Salt Pool Care
The following is a general schedule of maintenance for a pool using salt generation as it's primary sanitizer. Some things are listed as being done daily. This is only the case if you are completely new to maintaining a swimming pool. Once you have built confidence in your abilities, then you may scale them back to once or twice a week. This is by no means a comprehensive schedule. Your pool and location may require more or less attention. This schedule does provide good universal fundamentals which are always useful and make up the core of Pool Care.
Yearly
Every spring, when you have opened the pool, run your pool for 24 hours, then bring a roughly 12 Oz. bottle of your pool water to Best Pools to have the following tested.
Calcium Hardness: Ideal Range is 175 - 225 PPM. This Chemical prevents scale deposits from developing on your liner.
Total Alkalinity: Ideal Range is 100 - 150 PPM. Total Alkalinity keeps your PH from bouncing up and down.
Chlorine Stabilizer (Cyan uric Acid): Ideal Range is 40-60 PPM. This Chemical makes the chlorine generated by your Salt System more resistant to depletion by way of the sun.
Salt: Ideal Range is 3000 PPM. Salt is Critical to your success in pool care. Common Table salt is used by your Salt System to generate chlorine in your pool water.
Weekly
Check the Control Unit and make sure the Auto Setting is engaged, otherwise you will have to use the Super Chlorinate Setting once a week. This process temporarily boosts chlorine output so that it breaks down the microscopic remnants of what your Salt System kills throughout the week.
If using a weekly algaecide, add your proper dosage. If you are unsure what to add, your friendly neighborhood pool store can help!
Check your salt level on the Read Out Display within the control unit. Add salt as per the level and your pool's capacity. You also want to add 1 Lb of Chlorine Stabilizer per 50 Lbs of salt, in order to maintain a proper Cyan uric Acid (CYA) level and reduce unnecessary salt usage.
Daily
Test Your Chlorine Level. This lets you know whether your Salt System is working effectively. If your level is low of high, adjust the output percentage accordingly.
Test Your PH Level: Maintaining proper PH prevents many problems and allows your other chemicals to function optimally. PH is adjusted with two chemicals, PH Up and PH down, to bring the PH up or down accordingly.
Always dissolve granular chemicals! Mix them in a bucket of water before adding to the pool!