We were hoping to switch to a SWG this year. However, we are concerned about the salt water damaging the stamped concrete surrounding our pool. We live in the desert (NM) and have a lot of kids that swim in the pool so there is considerable splash-out (we have to top off of the pool every two weeks or so). We get very little rain and the evaporation rate is high. From what I've read, this is the ideal scenario for salt water to damage concrete. I thought I would ask for advice and experience here before we write-off the switch. TIA
Will salt water damage concrete?
- Thread starter rachlingo
- Start date
- May 11, 2021
- 973
- Pool Size
- 7000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-30
This is a recurring question….
Yes, it is true that the salt in seawater can cause superficial damage to some type of concrete. The saltwater in your pool will have less than 10% of the salt of seawater.
BTW, have you checked the salt levels on your pool? Depending on how long you have been using LC without a drain/refill you may already have enough salt on your pool…
Yes, it is true that the salt in seawater can cause superficial damage to some type of concrete. The saltwater in your pool will have less than 10% of the salt of seawater.
BTW, have you checked the salt levels on your pool? Depending on how long you have been using LC without a drain/refill you may already have enough salt on your pool…
Thank you for your reply. I haven't tested the salt levels yet, but are you suggesting that they may already be at the same level with LC as they would be with a SWG?
If there was any concern with the concrete, would rinsing it off with a hose on a regular basis protect it?
If there was any concern with the concrete, would rinsing it off with a hose on a regular basis protect it?
- Nov 12, 2017
- 12,627
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Mine was! Chlorine, pool acids and humans all leave salt behind as a byproduct. Your fill water might have salt in it, too. None of that salt evaporates, so it accumulates over time. The only things that rid your pool of salt is splash out and draining it. The reality is, all pools are saltwater pools, eventually, whether you use an SWG or not. Might as well take advantage of that salt and have an SWG turn it into chlorine!
FWIW, the stains I have on my deck are from the "fresh" water sprinklers, not the pool. I have hard water, so it's probably mineral deposits. I minimize the minerals in my pool water by replacing evaporation with water plumbed from my water softener and whole-house filter setup. Depending on the makeup of your source water, rinsing your deck with the hose might actually make it worse!
When I plumbed my pool's auto-filler to my water softener, I included an outdoor hose bib, so I could rinse things with soft water, like my solar panels, my car, etc.
If you go SWG, that will eliminate the salt build up from using chlorine, but you still might accumulate salt from using acid, and from swimmers, or your fill water. Between splash out and rain, my SWG pool tends to stay pretty even-steven salt-wise. But with or without an SWG, you might need to keep an eye on your salt level.
TFP recommends the Taylor K-1766 salt test kit. It works great, and will last you a very long time.
PS. Welcome to TFP!
Last edited:
- May 11, 2021
- 973
- Pool Size
- 7000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-30
What I was saying is even though it is not false that saltwater that is as salty as seawater causes some damage to some types of concrete the concentration of salt on a saltwater pool is not enough to cause such damage. Of course, the quality of the concrete is important… there are plenty of concrete bridges built on seawater.
Last edited:
Thank you all for your replies. I'm happy to hear we can make with the switch!
