Please tell me about maintaining a saltwater pool
April 27, 2020 1:15 PM Subscribe
We moved into a house last fall with an inground saltwater pool. I’ve never had a pool before and don’t know where to start with looking after it. I had a company close it just after we moved in, and they’re coming back next Monday to open it for the summer. However, due to lockdown and distancing they are not allowed to come back and do a planned training session with me to teach me how to maintain it, though they are being helpful over the phone.
I really want to use the pool a lot this summer, but want to do it right, so I turn to you for advice. The pool is about 16x40 ft. It has a heater and a bunch of equipment in a shed, including a pump and a chlorination panel that the previous owner said should read between 2800 and 3400, and some tubs of what I assume is salt. Beyond that I didn’t get much information.
The company coming to do the opening will send a service tech back the next day to start the water balance, and then they suggested that by Thursday I could drop off a water sample from which they’ll be able to tell me what if anything needs to be done to get the water safe. Should the openers be turning the heater on to get it to a swimmable temperature? How soon after opening the pool should we be able to use it? (We’re in Ottawa, Canada and its not really been close to warm enough yet to contemplate swimming!)
But, beyond that, how do I maintain the pool through the summer, or at least until the lockdown is eased and they are able to come teach me? Are there daily/weekly tasks that I should know about?
There is a vacuum/bottom skimmer thing which was in the pool when we moved in, and which I assume the openers will install. Do I leave that in all the time or take it out when we want to swim? There is a long net on a pole which I used to scoop out some leaves before closing. But I noticed some leaves and other debris in the pump (filter?) - how often should that be cleaned?
There is a grey cover on a roller at one end - could that be a solar cover to absorb heat from the sun? If so, should I leave it on the pool at all times once it is opened except when we want to swim?
What else should I know? I love swimming and really hope to enjoy the pool a lot this summer.
I really want to use the pool a lot this summer, but want to do it right, so I turn to you for advice. The pool is about 16x40 ft. It has a heater and a bunch of equipment in a shed, including a pump and a chlorination panel that the previous owner said should read between 2800 and 3400, and some tubs of what I assume is salt. Beyond that I didn’t get much information.
The company coming to do the opening will send a service tech back the next day to start the water balance, and then they suggested that by Thursday I could drop off a water sample from which they’ll be able to tell me what if anything needs to be done to get the water safe. Should the openers be turning the heater on to get it to a swimmable temperature? How soon after opening the pool should we be able to use it? (We’re in Ottawa, Canada and its not really been close to warm enough yet to contemplate swimming!)
But, beyond that, how do I maintain the pool through the summer, or at least until the lockdown is eased and they are able to come teach me? Are there daily/weekly tasks that I should know about?
There is a vacuum/bottom skimmer thing which was in the pool when we moved in, and which I assume the openers will install. Do I leave that in all the time or take it out when we want to swim? There is a long net on a pole which I used to scoop out some leaves before closing. But I noticed some leaves and other debris in the pump (filter?) - how often should that be cleaned?
There is a grey cover on a roller at one end - could that be a solar cover to absorb heat from the sun? If so, should I leave it on the pool at all times once it is opened except when we want to swim?
What else should I know? I love swimming and really hope to enjoy the pool a lot this summer.
Best answer: I do not have a pool anything like yours, so I won't offer equipment-specific advice but I will suggest you can probably find Canada-specific saltwater pool videos on youtube, that's how we learned pretty much everything about ours. There are many many videos on water maintenance made by pool service companies and DIYers.
Also, ask your pool service if they would at least shoot a video tour of where all your switches, inlets, outlets, etc are, and show/tell the name/brand of all the components? You'll be able to additionally google/youtube your filter, heater, skimmer etc by brand and hopefully even model (or very close) and find the manuals and additional videos. Internet videos are very helpful, but knowing what specific equipment you have is important.
Solar covers are not really a heating device. You'll get some degrees (very few in Canada in spring) but it's not going to make it warm enough to swim or not use the heater (except maybe very hot weather). It will reduce evaporation, help keep debris out, reduce algae, and prevent some heat loss from the pool heater. Yes, the bubble wrap stuff is a solar cover. Swim U on solar covers, changing sand in filter (gives a decent idea of architecture). Get recs from your pool pros about when and how to use it, as your local weather may be a factor on how much and when. (There are safety as well as functionality things to consider about using a soft cover, and there may be local ordinances you need to know about, which your pool service can either confirm or at least point you at the right webpage.)
