minimal level.

Ten years later I need to replace the pumps because of corrosion. I don't like chlorine so for me this is the system to go. I only had to purchase salt for maintenance. What I am looking at now is to change it to a natural pool:

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/decorating-ideas/natural-swimming-pools-460908

[HUAHIN62]

Remember if you go the tile way you will have to regrout after +- 7 years. According to me a fibreglass one is easier to keep clean. I will go for a salt pool, but recommend that you spend extra money on a higher end system to avoid breakdowns, higher maintenance costs and pump noise levels. Would also recommend a surge protection unit on your installation, surges and dips kill electrical motors.

[Daniel Boon]

ozone'ator ...

(kills pathogens in water and needs a mild chlorine touch-up - less than in tap water)

[heybuz]

i second above,concrete can have big problems e.g. blackspot.concrete is porous and a waterproofing chemical has to be added to it and if not mixed properly in the agi can cause problems at a later date hauhin62

[Glumpy]

I had a 12m x 4 m overflow type pool built 4 years ago. Concrete,tiled and chlorine. Observations so far.

1. Insist on it being level if you build an overflow type ! I'm not joking. See pic 1

2. Use a smooth bull nose tile for the 'rim'.....mine was built using a sand wash mix which now has all the properties of a saw ! Any armbands, swim rings or lilos last only seconds ! See pic 2

3. If you have a s/s safety step rail 1.2m down around the deep end make sure it's attached with s/s bolts. Mine was attached with steel bolts which resulted in brown rust marks on the tiles. The whole assembly was removed and a tiled step fitted.

4. Site the pool away from trees, shrubs, flowers or at least keep same to a minimum !

5. Ensure surge tank overflow is to a soak-away and not your fish pond !

6. Similarly the filter's backwash water........ although the fish don't mind it tends to turn the water very green and nothing will grow up the sides of the pond which results in erosion of the pond's sides !

7. Site the pumproom, sand filter and debris filter at ground level and not below ground next to the pool. My access hatch weighs a ton, I have to climb down a ladder to get to the filters and selector cocks. See pic 3

8. Ensure the 12v underwater lights are fully waterproofed !

I only wish I could have chatted with someone like me before I decided on a pool !!

[weegee]

IMHO.....Fibreglass is the way to go in Thailand.(You can inspect the product BEFORE you buy)... Connect this up to a Bionizer System, and there's very little maintenance and servicing...

Costs after 2 yrs nearly, is so far 800 baht for chlorine tablets once every blue moon...

There's an Aussie guy putting them in anywhere in Thailand....in 4 days start to finish....he did mine. I was impressed.

PM me if you want to know more

[CDNinKS]

A salt water pool is a chlorine pool. What you are talking about is how the water is sanitized. Both are sanitized by chlorine, the difference being that in a salt pool the salt ( Sodium Chloride, NaCl) is converted into chlorine by a chlorinator.

In both cases you use a test kit to determine the appropriate chlorine level to maintain a safe pool. In a salt pool you adjust the amount of time/energy the chlorinator operates to maintain this level. In a manual chlorine pool you either have some sort of automatic chlorinator that injects chlorine or you manually add pucks.

In my opinion a salt pool is the only way to go, I have had both. The salt pool is FAR less trouble as once you determine the amount of time/level selection to use on the chlorinator it maintains a constant level. All you need to do is add a bag or so of salt once a month.

As to people saying they do not like the feel of a salt pool it is because they are not use to the feel of soft water. The same as people who are used to showering in hard water and when experience a shower in soft water think they can not get all the soap off themselves. The opposite is true.

So called natural pools that use different methods of sanitation ( copper, etc.) simply don't provide the required sanitation. They are banned in most western countries now.

As to Concrete vs Vinyl vs Fiberglass. Generally the reason people in western countries use vinyl over concrete is cost, as concrete is more labor intensive. I have had both. Pro's and con's to both. Vinyl liners generally have a life span of about 10 years, depending on many factors. Care needs to be taken with any kind of sharp objects ( dog nails, cleaning tools). In Thailand with the lower labour costs concrete/tile is my preferred choice.

