5 Things You Need To Know After Purchasing A Salt Chlorine Generator

We’re thrilled you’ve chosen us to get your new salt pool system! Think of your new system as a chlorine generator – its job is to create the chlorine your pool needs to stay blue, clear, & swimmable. We want to make sure you have the best experience possible as an owner of a new salt chlorine generator, so we’ve gathered these 5 things that we want to make sure you know.

1. Making Sure Your Pool Is Prepared For Your New Salt Chlorine Generator

For the best experience, you’re going to want to start off having your pool in good shape:

1. Make sure the pool is clean and in overall good condition (free of algae, dirt, organic debris, etc…)


2. Make sure the pool water has balanced water chemistry.


• Free Chlorine: If you start with it in the correct range, it will be a smooth transition for the chlorine generator to take over and maintain that level.
• Other levels: Play a key role in making sure chlorine is effective. Take the opportunity to make sure pH is balanced, CYA is in range, and the pool is free of phosphates and nitrates.

2. Adding The Salt To Your Pool

These tips will help make it easy to add the right amount of salt to the pool and avoid common mistakes:

1. The pool needs to have the right salt levels in the water before turning the system on. If you’ve purchased the system, you can do it at any time at this point – no need to wait for the arrival of the chlorine generator.


2. Plan how much salt to get. Start by testing your pool water for salinity first – sometimes there is a pre-existing level of salt in the water. Next, see the product manual to calculate how much salt is required. Generally, many systems require 30lbs for every 1000 gallons of water (if starting from a zero salinity level).


3. Make sure you get the right kind of salt. Anything labelled “pool salt” is typically a great option. It typically comes in 40lb bags. If you’re looking for additional savings or can’t find pool salt for some reason, plain regular water-softener salt can usually be substituted (ensure there are no additives or special formulas). It needs to be 99% sodium chloride; no “rock salt”.


4. When getting the salt, here are some suggestions. Consider ordering an online pickup from the hardware store (ask for assistance or consider a wait-in-your-car pickup if you need physical help loading). Alternatively, many hardware stores will let you do scheduled truck delivery at your house for a small fee (many times same or next-day deliveries are available).


5. It’s better to start adding the salt sooner than later, since it can take 24-48hr after adding salt to the water for it all to dissolve. To speed up the process, keep the circulation pump running during this time. Add the salt evenly across the shallow end of the pool (where there is typically more circulation), rather than dumping it in one big pile. You can further speed up the process by brushing the pool’s floor once the salt has been added.


6. Test and confirm the salinity level is in range before turning the system on. Use test strips, a test kit, a digital reader, or take a sample of water to a pool store.

3. Installing The Salt Chlorine Generator

Below is a quick overview of installation; be sure to check out our linked guide as well as the manufacturer’s instructions, of course.

1. The installation essentially involves two main aspects: A) plumbing the salt system in to your return line, after the pump, filter, and heater (if present), and B) mounting the salt system’s controller nearby and connecting it to power.


2. Our DIY Guide To Installing A Salt Water Chlorinator has a detailed overview that can help generally illustrate the process. For the most complete instructions, be sure to read the product manual of the model that you’ve selected.

4. Setting Up The Salt Chlorine Generator

Your main goal after installation is to find the right chlorine output level to meet your pool’s needs. This level is unique for every pool. Your system should be set to consistently achieve 1-3 ppm free chlorine in the pool. Below is an overview of how to get started with your new salt chlorine generator, but be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

1. If your pool is in good shape when you’re starting, run the chlorine generator at an output near the middle of its capacity, say 70% output.


2. Allow the chlorine generator to run in tandem with your pool circulation system for a day or two using your pump’s typical schedule. After this, measure the resulting free chlorine level in the pool water.


3. If the free chlorine level is too high, lower the chlorine output level incrementally. If it’s too low, raise it incrementally. Repeat this process until you’ve found the “sweet spot” for your pool’s unique needs. Sometimes this can take a few days to a week.

5. What To Expect With Your New Salt Pool System

When it comes to your new salt chlorine generator, these are somethings that might come next:

1. Continue to adjust its chlorine output as needed. These are scenarios where you should pay particular attention:


• Temporary adjustments: After heavy pool use or bad weather, the chlorine demand of the pool can spike. This is a great time to use the system’s “boost” mode so that it temporarily generates more chlorine, and then returns to its previous setting.


• Seasonal adjustments:
• You’ll adjust the system’s chlorine output seasonally as the temperature gradually changes. Warmer water has a higher chlorine demand, cooler water has a lower chlorine demand.


• You’ll likely want to adjust the system’s chlorine output as you go in / out of swim season. The chlorine demand is likely going to be very different when you suddenly have regular pool use, compared to times when people are no longer using the pool.


2. Check the system for any indicator or maintenance lights.


• Most people typically need to clean cell seasonally, and there will typically be a warning light on the controller when this needs to happen.


• At some point, you will eventually need to add salt to the pool. The salt does NOT get used up during operation, but with rain and other things that cause dilution, the salinity level usually goes down gradually over time.

When it comes to your overall pool system, take this opportunity to create a plan that fits the needs of your pool type, usage, and local climate. While this isn’t comprehensive, your pool care plan might include the following general tasks:

1. Check at least weekly:
• Inspect your overall pool and equipment system. Are there leaks, strange noises, warning lights, or something unpleasant that found its way into the pool? Hopefully not.


• Make sure the pump filter basket and the pool skimmers are free of debris.


• Check the main filter’s PSI gauge so you know when pressure has risen enough that you need to clean out the filter.


• Measure your complete water chemistry. Free chlorine and pH are usually what have the capacity to change the quickest, but if the chlorine generator is set right, you should usually see the free chlorine level being maintained consistently. Adjust any chemistry levels as needed, using the chlorine generator’s output level setting to adjust the free chlorine level.


2. Check at least monthly:
• In addition to all weekly items, be sure to take a closer look at your pool chemistry’s salinity and CYA level. These things usually change gradually as the pool water gets diluted.


• Inspect your salt chlorine generator’s cell, as mineral scale will eventually build up. How quickly depends on your water chemistry (when balanced it might be once or twice a season), but if you are seeing thicker white deposits then you might proactively clean the cell according to the system’s manual.


3. Check on demand, as needed:
• Any time there is heavy pool use or bad weather, be sure to test all water chemistry. It’s likely that there will temporarily be higher chlorine demand, and there may be other maintenance issues that come from extra dirt and debris that get brought into the pool. In the case of bad weather, the rain may also shift your other water chemistry levels such as diluting the salinity level.


• Ensure water chemistry levels are always balanced. Other levels (such as calcium, alkalinity, phosphates, or nitrates) may not see regular fluctuations, other water chemistry levels, but they are still important. Make sure to balance these when opening and closing the pool, and make sure they are included in regular water tests so that you catch any change early if environmental conditions change.