Why would you want to drain a swimming pool when there is a much better option? Did you know that there is an alternative to a typical drain and refill? Did you know that this option is quicker, safer and saves water too? Did you also know that this option will give you and your family the best water to swim in?
At Pure Water Industries, we are committed to giving you, your family and all bathers in a swimming pool the best water quality that is why we highly recommend not draining a swimming pool rather recycle the water instead!
Recently, we recycled a saltwater swimming pool and this is the perfect example as to why recycling the water in a much better idea!! When salt water chlorinators first came on the market they were marketed to potential buyers as making it easier to maintain your swimming pool and that they would make your swim experience much better. As for the later, there is no doubt it will make your water softer and you won’t get out of the pool smelling like chlorine or with itchy/burning eyes but that can only be achieved if it is working! But what happens when your salt system is malfunctioning? In many parts of the country, this is a major issue because our water is hard!
Depending on where you live, many parts of the country that deal with high levels of Calcium Hardness (CH) in their swimming pool. This CH can cause a ton of problems to your swimming pool but it can also cause your salt system to malfunction. Since there are many different manufacturers of salt water chlorinators we recommend checking the owners manual for ideal levels of CH but most are in the area of 200 – 400 parts per million (ppm). In many parts of the country, the levels of calcium coming out of their tap are 400ppm and higher which causes a problem as soon as you install the system. To help explain this, as pool water evaporates the hardness minerals remain in solution and build up in concentration. As the water gets harder and harder the calcium will scale the water tile line, the interior finish, filtration equipment and your salt cell. When this happens it will prevent the salt water chlorinator from generating chlorine! This is extremely common and as long as you are maintaining your pH, an adequate amount of salt and Cyanuric Acid (CYA) this is probably the reason why it’s malfunctioning! Just this past week we filtered at 13,320-gallon swimming pool because their salt system was malfunctioning. Take a look at these before and after numbers….
Initial Chemistry
Calcium Hardness – 700ppm (too high for the salt system)
Salt – 3678ppm (moderately high for this system)
TDS – 5508ppm
CYA – 80ppm (optimal level)
After filtering this swimming pool for 8 hours with our Reverse Osmosis (RO) Mobile Filtration trailer, we were able to conserve 85% of the water and leave them with the following….
Ending Chemistry
Calcium Hardness – 150ppm (this is great for the salt system and much lower than our tap water)
Salt – 733ppm (will need to add salt)
TDS – 1046ppm
CYA – 10ppm (will need to add stabilizer and will need to check the manual for ideal amount)
After adding salt and CYA back to the pool their salt system is now working great. If you own one, you might want to consider changing out the water every 1-2 years to keep it working and we recommend RO filtration over a drain and refill. If you should have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!