A saltwater pool is a chlorine pool. The only differences is how chlorine gets in the pool and some very minor chemistry changes.

A properly cared for pool is not a hassle but for the safety of your family and guests, it is vital.

Scott

Oh good! After reading so many of your posts I was hoping you would respond.

Yes, I understand that (in my dumb guy speak) the salt goes thru the generator and makes the chlorine needed for the pool. The "hassle" part I was referring to was hearing different stories of cleaning the SWG with acid, or the "old school" chlorine way. I am very excited to own and maintain a pool, but for someone who has never done it, the task seems scary at first.

Have you heard of the Supreme Plus the guy was referring to? Any first questions I should ask the PB tomorrow?

I don't know anything about the builders you spoke of but remember hiring a PB is like hiring an architect to build a home. They design and manage the project but don't do any of the hard labor. That being said I bet all the local builders are using the same group of sub-contractors.

Salt water pools are a two edge sword. They reduce the chemical maintenance somewhat but add to the equipment maintenance. Many people have problems with (now popular) stone work around salt water pools. Tablet cholinators add too much CYA over time so I'd look into the BBB method. The addition of borates to the pool water gives it the silky salt water feel and easy to manage water chemistry.

I not familiar with "supreme plus" but if it's a mineral feeder I'd "stay away"

Thanks, good to know! Is BBB not as heard of because the pool biz suppliers would go done? The guy from Landers said he was fine with the SWG we would just have to be careful about the stone/deck work around pool.

Thanks for the feedback....and keep it coming!

Well, I met with the two builders today. Really liked both of them. I was almost hoping I wouldn't care for one of them to make things easier. Guess it doesn't really matter till we see drawings and bids next week.

I'm in DFW and have a three year old pool. I'm not a pro, just a homeowner.

I have a SWG and stone (not limestone) coping, and have had minimal problems with pitting/corrosion so far. I do understand that the salt can corrode the stone over time, but right now it looks great. In fact, I kind of like the little imperfections in the coping--makes it look more natural. Of course, if it gets to where the coping is separating from the tile, then we'll have to address it.

As far as the SWG goes, our pool has never been out of balance. I use the TF-100 testing kit (from the other pool site) and maintaining sparkling water has been so easy! I think it's because I don't trust the pool retailer that rhymes with "Bestlies" to test my water. ;) I have cleaned the salt cells myself -- EASY. And I'm a chick! ;) Is there anything specific you have heard that makes you think it's difficult?

You will love having your own pool! Good Luck!

Thanks for the info!

One builder recommended using Oklahoma Flagstone if we got SWG and the other said he wanted to do some more research and wasn't sure about the OK Flagstone. Looking forward to getting there bids and asking for more HELP!

I think this is the Supreme Plus (by proteam)that he was referring to instead of using SWG.
He said you would add this occasionally to the regular maintenance and it would give me the same added benefits that you get from the SWG.

http://www.proteampoolcare.com/index.php/products/trouble-shooters/supreme-plus/

Anyone use or heard of this?

Thanks once again!

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Supreme Plus

Looking at the MSDS it appear to be an engineered borate. That's a good thing.

It should only be a one-time purchase of a few hundred dollars.

The addition of a liquid chlorinator and all is good.

Thanks for the knowledge. I've got a lot to learn!
Would this give the water the same soft feel that a swg pool has?

Borates can be added for less money by adding borax and Muriatic acid to about 35 ppm. It will stabilize the pH at about 7.8, add some algaestatic properties to the pool and nothing else. Borax is in the laundry aisle of the supermarket, right next to the Washing Soda (aka dense ash) in most markets by me.

Just adding some salt to the pool (2500 to 3500 ppm) will give the feel. It just makes the water less a draw of its desire to pull salt from a person's body so there is less drying out of the skin after swimming.

If Oklahoma Flagstone were available in NJ, I would discourage its use. Looks pretty but its too soft, IMHO.

The use of a liquid feeder in Texas will mean using ORP and pH in most cases or at least, more frequent testing when they are not used, which, with the Texas sun, might not be the best choice since CYA should be kept higher than these automated ways like. I would prefer salt cells or tablet feeders and proper testing.

Scott

Thanks for the heads up! I guess SWG is where I'm leaning then! I hate that I only understood about every other word in your post, hopefully after studying up, I will become more fluent in Pool-i-nese. Any pool for beginners sites I should be reading/watching?

Thanks again. I'm sure I'll be bugging yall next week if the bids come in.

I like that. Poolinese . Poolinesean food for Bar-Bs. Oh, and the drinks!

Scott

Go to trouble free pools and read pool school.

We have friends that use the Proteam in their pool and love it! They put it in 5 gallons every 9 months or so. They swear chlorine use is way down. Their pool is crystal clear.

I'm with Scott - OK flagstone is a very soft stone and is not at all ideal for SWG. You will experiencing quite a bit of flaking and sanding of the stone. If you do go with OK flagstone, I would suggest using DuPont's Salt Water Resistant sealer. It is pretty expensive but much better than the other sealers out there IMO.

Riverbend Sandler finished our pool just a few months ago and did an amazing job. They gave us everything on our wish list and more. We'd be happy to answer any questions you might have about it. Here's the link to my pool photos -

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Riverbend Sandler pool