Switching from Chlorine to a Salt System
While many new pools come equipped with salt chlorine generators, owners of existing pools can easily get in on the action. A pool professional can determine the properly sized generator for your pool and install the swimming pool chemical device, which includes a control box and an electronic cell for producing chlorine, which is inserted into the plumbing.
Make sure the swimming pool chemicals are balanced. Your pool pro will add a metal remover, a non-copper based algicide and a sufficient amount of 99 percent pure salt into the deep end with the pump running. Brush the area to disperse the salt. Run the pump for 24 hours, and you're on your way. Monitor the swimming pool chemicals—salt, chlorine, stabilizer and pH levels—and adjust accordingly. Besides paying for the unit and its installation ($600 to $1,850-plus), you will have the cost of salt, algicide and the metal remover. The salt costs about $13 per 50-pound bag. How many bags are needed depends on the size of the pool. The extra chemicals should cost less than $50.