Salt System Damage to a Swimming Pool Heater in Lawrenceville GA

How to Inspect Your Swimming Pool for Salt System Damage

Salt is a corrosive chemical commonly used in swimming pool water in order to generate chlorine (another corrosive chemical) for sanitation purposes in the swimming pool.  If your swimming pool is equipped with a salt system it is important to inspect the pool annually for salt damage and repair the damage before it becomes so bad that it leads to even more expensive repairs.  This is a quick list of inspection points on your swimming pool.  

• Vinyl Pool Liner
  • ​Salt system damage is indicated by color fading under the waterline.  If the liner below the waterline is turning white but the liner color above the waterline is fine, this means the chlorine generated by the salt system is bleaching out the liner and destroying the vinyl.  The liner will need to be replaced soon.  Liner color fade does not occur if the pool is equipped with a ZeroChlor Pool System.
• Pool Plaster
  • ​A thin layer of white chalky stains can appear on your plaster due to the unique chemical makeup of the salt water in your pool.  This happens because the calcium used in the plaster is being drawn out of the plaster and then solidifying on the surface of the plaster.  You can drain the pool and do an acid wash to try to remove the scale but this generally does not get it all.  Some clients have reversed plaster scale completely by upgrading from a salt system to a ZeroChlor system but plaster scale reversal is not yet guaranteed by the company ZeroChlor Pool Systems.  ZeroChlor Pool Systems do prevent plaster scale.
• Ladder and Handrail Anchors
  • ​Your ladder and handrail slip into metallic "anchors" in the pool deck.  As you exit the pool salt water drips off your body and moves down the ladder or handrail forming a puddle of salt water in and around these anchors.  This can result in corrosion of the ladder and handrail to the anchors rendering the ladder or handrail non-removable.  This can be repaired by cutting concrete up and replacing the anchors.
• Diving Board Base
  • ​Same concept as the anchors above...salt water drips from the swimmer onto the diving board base causing corrosion.
• Pool Pump
  • ​A small leak above the pump in the filter or plumbing can expose the exterior of the pump to salt water and the corrosion usually occurs very quickly after that.  
• Pool Heater
  • Same concept as the pump above.  A small leak inside the heater enclosure can destroy the heater very quickly.  If this occurs the heater will usually need to be replaced
• Pool Walls
  • Leaks in the liner or overfilling the pool can subject steel wall panels to salt water resulting in corrosion damage.  This is not as common as the items listed above!

This is a video of the ZeroChlor Pool System in Operation.