The birds are chirping and the air is starting to warm up. This means that summer is fast approaching and that means that the algae in your pool is waking up as well. Get your salt water chlorinators and salt cells ready for the summer as they’re going to be in for a good workout.
Test and adjust your pool water’s salt levels
The first thing you should do once summer is rolling in is to make sure that you have enough salt in your pool to last you for the whole season. Your salt levels will vary depending on the type of chlorinator you have. If you’re using the Water TechniX Salt water chlorinator then you should try to aim for a salt level of around 3,000 to 4,000 ppm. Test your pool water and add the required amount of salt to raise your levels to the required point.
Give your salt cells a good cleaning
Before checking your salt cells, always remember to shut off power to the unit completely. Salt water chlorinators use electricity to produce hypochlorous acid from the salt in the water so it is very important that you shut off the power to remove the risk of shock.
Once the power is off, take out the salt cell and check for any mineral deposits. If it’s your first time doing this, mineral deposits look like a white chalky substance (think pool scaling). If you have a self-cleaning unit then a good spritz with a garden hose should be more than enough to remove the deposits and your salt cells should be as good as new.
If you have an older chlorinator or if spraying it with a hose doesn’t work, then you might need to fill the salt water cell with a solution of acid. Take 10 parts of water and add 1 part of muriatic or hydrochloric acid to it then fill the salt cell with the solution. Let it stand for just 10 minutes for the acid to solution to work its magic then discard the solution. Rinse the inside out thoroughly (yes, there shouldn’t be any trace of acid left) as acid and chlorine should never mix.
Your salt cell should now be as good as new. If there are still some deposits left after rinsing, then repeat the process to ensure that all mineral deposits are cleaned off. For more detailed instructions on how to clean your salt cells, check out our in-depth guide on cleaning your salt water chlorinator cells here.
If you find that there are some problems arising (low salt reading and other errors) after cleaning, then there might be a problem with your salt cell and you might need to replace it.
Crank up your salt water chlorinator
Since it’s summer, set your salt water chlorinator to 80% to 100%. You’re going to need all the chlorine you’re going to get from your unit as your pool will need it due to a number of reasons:
- UV rays from the sunlight will “eat” your chlorine faster
- Warmer water is a breeding ground for algae and other pool baddies and you’ll need your salt water chlorinator to provide higher levels of chlorine for sanitasion
- It’s summer! This means more pool usage and more pool usage means it needs more chlorine to keep your water clean and sanitized!
Conclusion
Once you know all the steps on how to get your chlorinators and salt cells ready for summer then you shouldn’t have much of a problem in the weeks and months to come. Salt cells only need cleaning about twice a year so you’re basically good until the end of the season. The same goes for your salt levels. It shouldn’t take more than half an hour to an hour maximum to get your chlorinators and salt cells ready for summer so the earlier you do it, the better! Don’t forget to checkout our online collections to check our complete lineup of pool salt water chlorinators and salt cells.
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For more tips and tricks on how to get your pool ready for the summer, be sure to check out our other articles below.
Getting your pool filters ready for summer.
Getting your pool pump ready for summer.
How to throw the best summer pool party.