Saltwater pool vs chlorine pool - pros/cons?

[RhondaL]

We have an easy set 18 foot pool. It has always been chlorine and has been a pain to keep clear. We are thinking about switching to saltwater. What are the pros and cons?

 

[okeydokey]

Except for the initial cast, there are no cons. We installed one from the beginning and love it. It is easy to maintain and cheaper to run. The water is soft.

At the beginning of every season we add some more salt and stableizer and then nothing for the rest of the year unless it is super rainy.

 

[lemondog]

I really don't know the upkeep/maintenance pros and cons but I will say my kids will NOT swim in a saltwater pool. The last hotel we stayed at had one, and after 10 minutes they were whining that the water was stinging every little scratch on their body. I don't know if this is normal or if they had the salt solution too strong, but my kids can swim for HOURS so for them to get out of the pool after 10 minutes I know they were pretty miserable.

 

[Meriweather]

We love our salt water pool.
It is like skin softener
And very easy to maintain.

 

[2x_dis_dad]

We have an easy set pool as well and bought a marked down salt system at the end of last season. The salt system is a dream. The water is clear and tastes a little salty. we used the chlorine and the shock and the algaecide and stuff for the past couple of years. The salt system is a lot easier. All I did was fill the pool and dump in the right amount of pool salt and let the system run for 3 hours every night. My pool called for 80 pounds of salt. I think it was less that 10 bucks. Same price as 2 little bags of chlorine shock.

 

[Wendy31]

We do not have a pool, but my inlaws do. Our kids are over there swimming normally 2-3 times/week during the summer. Their pool is chlorine, & my older DS especially has a hard time w/ his eyes. He loves swimming, but the chlorine does not love his eyes. After swimming in their pool, his eyes are so bloodshot!

This past summer, the condo we staying in while we were visiting St. Augustine had a saltwater pool, & we loved it!

The water is so soft, &, after swimming, the kids' eyes weren't bloodshot & red. The difference was amazing to us!

Since then, DH has researched a little about saltwater pools & has talked to some other people who have saltwater pools. If we ever get a pool (it's on my "wish list"!), it will be saltwater. Saltwater pools are apparently both more inexpensive & easier to maintain than chlorine pools.

 

[YoYoAurora]

I love our saltwater pool! We switched over about three years ago and we will not go back to the old chlorine system. The water is soft, my eyes aren't red after a swim and it's so much cheaper to maintain than our old chlorine system.

 

[Kat77]

We switched to Saltwater this year and love it. I've had to throw in PH minus after some heavy rains but that's it.

 

[Albort]

what is the cost to convert? Im curious if i should switch over but i remember the price scared me...

 

[Kat77]

what is the cost to convert? Im curious if i should switch over but i remember the price scared me...

For an above ground pool a basic intex saltwater generator is $200. My local walmart price matched (redlaser price) Sears sale price so I got mine for $170 including tax. Salt cost $6 for 40lbs.

 

[Albort]

For an above ground pool a basic intex saltwater generator is $200. My local walmart price matched (redlaser price) Sears so I got mine for $170 including tax. Salt cost $6 for 40lbs.

ahh, mine is inground. i think with all the piping, it would be pretty high. I think the generator would cost me $800 but i never asked about labor...

 

[mickeyboat]

A couple of years ago we swam in a saltwater pool in a hotel and absolutely hated it. It was so salty - yuck!

Last summer we swam in a friend's saltwater pool, it was heavenly. If I had a pool it would be salt water!

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

ahh, mine is inground. i think with all the piping, it would be pretty high. I think the generator would cost me $800 but i never asked about labor...

I'm interested in this as well so I'm hoping someone knows the answer to this. Just closed on a house that came with an inground pool. It's our first time with a pool so I'm curious.

 

[sandramaac]

I really don't know the upkeep/maintenance pros and cons but I will say my kids will NOT swim in a saltwater pool. The last hotel we stayed at had one, and after 10 minutes they were whining that the water was stinging every little scratch on their body. I don't know if this is normal or if they had the salt solution too strong, but my kids can swim for HOURS so for them to get out of the pool after 10 minutes I know they were pretty miserable.

Maybe you should have said something to the hotel, and I am going to say that it most likely wasn't a true salt water system.

Our salt water pool is a dream!!!. Easy to keep up, gives your skin this silky feel, never thay awful chlorine smell, and no green hair.

 

[Styx Fan]

We got a 16x48 quick set last summer and bought the salt system. We love it.

Our neighbors have had a regular above ground chlorine system for the last 10 years and it has always been a hassle. I don't know how many times it turned green after several days of not being used or heavy rains.

After watching them struggle (not to mention the expense) we did some research and decided on the salt. It was so easy all summer and was always in usable condition. Plan on putting it back up this weekend!

 

[ckmommy]

We have had both. At our last house we had a chlorine pool--hated the red eyes, keeping the chorine tablets, messing with the pool chemistry, how short our swim suits would last.
When we bought our new house and had the pool installed, we went with a saltwater system. I love how low the maintenance is, swimsuits do not get eaten by the chlorine, no more red eyes and green hair. The one con is that the stone coping had a salt ring around it and the white ring will never come off.

If I had to do it over again, I still would choose a saltwater pool.

As for switching a chorine pool to a saltwater--it can be done in an in ground pool by only buying the salt generator. You do not need to change any pipes. I want to say it is about 500-1000 dollars. We used to pay about 400-500 for chemicals for our chlorine pool a year. We now spend under 100 dollars a year.

 

[Princess Dolly]

ahh, mine is inground. i think with all the piping, it would be pretty high. I think the generator would cost me $800 but i never asked about labor...

I think when my DH got a quote it was around $1,000 with labor. We are going to convert next year.

 

[Polyluvr]

We also have an inground~ I wonder how hard it would be to switch the generator over by yourself ?

 

[mrsdon]

We are having an unground pool installed soon
They should be breaking ground in about 3 weeks
We are going with a salt water system

 

[Albort]

I think when my DH got a quote it was around $1,000 with labor. We are going to convert next year.

with parts as well? if so, thats not bad, though i think ill wait till next year for my job to stabilize.

I'm interested in this as well so I'm hoping someone knows the answer to this. Just closed on a house that came with an inground pool. It's our first time with a pool so I'm curious.

once you move in, first thing u want to do is take a sample of pool water and take it to Leslie. They are the best. well, the one by my place is really really good.