You should empty the skimmer basket whenever you see stuff in it, otherwise you're just making tea. Gross tea. We try to check ours daily, it doesn't always happen but every other day at least.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:04 PM on April 27, 2020
Also, ask your pool service if they would at least shoot a video tour of where all your switches, inlets, outlets, etc are, and show/tell the name/brand of all the components? You'll be able to additionally google/youtube your filter, heater, skimmer etc by brand and hopefully even model (or very close) and find the manuals and additional videos. Internet videos are very helpful, but knowing what specific equipment you have is important.
Solar covers are not really a heating device. You'll get some degrees (very few in Canada in spring) but it's not going to make it warm enough to swim or not use the heater (except maybe very hot weather). It will reduce evaporation, help keep debris out, reduce algae, and prevent some heat loss from the pool heater. Yes, the bubble wrap stuff is a solar cover. Swim U on solar covers, changing sand in filter (gives a decent idea of architecture). Get recs from your pool pros about when and how to use it, as your local weather may be a factor on how much and when. (There are safety as well as functionality things to consider about using a soft cover, and there may be local ordinances you need to know about, which your pool service can either confirm or at least point you at the right webpage.)
You should empty the skimmer basket whenever you see stuff in it, otherwise you're just making tea. Gross tea. We try to check ours daily, it doesn't always happen but every other day at least.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:04 PM on April 27, 2020
Best answer: My husband is our pool guy so I can't answer all of the questions.
But the solar cover- it goes on after we have done swimming for the day only when its cooler out, OR when we might not be using it again for awhile. Mostly keeps the pool cleaner, and prevents evaporation. I find it a pain in the butt to put on, take off, so we've agree to those rules. I found that if the cover is on, kids and I are much less likely to use the pool
Pool heaters are super expensive to run. Its still so early in the season, that while you can run it, your water is still COLD, and it will take awhile to get it up to any reasonable temperature. And on top of that, the heat will leach quickly. Ours is gas, and I can hear the gas meter "CHING CHING CHING CHING CHING" when that thing is running. We do use it but more to bring the temp up 5 degrees. Not 30. Your openers should confirm heater is working, but its really too early for it.
He takes water into pool store twice a month or so. They tell him what to do, and he does it. He also keeps an eye on the chemistry with the water strips.
We have two nets, one that is a long pole, one that is hand help (its a broken long one), and we tend to use the short one while we are in the pool. That keeps the pool relatively clean
He backwashes the filter biweekly. That's the big sand thing. That's all I know about that. We empty the basket anytime we are getting or if we happen to be near it while outside.
We call our bottom vacuum, the "Thumper". It runs at night. We take out if swimming. IT doesn't run as well if the cover is on.
posted by Ftsqg at 2:21 PM on April 27, 2020
But the solar cover- it goes on after we have done swimming for the day only when its cooler out, OR when we might not be using it again for awhile. Mostly keeps the pool cleaner, and prevents evaporation. I find it a pain in the butt to put on, take off, so we've agree to those rules. I found that if the cover is on, kids and I are much less likely to use the pool
Pool heaters are super expensive to run. Its still so early in the season, that while you can run it, your water is still COLD, and it will take awhile to get it up to any reasonable temperature. And on top of that, the heat will leach quickly. Ours is gas, and I can hear the gas meter "CHING CHING CHING CHING CHING" when that thing is running. We do use it but more to bring the temp up 5 degrees. Not 30. Your openers should confirm heater is working, but its really too early for it.
He takes water into pool store twice a month or so. They tell him what to do, and he does it. He also keeps an eye on the chemistry with the water strips.
We have two nets, one that is a long pole, one that is hand help (its a broken long one), and we tend to use the short one while we are in the pool. That keeps the pool relatively clean
He backwashes the filter biweekly. That's the big sand thing. That's all I know about that. We empty the basket anytime we are getting or if we happen to be near it while outside.
We call our bottom vacuum, the "Thumper". It runs at night. We take out if swimming. IT doesn't run as well if the cover is on.
posted by Ftsqg at 2:21 PM on April 27, 2020
With the steep learning curve and so much else going on I would ask if the company could quote you their rate for coming by weekly to do the maintenance, at least for a couple of months. This will also help your pool people understand your pool well so when they DO teach you how to use it they will know any quirks.
posted by saucysault at 4:22 PM on April 27, 2020
posted by saucysault at 4:22 PM on April 27, 2020
Best answer: I am a pool owner, but not a saltwater pool owner.
You should consider hiring a weekly pool service for your first summer. It will remove a lot of stress and you can eventually learn what the pool guy does in terms of maintenance.
Some other tips: Know the volume of your pool in gallons. Get a decent pool test kit and learn how to test your sanitizer and pH levels. The strips are not very accurate and only good for ballpark results. You should have a pool brush. Brush surfaces every 2/3 days minimum to deter algae build up. You should only need to run your vacuum for a few hours each week. If you run it constantly you will shorten its lifespan. Learn how to backwash your filter and do that at least once a month, possibly more often if you have a lot of debris or you’re losing suction on your vacuum. If you’re on reddit, r/swimmingpools and r/pools are active subs with knowledgeable folks that will give solid advice and answer questions.