No experience with fiberglass pools, however fiberglass boats I have had are prone to fading and oxidation which affects appearance.

So, for me (in Thailand) a concrete/tile, salt water pool is the only choice.

[Thaiready]

Salt.....I converted 5 years ago...saved me money over the long haul verses chlorine......concrete with tiles costs more in building costs but lasts a lifetime.

[siamjimi]

salt is the best way to go - no chems - never had a prob with my pool in many years

[DrDave]

We have a pool at each of our homes (1 in Phuket, 1 in Florida). Both are approximately the same size, and the climate between the two locations is very similar. The pool in Florida has a salt water chlorine generator, while the pool in Phuket does not.

For the salt water pool, the salinity is barely noticeable. There are virtually no chemical costs, and I haven't not noticed any extra wear and tear on any of the equipment due to the salt water. Keep in mind that the chlorinator runs only while the pump is running, and only a percentage of that time which is controlled by the % output you set on the controller. Once you have the output set correctly, the system should maintain the correct level of chlorine.

For the regular (non-salt water) pool, we spend about 3,000 baht every 2 months for granular chlorine, and the water chemistry has to be constantly monitored.

For us, any extra electricity cost for the chlorine generator is negligable - especially when compared to the cost of chlorine granules or tablets. One thing to keep in mind is that the generator cell has a maximum life expectancy of about 5 years. Replacements cost about $400USD, and complete systems (controller and cell) in the US run about 800-900USD, however I think they're considerably more expensive in Thailand.

Given the convenience and low operating costs, I would definitely go with the salt chlorination system.

[samuibruno]

hi

go for salt system

ive had mine for 12 years with very little problems [bougth in NZ as didnt have anything on samui at that time ]

still going strong

pretty much maintanance free [after you set it up correctly]

make sure you use good quality cement , tiles , waterproofing, and grout

ive built many pools and bad quality materials /workmanship = bad results

i get asked to repair many badly made pools where people have skimped on costs ??? results in more cost further down the line

dont use cheap products [thai style ]

ive had 6 years plus out of my pool pump [cost 25,000 baht ] so about 4000 baht per year there

if your salt system is set up correctly you dont taste /feel saltiness , and should never ever smell chlorine

chlorine pools need chlorine every day [so no over dosage ]

this means somebody adding the correct amount daily for optimun sanitation

your salt chlorinator does this for you[so you dont have to]and my pool i can run for weeks without touching it [went on holiday for 3 weeks no problem]

good luck

[seniorbro]

I have a chlorine pool at the moment but reading the comments I'm wondering if I can convert it to salt. Is that possible? I assume I'd need to connect a chlorine generator and then just add salt to the water, is that right?

[JesseFrank]

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personally, i hate salt pools, i don't like the feel of the water. if i want salt water, i'll swim in the sea. chlorine feels fresher and cleaner to me.

also, i think salt pools are more expensive to run, a lot more electricity and maintenance on the gear

Salt water pools have a salinity of about 4000 ppm, where the sea on average has 35.000 ppm, so even if you should drink it you can hardly taste the salt. When the water balance is correct a saltwater pool will be more clear than a typical chlorine pool.

I could give you a hundred reasons why you should choose saltwater, but the below link will explain it better to you.

http://www.saltwaterpoolplus.com/five-major-advantages-of-installing-salt-water-pools/

Saltwater feels much softer then normal water, but at the end the sanitizing is done by chlorine created by the saltwater generator.

To build a salt water pool is more expensive due to the salt water generator. A good one Zodiac Tri pH large will set you back 90.000 Baht in Thailand, and about half that price in Australia including shipping cost and import duty as it is exempt of import duty. Once installed and fine tuned it is practically maintenance free, other than vacuum the pool every other day, and much cheaper to run as you don't need to add chlorine.

Salt you add once, because salt doesn't evaporate, and add a little now and than which you loose with backwashing or overflowing of the pool.

The chlorinator I mention above will also auto adjust your pH level.

I would go with a concrete tiled pool, especially if you like free style, because vinyl liner will limit your choices in style.

Keep in mind that when using saltwater any stainless steel in the water needs to be 316 instead of 304. Thai stainless steel is useless.

