Topic

Saltwater Pool Guides

A saltwater pool is still a chlorine pool. It just makes its own.

8 guides on this topic

Something wrong right now? Work through it in two or three questions

A blue bubble solar cover rolled onto a white reel at the edge of a sunlit pool, pale stone paving in front and a rendered wall with agaves and grasses behind

Water ChemistryHow-to

How to Lower Chlorine in a Pool

Chlorine reading high? Make sure the test isn't lying, stop whatever is feeding it, and let the sun do the work. When a neutralizer is worth using.

10 minUpdated Sep 27, 2026

An open white pail of fine white granules with a scoop in it on wet stone coping, a small spill beside it, a long tiled lap pool and lawn behind

Water ChemistryExplainer

Borates in Pool Water: What They Do and What They Don't

Borates slow pH creep and the labels claim algae suppression. What the EPA labels really say, how much to add, the pH catch, and why only draining removes them.

9 minUpdated Sep 13, 2026

A salt system controller with four indicator lamps, one lit, and the chlorinator cell plumbed inline downstream of it

RepairsTroubleshooting

Salt Cell Not Producing Chlorine? Check These Four Things First

Most dead salt cells are not dead. The flow switch, cold water, a salt reading that lies, and a controller set to the wrong cell — in the order to check them.

10 minUpdated Sep 26, 2026

A salt chlorinator cell unbolted from its unions and held horizontally

ReviewsBuying guide

Replacing a Salt Cell: Genuine, Aftermarket, or Neither

Cells are not interchangeable, and half of them get replaced while still working. What to check first, and how the warranty math actually falls.

6 minUpdated Sep 13, 2026

A salt chlorinator cell filling the frame, mounted inline on white PVC with a union nut at each end

CostsCost guide

Saltwater Pool Conversion Cost: What Switching Costs

What a saltwater conversion costs installed, the cell replacement nobody budgets for, and the honest payback math on switching.

6 minUpdated Sep 6, 2026

A salt cell being inspected out of its union beside a saltwater pool

MaintenanceGuide

Saltwater Pool Maintenance: What's Different and What Isn't

Salt pools need the same weekly care plus three specific things. Here's what changes, what doesn't, and the mistakes that kill cells early.

5 minUpdated Jun 25, 2026

A clear cylindrical salt chlorinator cell mounted horizontally inline on a white PVC return pipe

EquipmentExplainer

Saltwater Pools: How Salt Chlorine Generators Actually Work

A salt pool is still a chlorine pool. What the cell does, what it costs to run, when to replace it, and the myths worth ignoring.

6 minUpdated Jul 31, 2026

A variable-speed pump filling the frame on its pad, smooth PVC suction and discharge pipes curving away from the volute

MaintenanceGuide

How Long Should You Run a Pool Pump? Longer and Slower

The 8-hours-a-day rule came from single-speed pumps and cheap power. Here's how to work out your actual run time and what it costs.

6 minUpdated Sep 24, 2026

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Water Chemistry Repairs Reviews Costs Maintenance Equipment