Pool Salt and Dead Sea Minerals Update

27 April 2022

 by Angus Donald

We have spoken to all Salt Suppliers that we deal with, as well as a number of our competitors, and we all seem to be in the same boat. To put it bluntly, Pool Salt currently remains about as rare as rocking horse droppings.

On the other hand, the news for those who have converted from salt to minerals is a little better. This week we received a delivery of Dead Sea Minerals (it was only one pallet, however, at time of writing we still have some left) and we are reliably informed we can expect a further delivery on 9 or 10 May.

Here is our definitive advice on what to do when the salt level in your pool is low:

If the salt level is 50% or more of the required level for the chlorinator, increase running hours, turn production up, as required, to maintain the appropriate chlorine level in the pool. Adjust based on chlorine test results in shop.

If the salt level is below 50% of the required level, continuing to run the chlorinator will shorten the life of the cell.  It is recommended to reduce the chlorine production on the chlorinator to zero, and add chlorine manually, as required, to maintain the pool.

To be clear, the chlorinator and pump should still be running.

If the stabiliser level is not high, adding stabilised granular chlorine twice a week is the simplest solution. If stabiliser levels are already at the maximum recommended level, use liquid chlorine daily if the pool is being used, or every second day if it is not being used.

Adjust the chlorine dosage based on the size of the pool and the current chlorine reading, and check the chlorine level frequently (a simple Test Strip or Test Kit can help with this, available from our shops).

As usual, keep the water correctly balanced (pH, Total Alkalinity, and Calcium Hardness) so that the chlorine is most effective and the pool water is not corrosive, nor scale forming.