For pool pumps, Hayward is the absolute number one, and not extremely expensive if you know where to go.

You can PM me if you are interested, and I will forward you a some contact details in Bangkok, which will save you at least 30% .

For filtermedia, go with Zeolite as it filters much better than sand and lasts at least 3 times as long. You will appreciate that when you have to change the filter media.

Use epoxy grout for your tiles and tile cement from Weber or alike, other wise you will redo your pool after 2 years. When pouring concrete pool make sure the install rubber seal between floor and walls.

Oh and last but not least, buy yourself a decent test kit. Taylor kit or Aquachek 5 in one test strips, as you need to know a bit more than pH and total chlorine level to maintain your pool.

Below are 2 links that are indispensable if you want to build and maintain a pool.

http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/?c=getting_started&calendarid=getting_started

http://www.poolcalculator.com/

Edit to add : I think you have access to a construction company, don't waste your money on a pool company, as it anyone with building construction knowledge can build a concrete pool himself at half the price those companies charge.

If you go with a salt water concrete pool, make sure the reinforcing steel in the concrete has a ground wire connected to it (4mm2 minimum, and probably in a couple of places) so that it creates a "Faraday's cage" around the pool. It is possible for a ground fault from somewhere (not even necessarily from your house) to use the lower resistance of the salt water to find it's way back to the supply transformer on the street. It will use "the path of least resistance" and if your in the pool at the time.....

This wire would normally be connected to your ground rod or your switchboard where the "neutral" wire is also connected to the ground bar. People have been killed because of this...

You should also wear a Christian cross around your neck when you sleep, as it prevent you from being attacked by vampires.

[JesseFrank]

I have a chlorine pool at the moment but reading the comments I'm wondering if I can convert it to salt. Is that possible? I assume I'd need to connect a chlorine generator and then just add salt to the water, is that right?

Any chlorine pool can be transformed to salt water the way you mention.

[SantiSuk]

I initially operated my pool as a chlorine-dosed pool then for the last 6 months as a salt converted chlorine pool (same as what people are calling a salt water pool).

The most important decision is your preference for the water. I notice at least one poster alluding to the fact that you will not notice the salt. I could not disagree more! I noticed it straight away and I did not like the salty taste (or even the extra buoyancy it gives - though that is marginal). My Thai family and friends have all commented "Chem" (salty). I'm sort of used to it now, but if they continue to complain about it this summer then I'll go back to chlorine.

I would change back to chlorine dosing in a flash anyway, were it not for the convenience of salt. Salt dosing requires far less frequent treatment (say once or twice a month, not twice a week). I also think that salt water chlorination produces cleaner pool walls, but that may just be the fact that the dose is kept constant wheres manually added chlorine every few days produces variable chlorination.

Some people do not like handling chlorine. Personally I find it ok to deal with. I also find that a largish pool takes one to two sacks of salt a month to keep the concentration up. Lugging sacks around is more arduous than dipping into a large tub of chlorine that you buy and lug home say once every 18 months. Storing say 10 to 20 sacks requires storage space. Salt costs of 150 to 400 baht of salt a month is more expensive than the basic manual chlorine requirement. Initial dosing of a large pool costs say 2,000 baht (plus or minus 1,000 baht, depending on how cheap is your source and whether you find as I did that the initial dosing takes 50% more salt than pool website guidance).

Salt pools also require a few hundred baht a year of cyanauric acid to be added My chlorine costs were 5,000 baht for 18 months supply and the cyanauric is already added. However cyanauric in chlorine-dosed pools builds up such that you may find yourself paying an equivalent amount to dilute the pool water down to recommended levels every year or two; cost of added water is unlikely to be too different from cost of dosing a salt pool with cyanauric and neither is a major cost consideration anyway.