It will seem daunting at first but once you learn the ropes it’s not terribly complicated and maintenance is relatively easy.
posted by gnutron at 8:09 PM on April 27, 2020
You should consider hiring a weekly pool service for your first summer. It will remove a lot of stress and you can eventually learn what the pool guy does in terms of maintenance.
Some other tips: Know the volume of your pool in gallons. Get a decent pool test kit and learn how to test your sanitizer and pH levels. The strips are not very accurate and only good for ballpark results. You should have a pool brush. Brush surfaces every 2/3 days minimum to deter algae build up. You should only need to run your vacuum for a few hours each week. If you run it constantly you will shorten its lifespan. Learn how to backwash your filter and do that at least once a month, possibly more often if you have a lot of debris or you’re losing suction on your vacuum. If you’re on reddit, r/swimmingpools and r/pools are active subs with knowledgeable folks that will give solid advice and answer questions.
It will seem daunting at first but once you learn the ropes it’s not terribly complicated and maintenance is relatively easy.
posted by gnutron at 8:09 PM on April 27, 2020
Best answer: Disclaimer: I've done daily maintenance on several small commercial salt water pools and hot tubs but I'm not a certified salt water pool guy.
The pool is about 16x40 ft. It has a heater and a bunch of equipment in a shed, including a pump and a chlorination panel that the previous owner said should read between 2800 and 3400, and some tubs of what I assume is salt.
This is your salt level in PPM. There will be a minimum and maximum that your equipment will operate under. I like to keep levels on the higher side of the range as the generator doesn't need to work as hard. The chlorination panel along with a generator that is inline with your filter/circulation pump generate chlorine from the salt which will reduce your slat level over time. When it gets low you just dump pool salt into the pool (dissolving it in a bucket with pool water first prevent it piling up on the pool bottom) to bring it back up. Your bags of salt will have a chart showing how many kilos to add to raise the salt levels a specific amount (500 PPM usually) depending on the volume of your pool. It's important to only use pool salt. Other types of salt (EG: softener salt) has assorted additives in it that will mess up your generator. It can take a few hours for the increased salt concentrations to show up on your control panel; the generators I worked at averaged the reading over an hour.
How soon after opening the pool should we be able to use it?
Essentially as soon as your water is clear and chlorine is at the correct level (testable with pool test kit). Usually you'll want to wait a day when you first open or if your chlorine goes low just to be safe.
Stream of consciousness:
Your chlorination panel might have feedback or might be manual. If it has feed back then the generator will be adjusted automatically so one less thing to worry about. However if it is manual you'll have to adjust it up and down as usage changes (more use requires more generation). After a while you'll get a feel for where the generator has to be set. There is lots of windage to play with; if it gets low/zero you just have to adjust up and wait and when you have to increase it if you, for example, have a bunch of people over to use the pool. If it gets high just turn off and wait. Chlorine levels generally have to get crazy high before they will cause anything but some itchiness (and then other things).
Things that will lower chlorine levels or cause other problems: people (skin flakes/oils/hair/emissions), lotion/conditioner/soap/sunscreen, sunlight, dirt. The UV in sunlight will lower chlorine levels which is one of the reasons you want to use a cover along with helping keeping out insects, blown dirt, etc.
Filters need to be back washed to clean them but doing so costs you water and salt. You can do it on a schedule or observe your filter pressures (when the get relatively high it's time to back wash). Back washing also dilutes other dissolved solid and other contaminates that build up over time (things like phosphates) and this might determine how often you back wash to bring in fresh water. This is where comprehensive testing by a pool place can help. Old gunked up water loses it's *snap* and makes it harder to adjust your chlorine up and chlorates down.
If your water gets so dirty/cloudy you can't see the intakes on the bottom you should stop using your pool until the water clears up (IE: you want to be able to see if anyone is laying on the bottom of the pool).
If you are using the pool for lap swimming rather than lounging you keep the water cooler.
Besides the salt you'll have to monitor pH and add product to keep the pool water close to neutral (7.4 ish).
The pool will need to be shocked occasionally (if it gets green or contaminated with vomit/fecal matter) and you do this just by adding granulated chlorine. This can also be used to keep your pool chlorinated if your generator fails.
You might also need to add product to reduce chlorine levels (or just turn off your generator and wait as they decline over time naturally and generally you want to minimize how much stuff you add to your water). With the exception of salt it's best to minimize the amount of chemicals you add. If you need to for example lower your pH add half the amount the chart indicates and test again in 6-12 hours. It's easy to overshoot.
