hi all

i've just built a swimming pool and i'm using a salt water chlorinaor. it occured to me that if i'm swimming in salt water, why not use seawater (right outside my front door, plenty of it and free!) versus fresh water (hard to find in the dry season) and adding salt (expensive).

i know that seawater is far more salty than salt water chlorinated pools but i have no problem swimming in seawater.

so my question is, if anyone knows, what are the issues with seawater pools? how to keep clean, how often to change the water, any problems like grout discolor or pump failure or anything like that?

By the way, i already know i can't use the chlorinator with seawater, the salt concentation is too high. my big concern is in the dry season i barely have enough water for the house so putting 2-300litres/day in the pool may be a problem.

steve

By the way, i already know i can't use the chlorinator with seawater, the salt concentation is too high. my big concern is in the dry season i barely have enough water for the house so putting 2-300litres/day in the pool may be a problem.

Steve, have you seen the covers that look like a big sheet of bubble wrap?

The trick would be stopping evaporation, it really starts at night when things cool down.

Real salt water wrecks everything.

Just a thought, Good luck

Sea water is over 3% salt, most modern salt water chlorinators use a salt level of 0.3%. If you put too much salt in the water it can cause the platinum coating on the electrode to be eaten away, it can also burn out the power supply if not correctly adjusted. There are a number of other chemicals in sea water that salt chlorinators don't like too.

A lot of people do not like too much salt in the water, it has to do with the crusty feeling when the salt dries on the skin.

By the way, i already know i can't use the chlorinator with seawater, the salt concentation is too high. my big concern is in the dry season i barely have enough water for the house so putting 2-300litres/day in the pool may be a problem.

Steve, have you seen the covers that look like a big sheet of bubble wrap?

The trick would be stopping evaporation, it really starts at night when things cool down.

Real salt water wrecks everything.

Just a thought, Good luck

The "bubble" covers are great for a number of reasons.

1. They reduce evaporation, saving water.
   
2. They reduce chemical costs.
   
3. They keep the leaves and dirt out of the pool.
   
4. They keep the water temp higher for a longer swimming season.
   

Just a word of warning, they do not like high chlorine levels. So when you get one check the chlorine level regulaly (1 or 2 times a day) to start with, you may have to turn your chlorinator down. Do not reduce the running hours too much as that causes other problems.

Also when you take them off the pool, don't just dump them beside the pool, I have seen covers weld themselves together in a big mess because they got hot. Put them in some shade.

One customer I had decided to make his own out of bubble wrap. It worked for a short while, then filled the filter with dead bits of bubble wrap. The genuine covers are made to handle UV and some (not extreme) chemical exposure.