Other costs - you will need to measure chlorine levels in both systems, but salt chlorination gives you confidence in constant chlorine levels, So less chlorine testing strips are needed for a salt-chlorinated pool, but that is offset by the requirement to test salt levels, for which a 2,500 baht salt digital meter is the best bet (salt strips are rubbish, go off too quickly IMO and are pretty dear anyway). In summary, chemical testing costs are unlikely to be a deciding factor

Anyone who wants to do pools as cheaply as possible should not feel that they are short-changing themselves by going the manually added chlorine route. Personally, having already paid for the chlorinator I would prefer to stick with it because it allows me to go away for a couple of weeks leaving my BIL to vacuum the pool and do little else. Previously he was very unreliable in dosing the pool with chlorine and occasionally I would come back to greening walls that required a couple of hours of diving/brushing. As things stand, when the chlorine cell goes I shall look at installing an automatic liquid chlorine feeder instead! I don't like having to lug bags of salt from the local trader and hump them around my pool, but equally others don't like handling chlorine and you can always pay to have a deliverer or pool boy take care of the weighty salt bags.

Ask on here whether there is anyone close to you (ie your location?) who can give you experience of one or both styles. It really is fundamental to your decision.

Edit: A pool the size you are talking is unlikely to need more than say half a bag of salt a month so maybe the bag-lugging stuff in my post is a bit pveregged. "It is a closed system that requires no top-up" is ... well a myth. Also, having used sand filtration with no issues for 3 years personally I would not bother paying the substantial extra for upmarket/upcost options.

[nithisa78]

A dear friend of mine. Educated, good man, natural healer. Thier family pool is salt water. He explained the many virtues of having salt water pool. No, I don't remember.

[JesseFrank]

I initially operated my pool as a chlorine-dosed pool then for the last 6 months as a salt converted chlorine pool (same as what people are calling a salt water pool).

The most important decision is your preference for the water. I notice at least one poster alluding to the fact that you will not notice the salt. I could not disagree more! I noticed it straight away and I did not like the salty taste (or even the extra buoyancy it gives - though that is marginal). My Thai family and friends have all commented "Chem" (salty). I'm sort of used to it now, but if they continue to complain about it this summer then I'll go back to chlorine.

Clearly something wrong with your salt level,

http://allseasonsspa.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,print,0&cntnt01articleid=7&cntnt01showtemplate=false&cntnt01returnid=88

Most manufacturers recommend around 3200 ppm of salt in the pool water to efficiently produce chlorine in the cell. Humans can usually taste salt around 5000 ppm. So, you shouldn’t be able to taste the salt in your pool water. The Pacific Ocean, incidentally, has a salinity level of 36000 ppm, more than ten times the salinity of pool water.

I also find that a largish pool takes one to two sacks of salt a month to keep the concentration up. Lugging sacks around is more arduous than dipping into a large tub of chlorine that you buy and lug home say once every 18 months. Storing say 10 to 20 sacks requires storage space. Salt costs of 150 to 400 baht of salt a month is more expensive than the basic manual chlorine requirement. Initial dosing of a large pool costs say 2,000 baht (plus or minus 1,000 baht, depending on how cheap is your source and whether you find as I did that the initial dosing takes 50% more salt than pool website guidance).

A salt water pool doesn't need 1 or 2 sacks of salt a month, that is why you taste the salt.

http://allseasonsspa.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,print,0&cntnt01articleid=7&cntnt01showtemplate=false&cntnt01returnid=88

Salt, similar to calcium and cyanuric acid, stays in the water unless the water is diluted. Backwashing, bather splashing, and evaporation all require the addition of water throughout the pool season, effectively diluting the pool water. Typically, adding just a few bags of Pool Salt a couple times during the pool season will keep the salt levels where they should be. Always have your salt level checked several times during the pool season.

Salt pools also require a few hundred baht a year of cyanauric acid to be added My chlorine costs were 5,000 baht for 18 months supply and the cyanauric is already added. However cyanauric in chlorine-dosed pools builds up such that you may find yourself paying an equivalent amount to dilute the pool water down to recommended levels every year or two; cost of added water is unlikely to be too different from cost of dosing a salt pool with cyanauric and neither is a major cost consideration anyway.

You can add liquid chlorine or powder chlorine, which doesn't have cyanuric acid added, so no build up. Only Trichlor and Dichlor have cyanuric acid added and are granules or tablets.