Your chlorine generator will need to be cleaned and eventually will need replacement (we'd be lucky to get a year out of a generator but commercial pools work way harder than yours ever will and run year round).
It's really important that the pool have a secure fence with a self closing, latching gate. Don't pile things up against the outside of the pence that would be an aid to climbing. Ontario/Ottawa probably has specific regulations and your insurance may have additional requirements. Children should be prevented from playing around the pool while the cover is on as people can fall under the cover and be both hidden from view and unable to get out.
If your skimmers (the water intakes at deck level) have filter baskets they need to be checked/cleaned occasionally.
Test your GFCI breakers.
posted by Mitheral at 10:48 PM on April 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
The pool is about 16x40 ft. It has a heater and a bunch of equipment in a shed, including a pump and a chlorination panel that the previous owner said should read between 2800 and 3400, and some tubs of what I assume is salt.
This is your salt level in PPM. There will be a minimum and maximum that your equipment will operate under. I like to keep levels on the higher side of the range as the generator doesn't need to work as hard. The chlorination panel along with a generator that is inline with your filter/circulation pump generate chlorine from the salt which will reduce your slat level over time. When it gets low you just dump pool salt into the pool (dissolving it in a bucket with pool water first prevent it piling up on the pool bottom) to bring it back up. Your bags of salt will have a chart showing how many kilos to add to raise the salt levels a specific amount (500 PPM usually) depending on the volume of your pool. It's important to only use pool salt. Other types of salt (EG: softener salt) has assorted additives in it that will mess up your generator. It can take a few hours for the increased salt concentrations to show up on your control panel; the generators I worked at averaged the reading over an hour.
How soon after opening the pool should we be able to use it?
Essentially as soon as your water is clear and chlorine is at the correct level (testable with pool test kit). Usually you'll want to wait a day when you first open or if your chlorine goes low just to be safe.
Stream of consciousness:
Your chlorination panel might have feedback or might be manual. If it has feed back then the generator will be adjusted automatically so one less thing to worry about. However if it is manual you'll have to adjust it up and down as usage changes (more use requires more generation). After a while you'll get a feel for where the generator has to be set. There is lots of windage to play with; if it gets low/zero you just have to adjust up and wait and when you have to increase it if you, for example, have a bunch of people over to use the pool. If it gets high just turn off and wait. Chlorine levels generally have to get crazy high before they will cause anything but some itchiness (and then other things).
Things that will lower chlorine levels or cause other problems: people (skin flakes/oils/hair/emissions), lotion/conditioner/soap/sunscreen, sunlight, dirt. The UV in sunlight will lower chlorine levels which is one of the reasons you want to use a cover along with helping keeping out insects, blown dirt, etc.
Filters need to be back washed to clean them but doing so costs you water and salt. You can do it on a schedule or observe your filter pressures (when the get relatively high it's time to back wash). Back washing also dilutes other dissolved solid and other contaminates that build up over time (things like phosphates) and this might determine how often you back wash to bring in fresh water. This is where comprehensive testing by a pool place can help. Old gunked up water loses it's *snap* and makes it harder to adjust your chlorine up and chlorates down.
If your water gets so dirty/cloudy you can't see the intakes on the bottom you should stop using your pool until the water clears up (IE: you want to be able to see if anyone is laying on the bottom of the pool).
If you are using the pool for lap swimming rather than lounging you keep the water cooler.
Besides the salt you'll have to monitor pH and add product to keep the pool water close to neutral (7.4 ish).
The pool will need to be shocked occasionally (if it gets green or contaminated with vomit/fecal matter) and you do this just by adding granulated chlorine. This can also be used to keep your pool chlorinated if your generator fails.
You might also need to add product to reduce chlorine levels (or just turn off your generator and wait as they decline over time naturally and generally you want to minimize how much stuff you add to your water). With the exception of salt it's best to minimize the amount of chemicals you add. If you need to for example lower your pH add half the amount the chart indicates and test again in 6-12 hours. It's easy to overshoot.
Your chlorine generator will need to be cleaned and eventually will need replacement (we'd be lucky to get a year out of a generator but commercial pools work way harder than yours ever will and run year round).
It's really important that the pool have a secure fence with a self closing, latching gate. Don't pile things up against the outside of the pence that would be an aid to climbing. Ontario/Ottawa probably has specific regulations and your insurance may have additional requirements. Children should be prevented from playing around the pool while the cover is on as people can fall under the cover and be both hidden from view and unable to get out.
If your skimmers (the water intakes at deck level) have filter baskets they need to be checked/cleaned occasionally.
Test your GFCI breakers.
posted by Mitheral at 10:48 PM on April 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by valleys at 1:51 PM on April 27, 2020