Salt Water Pool Conversion: Easy and Affordable

Keeping their pool water clean is a top priority for all homeowners—but sooner or later they have to determine how they ultimately wish to accomplish this. While some choose a more traditional route involving harsh chemicals, the process that one goes through to convert pool to salt water comes with a number of advantages that are absolutely worth exploring.

How Salt Water Systems Work: Compatibility, Equipment Needs and More

Many people make the mistake of assuming that salt water pool conversion is equal parts A) expensive and B) difficult. To speak to the issue of cost, yes—you’ll be dealing with a larger upfront cost as the system itself will be more expensive than a round of pool cleaning supplies. Having said that, the overall expense of those supplies will soon eclipse the one-time cost of the salt water system itself. In the end, your return on investment will be far greater with salt water.

Likewise, salt water systems are actually quite easy to install. Most manufacturers sell systems that come with every component you need, including the controller, the cell and more. At the same time, you don’t have to worry about compatibility because the vast majority of salt water systems (especially those from major brands) will work with pool pumps and other equipment that you already own.

If you’d like to find out more about the major differences between salt water and chlorine pools, check out our blog Salt Water Pools vs Chlorine Pools: Which is better?

Salt Water Pool Conversion Special Considerations

When it comes to the process of actually converting your pool to a salt water system, there are a few key things to keep in mind.

First, you should know that while you don’t necessarily have to drain your pool before the conversion process takes place, it may be a good idea in certain situations. For instance, draining might be beneficial if you use an antibacterial chemical in your pool for cleaning purposes. In the event that you still don’t want to fully drain your pool, you can use a double dose of chlorine to get rid of the antibacterial elements as much as possible.

Next, you need to understand that you must maintain your pool chemistry throughout this process to ensure a successful conversion. Therefore, you will have to test not only your chlorine level but also the alkalinity, pH, stabilizer, and calcium hardness to make sure everything is where it should be. You’ll want to pay attention to metals that may be in the water as well.

Whether you have to take any special steps involving your pool liner will depend on the type of liner that you have. If you own a vinyl liner, you don’t have to do anything at all. Having said that, if there are galvanized walls behind the liner, you’ll want to check for leaks—even small ones. You don’t want salt water to seep beyond the wall of your pool as this will cause corrosion sooner rather than later.

When choosing your salt water system, the most important aspect you’ll need to consider is size. Match your new equipment with the size of your pool; it’s measured in gallons. Next, you’ll obviously want to think about the price (get the most effective unit possible while staying within your budget) and any additional features that are important to you.

After you’ve reached this point, you’ll be able to install your new salt water system. If you’re planning on doing so yourself, you’ll need to shut off the power to the area beforehand; electricity and water do not mix. During installation, follow the precise directions for your model. The salt water controller will have to be mounted on a wall near your pool equipment pad. After installing the filter, you can install the cell. You’ll also want to be careful to check for pool pump leaks during this process.

If you’re concerned about installing your new salt water system yourself, don’t worry—you don’t have to. GPS Pools offers installation services that allow you to rest easy knowing that everything has been set up properly.

The Major Benefits of Salt Water Pool Conversion

When you are converting a pool to salt water, the biggest benefit that you get comes by way of the fact that your pool’s water won’t be as harsh as it would be under the traditional chlorination process. The chemicals that are commonly used to treat pool water may be effective, but they also come with some downsides. Most people are used to stinging eyes, itchy skin and faded clothing—especially if levels aren’t maintained very precisely. Because salt water is softer and less harsh, you won’t have to worry about these issues any longer.

Another major reason to convert a pool to salt water has to do with the fact that it provides a far more consistent way to clean your swimming pool than traditional chlorination. With conventional methods, the levels of chemicals present in the water constantly fluctuate. If you’re not being proactive about adding them at the right times, you could easily run into a situation where you start to see algae growth. On the other hand, salt water delivers a consistent level of chlorination. It prevents these types of problems from happening with far less work required on your behalf.

Finally, most people love the fact that salt water is simply far less expensive in the long run than traditional pool cleaning. With a more common approach to pool cleaning, you’re constantly running off to the store to buy various chemicals to use and keep on hand throughout the season. When you convert to salt water, however, things are far less complicated. You purchase the system itself, have it installed, and the equipment largely takes care of the rest—you don’t have to do much of anything at all.

These are just a few of the reasons why many people choose to convert a pool to salt water; rest assured that there are many more benefits.

Convert to a Salt Water Pool with GPS Pools

At GPS Pools, we sell a wide range of different salt water pool system products for you to choose from depending on your needs. We understand that maintaining your swimming pool is always a top priority—yet it also takes a lot of time and effort to get right. That’s why we carry equipment from all of today’s most trustworthy and reliable brands including Pentair, Hayward, Jandy, and more.

We do this to free up as much of your valuable time as possible so that you can get back to the most important thing of all: actually enjoying your pool with your friends, family members, and other loved ones all season long.

If you’d like to find out more about why salt water pool conversion is such an easy and affordable step to take or if you just have additional questions that you’d like to discuss with someone in a bit more detail contact one of our locations in Lutz, Land O’Lakes, and New Tampa.