Yes, salt chlorine generators get hot when they are running. i have white flakes coming from the inlets. However, you should be careful when adding sodium bicarbonate as it will also have the same effect on the pH. Use metal removers like Metal Magic to remove copper through your pool filter. However, if they vomit lots of food, that may be food poisoning and you need to seek medical help. Chances are if you have a salt water pool you have seen some type of white flake blowback at one point or another into your pool or spa. In most cases, balancing pH and TA in both saltwater and chlorine-based pool is tricky and the only way is by first reducing both chemicals using muriatic acid and then raising pH through aeration to get the correct balance. Saltwater pools use salt chlorine generators (also called Saltwater Generators, or SWGs) that produce chlorine using electricity. Chlorine might be reading low even though salinity is high because of a faulty or dirty salt cell that needs some repair or cleaning respectively. To raise total alkalinity in your pool, you can use sodium bicarbonate. Soon, it may develop low chlorine problem is salt cell is not working efficiently. Barack James (author) from Green City in the Sun on April 02, 2019: Cloudiness in any pool be it salt water or chlorine based pool is associated with low chlorine level. Think about it: the salt cell is still hot, high-pH sodium hydroxide is still in the area, and the water just stopped moving. Sure, maybe that's 'anecdata' instead of actual data, but it's the truth. Related 'From the Experts' Article: How to Avoid Salt Pool Maintenance Issues. When adding water with a garden hose, allow it to run for a couple of minutes prior to placing the hose into your swimming pool. Cal hypo comes with high pH and calcium and you are likely to fight high pH and calcium scaling if you use them. I got a saltwater pool system (8400 gallons). If possible, lower the percentage settings in your Chlorinator if it's too high. Thanks to physics, we know the pH will rise up to its equilibrium point (which we call the pH ceiling). No amount of vacuuming seems to help. Pools have literally had to cut open their filters and use jackhammers to get the sand out because of calcium phosphate formation in the filters. Add sufficient muriatic acid to a bucket of water: Avoid too much acid, as it may reduce your cell life (about 6 oz of muriatic acid per quarter bucket of water is fine). But if it's operating at 75%, it's only operating 9 hours a day (0.75 x 12 hours = 9 hours). Get liquid chlorine (sodium hypochlorite) if you don't have one. 1  Titanium is used because it is less susceptible to corrosion. It's a small chamber where water flows full speed. For example: carbonate scale always forms in the hottest places first. This is the most ignored aspect pool water chemistry: The TDS in your pool should not exceed 1500 ppm. Use the free Orenda App LSI calculator and raise the Salt/TDS from 100 up to 3000 and see what happens. Brush pool walls and bottom thoroughly. 4. This is helpful.The levels were way off when we checked with Clorox strips and we've tried everything to balance them out and nothing is working. Your pool should be at a pH between 7.4 and 7.6. Barack James (author) from Green City in the Sun on April 06, 2019: Hello Kings, I recommend using a better test kit like Taylor Technologies test kit or Lamotte ColorQ Pro test kit for more accurate readings and best results. Voila, calcium flakes. If you have your FC below 3 ppm or combined chlorine (CC) above 0.5 ppm, whether it's a saltwater or non-saltwater pool, FC is low and you need to shock your swimming pool immediately to fix cloudy water and kill bacteria before you get algae or ammonia in your pool.. When do I add the chlorine to my pool? Question: Our calcium level went from 250 60 days ago to over 650 today, there is residue all over the bottom of the pool. We have a more detailed article about salt systems here, but we thought it was important to summarize how salt chlorine generators work. Alternative for cyanuric acid? Any recommendations? We of course need to get rid of the cause of the flakes too, which means you will need to clean the salt cell following the salt system manufacturer's instructions. Will this cause cloudiness? Question: What should be done for a low calcium level of my pool? Finally, if you have done all Chemicals balancing and the pool still appears cloudy after 24 hours, your salt water cell may be faulty and not producing sufficient free chlorine to maintain your pool and you may need to clean your salt cell and make sure you adjust salinity level that is recommended for your SWCG so that enough chlorine is produced to keep cloudiness away and avoid algae growth. We have vaccumed and backwashed multiple times in the last month or so and we just had a new salt cell put on. The problem seems to be with the circulation system. Before adding chlorine ensure that it is less than 3ppm. Zinc anode also plays a very important role in preventing. Question: My saltwater pool is not holding chlorine, what can we do? I have had my water tested over and over, my hardness and things are within range. Small white flakes coming out of the pool returns or accumulating on the pool bottom can indicate s… If possible, always avoid stabilizers unless you have an outdoor pool in a hot and humid climate. Question: How do I decrease the chlorine level in our salt water pool? Maintaining free chlorine levels between 1 and 3 parts per million (ppm) will prevent the growth of algae. Also, this may result in more dissolved substances in the water and that may be very costly to correct. Also, make sure the salinity level is between 2500 and 3500ppm so that the right amount of chlorine is produced. We found several sources (which we will not link here out of respect) that make the case that calcium flakes are calcium phosphate, and therefore you need to buy a phosphate remover. This is because raising the temperature also raises the LSI. Saltwater can conduct electricity better than fresh water. My above ground Saltwater pool (Kayak Pool) is turning green. Low salinity levels reduce free chlorine. Most salt chlorine generators divide up the day evenly in clusters of, say, 5 or 10 minutes. See