Cyanuric acid similar to salt doesn't evaporate . You should also keep your CYA level very low since it buffers the chlorine and is poisonous in high levels . With a CYA level of 30ppm a 3 ppm level of free chlorine is sufficient, while at 100ppm CYA level which is quickly reached when using trichlorine you would need 4 times the free chlorine level to have the same sanitation.

[IMHO]

OK, If I summarise the majority opinion here, salt costs a little more upfront, but requires far less frequent ongoing maintenance, and seems much easier to maintain - that last one is especially important to me, as the house in question is a weekender in the home town, and it's hard enough getting our dogs fed properly while we're away, let alone teaching someone around there how to maintain a pool...

A free-form pool is definitely desirable - none of the fibreglass pools I've seen are able to use the available space as effectively as a custom design would. Online, there seems to be a lot of pool builders recommending shotcrete/gunite over regular cement. From what I can see, this is just referring to the application method though - is there actually any difference in the chemistry? What compressive strength would it be as well?

If I do decide to co for a cement pool, what are the surface finishing options other than tiles? I understand that tiles should be used around the waterline, but I notice that most hotel/resort pools use some kind of synthetic treatment for the rest of the pool floor and walls - what are the options?

What are the practical pros and cons of a skimmer system vs overflow type? Cost-wise an overflow system needs an underground balance tank - which from reading needs to be 25% of the pool volume (space-wise that's a concern), and if going salt water the tank would either need to be polypropylene or 318 stainless I guess, and would also need to be serviceable? Overflow will also require expensive grating, or a stone drain that's going to get full of muck and debris right? Overflow sure does look better, but does it have any other real-world advantages over a much simpler skimmer system?

@JesseFrank: yes. I have access to construction workers - but none have experience building pools... For some reason I'm imagining it requires some special knowledge/expertise to get it right.. You guys are making it all sound a bit easier though!

[jacko45k]

personally, i hate salt pools, i don't like the feel of the water. if i want salt water, i'll swim in the sea. chlorine feels fresher and cleaner to me.

also, i think salt pools are more expensive to run, a lot more electricity and maintenance on the gear

I find that surprising...... I have a chlorine pool and when I have used a neighbour's salt pool I felt their water was 'softer' or smoother, and it most certainly was easier on the eyes. I admit I didn't like the slight salty taste.... but it is hardly comparable to sea water.

It is more expensive to initially install a salt type as you need an analyser and unit that creates the low levels of chlorine. A purely chlorine pool you can use a kit and chuck it in yourself.

I have been told in the long term the salt pool will last longer as it attacks the grout less... but there is more complex electronic hardware that can fail. Salt is cheaper to buy than chlorine too!

Electrical consumption will be mostly the pump through the filter, hence dependent on usage/size etc ie duty cycle, I thought it was similar for both types although my friend insists he needs to use it less since changing to salt.

[Daniel Boon]

for what its worth ...

I built a pool inside the house (7.5 metres x 4.5 metres) .. (in Queensland, OZ);

I ran a small ozene'ator (no copper) about 3 hours a day and used one 20 litre container of chlorine in a year.

[SantiSuk]

JesseFrank: I measured salt levels in my pool by various means (strips, meter, the crude chlorinator guage and observance of when chlorination levels are satisfactory) and I maintain at only 3,300ppm. I'm 99% sure I am not oversalting, but if everyone on this thread is convinced that you cannot taste the salt then I will eventually get my water professionally tested next time I'm going to Pattaya or somewhere with non-exorbitant facilities. I note that others are skeptical about the salt water experience though. I stand by my advice that all pool buyers should try-B4-buy. I agree with your CyA observations (I maintain at 30 as well, having read one of the few pieces of academic research I have ever seen about pool chemistry, which said that anything over 30 is money wasted). Some pool websites recommend much higher. CyA is added to my powdered Trichlor (Japanese 5,000 baht for 50kg - you can get cheaper Chinese at 3,500 baht, but I have seen users raise issues about the very cheap stuff). Granules, liquid and small tubs of chlorine are very expensive by comparison - which is why I suspect so many people reckon salt water systems are so much cheaper than chlorine - they are just paying for the convenience of stuff that is a little bit more convenient to deal with.

