Saltwater pool maintenance

1. Test kits or strips can help you monitor your pool water, however, we recommend visiting Bud's Spas & Pools for a more comprehensive water test at least once a month to maintain proper water balance. Monthly tests are required to ensure that the warranties on your pool equipment and pool liner remain valid. Also, at home testing should be done on a weekly basis to ensure bather safety, comfort, and proper sanitation. If any problems occur (ex. algae or cloudy water), or if you question the balance of your water, bring a water sample in for testing.

2. Make sure your pool is 65 degrees Fahrenheit or higher before turning on your salt generator to prevent any damage/ensure proper function. Salt generators allow you to control the output of chlorine, so you will have a constant flow of chlorine, but still need to perform some maintenance and balancing procedures. Before adding chemicals to your pool water, the pump needs to be running. To maintain proper filtration, water quality, and clarity, the pump should be operating 24 hours a day. If your pump is on a timer, you should make sure that it runs during the hottest hours of the day. A minimum time of 12 hours of circulation is recommended.

3. When adding chemicals, proper dosage is very important. To avoid cloudy water, please be sure to wait the recommended time required between each chemical addition.

4. Follow the weekly maintenance program printed out on the bottom of each water test.

• Salt should be added at the beginning of the season, and as needed throughout the season. Bud's will indicate the amount needed on your opening test. Bud's tests salt on every water test, and test results will tell you how much more salt should be added, if any.
• You should be using Salt Shock monthly, as it protects the salt cell and destroys bather and organic wastes such as perspiration, body oils, and cosmetics that tend to cloud the water. After heavy use in the pool (ex. a party), or heavy rainfall, we recommend adding Salt Shock. We do not recommend using the super chlorinate function often, as it puts stress on the salt generator and can reduce lifespan.
• Natural Chemistry's Scale Free should be added at the beginning of the season with an initial dose, and then a monthly maintenance dosage. It protects your salt cell by preventing scale buildup and staining due to excessive calcium, iron, copper, or other minerals.

*Please remember to remove all toys, automatic vacuums etc. from the pool before shocking and leave your solar blanket off for at least 8 hours after shocking.

5. Stabilizer is an important chemical that needs to be added to all pools to prevent sanitizer loss due to the sun. Stabilizer is also added to ensure that the liner is protected and that the liner warranty remains valid. Salt One is our 3 in 1 product (stabilizer, borate [water softener], stain/scale preventative). It is added once at the beginning of the season and is specifically designed to support the salt generator. Salt Revise should also be added monthly as a 2 in 1 product and a "top up" for Salt One (skin softener [borate] and stain/scale preventative).

6. You should be chemically cleaning your salt cell once a season using Salt Cell Saver. If you are having problems with your water, you should check the salt cell for any scale/buildup, and come in for a water test.

7. Do not leave the solar blanket on your pool for an extended period of time, as it facilitates a warm environment that algae thrives in. The best time to put on the solar blanket is at night and for a maximum of 12 hours. The solar blanket is meant prevent heat loss, it will not heat the pool.

8. A dirty filter can cause many problems in your pool such as foaming, cloudiness, poor circulation, and an increased amount of chemicals needed to clear the water. We recommend using Filter Cleaner at least once a season OR after an algae problem to prevent these problems from occurring. These cleaners will also help control scale/rust and remove oils/greases from the filter.

a. If you have a cartridge filter, please remember to rinse the filter off periodically through the season and/or when pressure gets too high, cleaning between each fiber strip. Do not use a pressure washer as it could damage the fibers.

b. If you have a sand filter, the filter media should be changed every 3-5 years and possibly sooner if it has not been chemically cleaned each season.

9. Over time o-rings tend to break down and as a result can cause an improper seal with your pump, heaters, etc. Apply a silicone lubricant to o-rings at the beginning and end of every pool season to prevent this from happening (or as needed through the season). Using something other than a silicone based lubricant (ex. Vaseline) can lead to o-rings breaking down faster.

10. Things you should be doing on a regular basis:

• Brush down the walls and floor once a week and before vacuuming to stir up any debris or algae that may be hiding.
• Clean out your skimmer and pump baskets often, as it can restrict the flow and use up sanitizer if there is a lot debris gathering in the baskets.
• Suction side automatic vacuums are a great way to keep your water clean, but they should not be used for any longer than 6 hours. The water at the surface is not circulating when the vacuum is in use.
• Bring a water test once a month to Bud's or whenever you are having problems with your pool water.