the photo of the sand-boulders that were removed from a commercial sand filter only after being broken apart by a jackhammer. When scooped out and dried, the flakes … Question: The filtration system is not circulating water in our pool. Here's a video showing what it can do to an already-existing scale line: If you have scale issues, here's our procedure for how to soften it and remove it chemically. Pool looks great. To the chemists reading this, we're just making this distinction for simplicity's sake. Cooler geographic regions will experience reduced water conductivity, and if you are taking the reading of salinity from the generator, you may get a much lower and inaccurate reading, so you need to be extra careful not to add too much salt. Saltwater pools have to be maintained differently than non-salt pools for a few reasons. SC-1000 can help, but in the short term, you might be better off vacuuming the flakes and removing them from the pool. This is why you see the flakes on the floor or benches near return inlets. Pool not exposed to direct sunlight. Pour the solution into the cell and leave to soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Then, test that area of the water to get a preliminary salt reading. As such, you need to add chlorine shock manually to raise the level. Another, more common-sense reason for suds in the water is due to cleaning products: pool owners who are cleaning the tiles near the water line of an in-ground pool, or the vinyl liner of an above-ground pool… Question: Do you know why a saltwater pool would cause skin and eye irritation and coughing in several different people? The white flakes in salt pools are calcium carbonate, with very few exceptions. The levels of TDS increases as chemicals are added and as organic matter dissolves in the water. Question: I have a 20,000 gallon pool and salt reading should be between 2800 and 3200. Getting rid of the flakes can be done a number of different ways. Sure, it's possible to have calcium phosphate if you have levels high enough, but it's rare. I use Hayward's AQR15 AquaRite Salt Chlorinator, which has a self-cleaning feature that makes it easy to clean any time. Alternatively, you can use head gears when swimming to protect your hair from getting the green tint. Answer: Your salinity is a little higher than the recommended level which is between 2500 - 3500 ppm. It's not there. If you have a saltwater pool and it's … How much salt should I add to my saltwater I ground swimming pool? Ever. Also, make sure your chemicals in the pool are all balanced, especially pH, TA, and calcium hardness as these may affect salinity and free chlorine production levels. Dispose of the acid solution and rinse the cell with a garden hose. I tested the water for salt content, and sure enough, it was low. You will need to measure your FC level at least twice a day and add more chlorine to raise FC back to 28ppm when it drops until you see no algae and FCL is stable around 6ppm. Alternatively, your pump runtime might also be high and you may need to reduce your pumps runtime alongside percentage settings to lower chlorine production faster. There are two types of calcium compounds that form in pool water and create scaling--calcium carbonate and calcium silicate. It is one year old. Ideally, even if there is no buildup, it is recommended to clean your cell at least every 6 to 12 months. Most scale forms right after the salt cell and circulation pump shut off. After filling your pool with water, mix a small section of it with a pool brush or pole for 2 to 3 minutes. Barack James (author) from Green City in the Sun on March 28, 2019: Hollo Larry, vomiting in kids after swimming is majorly caused by swallowing pool water that may cause recreational water illness and chlorine poisoning and all these may lead to digestive distress, such as abdominal cramping, vominting, and diarrhea. The process of using electricity to generate chlorine from saltwater is called electrolysis. If it's chlorine pool avoid calcium hypochlorite shocks and use Sodium Hypochlorite(liquid chlorine) to sanitize your pool. Unfortunately, not all of the … Is this going to damage the equipment? What you need to know is chlorine gas is created by electrolysis through saltwater (brine), and that chlorine gas dissolves in water. This is more casually known as "soft water." Saltwater often leads to faded surface and metal stains or corroded steel hardware parts. If the salinity and everything mentioned above is just fine, but free chlorine is too low, this may be the result of heavy pool usage and you may need to add small amount of regular chlorine (or adjust your chlorine generator to produce more chlorine). Free chlorine should be 3ppm, which should also be the value of total chlorine and that means your combined chlorine is always 0ppm for a well maintained swimming pool. Calcium phosphate is more likely to be found in a heater because of added contact time with heat. You will notice the LSI drops considerably. If your pool has calcium carbonate deposits, you can remove them with a pumice stone, stain eraser or scale remover. Finally, if you want extra help preventing scale, you can use SC-1000 on a weekly maintenance dose to prevent scale formation. As well, all chemical levels are good except chlorine is not staying. The good news is that, with a good pool maintenance routine, you can keep your water balanced and keep pool calcium in check (and you can kiss the flakes, stains, and leaks goodbye). Do you have Saltwater pool? Expanding on the relationship of phosphates and saltwater pools, salt and phosphates do not bind together. How can I safely remove them? Answer: Check and ensure that the level of salinity in your pool is between 2500 - 3500 ppm for chlorine to be sufficient in your water. Use a screwdriver to remove the cell from the casing. 3  Lei, Song, Weijden, et. In that small chamber, a very high pH sodium hydroxide is formed on the cathodes, which raises the LSI in the immediate area substantially. If your free chlorine falls below the recommended levels, you need to measure salinity and increase it if it is below the recommended levels before even thinking of adding chlorine shock in the pool. 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