Salt consumption of (probably one bag per month) for a large 90,000 cu.m. pool. You think something's wrong? OK - I'll wait and see what others think and for a test. I do monitor water intake and it does not indicate a leak, but I do have raucous village parties (20 kids) every couple of weeks in season (March to November) and probably 1-2% manages to fly even over the overflow grids!

IMHO. I would say that the salt system is definitely for you if convenience is the highest priority. You should not need an overflow tank of 25% if you go the overflow/return channels route. My pool is 85,000 cu.m. and the reserve tank is 3,000 cu.m. I initially had problems with algae build-up in the concrete return channels which I largely solved by tiling the bottom of the channel and it was an annoyance cleaning them out every 6 months. The overflow method seems to work very well for removing surface dross, but I have no experience of using a skimmer pool; I would go for a skimmer pool if others confirm it does a fine job of removing the dust and flotsam. A side benefit of a return channel is that you can measure water loss in the pool if you switch off the water supply to the reserve tank, but you could always meter the water supply to your main pool if you go with the skimmer route. Maybe skimmer pools lose less water to raucous-kid-overflow because the water is below the top? In theory the overflow grids should catch and return but see comments above.

I had a half-way house solution for constructing my pool - my local regional Isaan builder, who did a good job of building the house, brought in a Bangkok pool sub-contractor to do the technical drawings, give some input to project management and supply and install the equipment. No way would I have jumped straight to building my own pool or having some local constructor try to learn everything at my expense and I take my hat off to the full DIY merchants!

One last tip. Make sure you have a full handle on the guarantees that apply to your pool equipment. My sand filter has just cracked after 2.5 years. The sub-contractor and the Thai distributor now maintain that the guarantee was 1 year only. That's a con that I am now dealing with, but it would have helped had I nailed down the guarantees at build time .Have just finished replacing the filter - myself. That's another story

I take my hat off to the OP for such diligent research. Most of us pool virgins "just go for it" and learn by mistake

Edit: yes Jacko45. Yes - salt water pools do feel smoother on the skin. Yes I am beginning to think I can reduce the pumping time also after 6 months of observance that the pool seems to be marginally cleaner. I did not notice any eye problems with chlorine (I maintained at only 1 to 1.5 ppm free chlorine though - I see some prefer 3ppm which maybe why they would get stinging if using chlorine. Powder chlorine at 5,000 baht for 50 kg is buttons when it lasts 18 months at least!

IMO the overall costs of a salt water system, when taking into account the capital costs and cell replacement, exceed a chlorine-based system and there is great merit in the "keep-it-simple-stupid" approach of manually-dosed chlorine. Convenience of salt may well make that a worthwhile expense if you like the salt water feel.

[besth]

personally, i hate salt pools, i don't like the feel of the water. if i want salt water, i'll swim in the sea. chlorine feels fresher and cleaner to me.

also, i think salt pools are more expensive to run, a lot more electricity and maintenance on the gear

I too dislike salt pools.

The water doesn't feel clean, it feels a little bit sticky, the water doesn't have cristalline color like the chlorine pools, even the smell isn't as good.

That's my opinion as a user.

don't know about costs, but I believe salt pools are cheaper to run.

I was without a swimming pool for a long time (other than in the condo in Bangkok, but never use it) and now that I enjoy one again, chlorine maintained pools are a lot better than they used to be. hardly any smell, not aggressive to the eyes. As the previous posters have said, salt water pools are a lot cheaper to maintain, but don't feel as good. Check the fact that most hotels have them - and they sell them as more natural - but a lot less popular with private owners.

