When is the “best” time to get a gunite pool installed

In my experience, most horror stories of pool maintenance are usually the result of neglect, or not paying attention to the instructions. It's not that hard, but expect to spend an average of 10-15min per day checking on your pool, adding chlorine, clearing out leaves in the skimmer, etc. Also, once a week, expect to spend some extra time brushing/vacuuming the pool and cleaning the filter.

As a first time pool owner, the simplest thing you can do is pick up a free pamphlet on pool care. Follow the instructions in the pamphlet, and make sure you stay on top of it. My Wal-Mart usually has pamphlets by HTH Pools next to their chemicals.

Start by getting a test strip kit. You dip the strip in the water and compare the colored pads against a chart. Pretty easy (unless you get into a fight with your wife about the shade of orange of the pH pad).

Make sure you pick a good test kit, which measures several properties of the water (should measure pH, stabilizer/CYA, alkalinity, hardness, chlorine). Cheaper ones will only measure a few properties.

Measure your pool every day or so. If the levels are off, adjust them by adding the appropriate chemicals. Just follow the instructions on the container. Most any chemical you need can be found at your local pool store, or Wal-Mart. Beyond that, I'm not going to repeat what you would find in the pamphlet. (Did you get one yet?)

One bit of advice that wasn't in a pamphlet: If you buy "stabilized" chlorine products, they will raise the level of stabilizer/CYA in the pool. If your CYA levels are already high enough, the stabilized product can push your levels over the top. If you aren't sure if the product is stabilized, look for the words Dichlor or Trichlor in the ingredients. Un-stabilized chlorine is usually Calcium Hypochlorite or Sodium Hypochlorite.

Beyond the chemicals, there will be some "mechanical" maintenance/care:

• Dirt, pollen, and algae will naturally collect in all the crevices of your pool, so use a pool brush to break it up. Regular churning of the water (from brushing or swimming) will give the filter an opportunity to suck up the debris before it settles.

• You will need a vacuum (manual or automatic) to suck up non-floating debris. 48 hours before vacuuming, shock the pool to make sure any algae is dead. 24 hours before vacuuming, add some clarifier to make the algae and dirt settle on the bottom (where the vac will get it).

• Make sure your filter is clean. There should be a pressure gauge on the filter that will indicate when too much crud has built up in it (pressure levels will go up). At that point, you need to clean it. Some filters are cleaned by backwashing. Others have a cartridge that needs to be changed. The filter should come with some instructions on how to care for it.

• Check the strainer baskets in your skimmer and pool pump. Larger debris like leaves and large bugs will collect there. Periodically shut off your pump and scoop the crap out.

• A plugged filter or strainer basket will strain your pump, and maybe cause a burst hose (very bad). So, keep the water path clear.

• If you have cold winters, make sure you follow the instructions on winterizing the equipment. I disconnect my pump and bring it indoors every year.

From my personal and professional experience with Saltwater Pools with "Salt Chlorine Generators" on them has always been positive. I will bullet point some information to help you ensure it's a positive experience:

Correct Installation: The Salt Chlorinator Systems have 2 main parts.

• A "Salt Chlorine Generator Cell" that is spliced into the return side of the PVC usually directly after your filter or heater. (Important Note: Ensure that the salt cell is installed as the last place in the PVC that returns to the pool. If you install it say before a heater or before the filter, then when the salt cell converts the salt to chlorine, you will have a high concentration of fresh chlorine (which is very corrosive). Chlorine is basically double the strength of Bleach and is used in your pool to sanitize and eat up/destroy organic matter in your pool. Remember, that single cell has to create enough chlorine to sanitize and be useful in a, say, average pool of 15,000 gallons. So the chlorine level directly after the cell is well over a "readable" level (20PPM+) but once it gets to your pool, it instantly dilutes to a more preferred level of 3 PPM - 5 PPM.
• A "Salt Generator Control Box" is usually installed by your pool equipment on the wall and is connected to your pool's power source (so that it only runs when your pool is running and circulating water) and it also connects to your "Salt Chlorine Generator Cell" (which is what provides the electrical power to turn the salt into chlorine. There is also usually a built-in flow meter to ensure that there is water flowing at a minimum rate to protect the system).
• EXPERT TIP - A final part of the installation is not included with your purchase of a Salt Chlorine Generator system for your pool, but I recommend it for ALL pools that have some type of automatic chlorinator on them. That part is a Standard PVC Check Valve, which you have installed Just Before the Salt Cell. A Check Valve is a simple PVC adapter you can get at any local hardware/plumbing store (Home Depot/Lowes) for $1 and what it does is allows water to only flow ONE WAY through the valve; if water tries to flow the wrong way the check valve stops the water. This is important for many reasons but, on this topic, this will ensure that when your pool equipment turns off each day, the Very Concentrated Chlorine water made by the Salt Cell does not "drain back into your pool heater, filter, pump, etc. and basically sit there and corrode your o-rings, gaskets, etc.... I've seen the damage countless times from this. You can Google "PVC Check Valve" to understand it more if you want, but it's a very simple part to be installed during installation of the salt chlorine cell and should only be at most $10 extra for installation & the check valve. If you're doing a personal install, pool equipment uses 1.5" or 2" PVC pipe; ensure you know which you have to get a check valve that fits.

Salt Chlorine Generator Facts: These simple facts that compare the amount of salt your pool will require for a salt chlorine generator vs a tear from a human eye vs Ocean Salt Water.

• The average Salt Chlorine Generator requires 3,000 PPM of salt in your pool to operate correctly (Check instructions for exact amount of the system you buy).

• Everyone has probably cried enough before to get a tear on your lips or in your mouth. A human tear normally has 9,000 PPM of salt

• The Salt Water from the Ocean such as the Gulf of Mexico has 20,000 PPM of salt

We sell Thousands of Salt Chlorine Generators A Year All Over The World. To this day, I'm not aware of ONE single customer who was unhappy and wanted a refund after they installed it. In my last house, I had a pool built and I used a salt chlorine generator from day one. I can say that the 3,000 PPM of Salt Required in the pool makes the pool water feel "soft" on your skin vs the normal "dry" feeling from a liquid/powder chlorine pool. I also only had to clean the cell 2 times in the 8 years I lived there and it ran every day without any other issues.

Common Issues:

1. Ensure You Clean Your Filter Often - There will be times that you may see that your salt chlorine generator isn't on due to "flow" (some systems will just turn off). Always check and clean your filter as a dirty/old filter will slow down the water flow enough to make your salt system not work. Do this before dishing out $300+ for a new "Salt Cell".
2. Clean Your Cell* - Basically every pool requires calcium for proper water balance. This calcium with time will start to collect on the salt cell. When you remove the salt cell (which should be installed on **Union PVC Connectors so you can easily unscrew the salt cell for cleaning vs having to have a pool repair tech out to cut into your PVC again) use the manufacturer's directions on cleaning your cell. To clean the salt cell on my pool required a mixture of about 70% water and 30% Muriatic Acid in a bucket in which you place your cell and you will start to see it bubble and foam, which is the acid eating the calcium deposits off the metal blades of the cell. EXPERT WARNING - Muriatic Acid is VERY dangerous and if poured onto concrete or your body it will eat a hole right through it, so be very careful when handling Muriatic Acid. EXPERT WARNING - Muriatic Acid if mixed with Chlorine creates "Mustard Gas" and is deadly if breathed in. So don't think of adding chlorine to the cleaning bucket like I've heard of people recommending before.

Well that's my 2 cents and facts I know from selling tens of thousands of salt chlorine generators over the past 10 years online and it's still one of our top selling product lines.

Happy Swimming!