How to Upkeep a Salt Water Pool
- 1). Test the level of salt water in the pool by dipping a salt test strip into the water and holding it there for approximately 3 minutes. Read the salt strip indicator by removing it from the water and simply looking at it. Drain a small portion of the pool water--if the test strip indicates that the salt level is too high--and re-fill the pool to the appropriate level with fresh clean water. Add granular salt to the pool by pouring it directly into the deep end of the pool, if the test strip indicates that the salt level is too low.
- 2). Test the level of "free chlorine" in the pool water by dipping a pool test strip into it and holding it in the water for around 3 minutes. Remove the pool test strip from the water and read the results. Lower the level of free chlorine in the pool, if the test strip indicated that the level is too high, by sprinkling granular chlorine neutralizer into the deep end of the pool. Increase the "free chlorine" level in the pool water by mixing the proper amount of chlorine, along with some water, in a bucket. Dump the mixture into the deep end of the swimming pool. Follow your pool or chlorine manufacturer's instructions or locate a chlorine adjusting chart online to figure out how much chlorine you need to add to your specific pool.
- 3). Test the level of cyanuric acid--also known as the stabilizer--of the water by inserting a cyanuric test strip into the pool. Hold the strip in the pool water for 2 to 3 minutes and remove. Read the results and either lower or raise the amount of cyanuric acid in the pool accordingly. Drain approximately 12 inches of water from the pool and re-fill it with fresh water, to lower the amount of cyanuric acid. Raise the level of cyanuric acid by simply adding cyanuric acid to the deep end of the pool, in the amount suggested by the manufacturer of the product.
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