[JesseFrank]

JesseFrank: I measured salt levels in my pool by various means (strips, meter, the crude chlorinator guage and observance of when chlorination levels are satisfactory) and I maintain at only 3,300ppm. I'm 99% sure I am not oversalting, but if everyone on this thread is convinced that you cannot taste the salt then I will eventually get my water professionally tested next time I'm going to Pattaya or somewhere with non-exorbitant facilities. I note that others are skeptical about the salt water experience though. I stand by my advice that all pool buyers should try-B4-buy. I agree with your CyA observations (I maintain at 30 as well, having read one of the few pieces of academic research I have ever seen about pool chemistry, which said that anything over 30 is money wasted). Some pool websites recommend much higher. CyA is added to my powdered Trichlor (Japanese 5,000 baht for 50kg - you can get cheaper Chinese at 3,500 baht, but I have seen users raise issues about the very cheap stuff). Granules, liquid and small tubs of chlorine are very expensive by comparison - which is why I suspect so many people reckon salt water systems are so much cheaper than chlorine - they are just paying for the convenience of stuff that is a little bit more convenient to deal with.

Salt consumption of (probably one bag per month) for a large 90,000 cu.m. pool. You think something's wrong? OK - I'll wait and see what others think and for a test. I do monitor water intake and it does not indicate a leak, but I do have raucous village parties (20 kids) every couple of weeks in season (March to November) and probably 1-2% manages to fly even over the overflow grids!

IMHO. I would say that the salt system is definitely for you if convenience is the highest priority. You should not need an overflow tank of 25% if you go the overflow/return channels route. My pool is 85,000 cu.m. and the reserve tank is 3,000 cu.m. I initially had problems with algae build-up in the concrete return channels which I largely solved by tiling the bottom of the channel and it was an annoyance cleaning them out every 6 months. The overflow method seems to work very well for removing surface dross, but I have no experience of using a skimmer pool; I would go for a skimmer pool if others confirm it does a fine job of removing the dust and flotsam. A side benefit of a return channel is that you can measure water loss in the pool if you switch off the water supply to the reserve tank, but you could always meter the water supply to your main pool if you go with the skimmer route. Maybe skimmer pools lose less water to raucous-kid-overflow because the water is below the top? In theory the overflow grids should catch and return but see comments above.

I had a half-way house solution for constructing my pool - my local regional Isaan builder, who did a good job of building the house, brought in a Bangkok pool sub-contractor to do the technical drawings, give some input to project management and supply and install the equipment. No way would I have jumped straight to building my own pool or having some local constructor try to learn everything at my expense and I take my hat off to the full DIY merchants!

One last tip. Make sure you have a full handle on the guarantees that apply to your pool equipment. My sand filter has just cracked after 2.5 years. The sub-contractor and the Thai distributor now maintain that the guarantee was 1 year only. That's a con that I am now dealing with, but it would have helped had I nailed down the guarantees at build time .Have just finished replacing the filter - myself. That's another story

I take my hat off to the OP for such diligent research. Most of us pool virgins "just go for it" and learn by mistake

Edit: yes Jacko45. Yes - salt water pools do feel smoother on the skin. Yes I am beginning to think I can reduce the pumping time also after 6 months of observance that the pool seems to be marginally cleaner. I did not notice any eye problems with chlorine (I maintained at only 1 to 1.5 ppm free chlorine though - I see some prefer 3ppm which maybe why they would get stinging if using chlorine. Powder chlorine at 5,000 baht for 50 kg is buttons when it lasts 18 months at least!

IMO the overall costs of a salt water system, when taking into account the capital costs and cell replacement, exceed a chlorine-based system and there is great merit in the "keep-it-simple-stupid" approach of manually-dosed chlorine. Convenience of salt may well make that a worthwhile expense if you like the salt water feel.

One bag of salt a month for a 90 Cubic pool is not excessive especially if you have frequent pool parties, but in your previous post you mentioned 150 - 400 Baht a month on salt, which would translate to almost 4 bags simce a bag is 110 Baht.

The problem with your algae may be your overflow tank, as the debris going int here is all organic stuff, and it would make your tank a breeding ground for algae.

Chlorine level has nothing to do with burning eyes, it is the pH level that causes this.

For filtering, you should measure the capacity of your pump and filter, and calculate that the total water volume of your pool should pass the filter 2 or 3 times each day.

It's also better to have 2 shorter filter cycles, morning an evening, than 1 long filter cycle. Especially for a SWG since the chlorine you create after sunset, should still all be in the pool when sun rises. It is also an easy way to check if you have algae in the water, as the algae will consume the chlorine.