anyone have a saltwater chlorine generator for their pool?

Putting it in the ground.

 

LOL!

 

save your money and get this

 

lol, jacuzzi, jets, lights, shape, covers, filter systems, saltwater systems, heaters, diving board, ladders, etc etc

 

I have thought about getting a salt water generator, but I have only done a little research. I have read in some places that the salt water generator and the pool pump must run 24 hours a day. That seems like it would dramatically increase electricity bills. Is that true?

 

Not true. I run my pump on an 11-ON, 13-OFF schedule for the summer. I'll have it on a lot less in the winter.

 

I think its a lot more expensive to get a pool in Austin (lots of rock).
I've inquired and a very basic pool starts at about $40k

 

Correct. It costs significantly more to dig through limestone (Austin) than sand (Houston).

 

We put in a decent sized, "free form" shaped lagoon style pool with a rock "beach entry," waterfall, moss rock backing, heater, raised spa, stone coping, and pea gravel decking with stone inlays for $36K last summer. We have been thrilled with the pool so far and have had no major problems. The worst problem is they had to come out and rebalance the water fall to get it to fall evenly.

We got bids from about 4 pool places and they were split 50/50 on whether a salt chlorinator or regular chorinator is better. The pros of the salt one is that you don't have caustic chemicals, better water balance, and a higher quality of water that doesn't dry you out. The negatives are that they reduce the life of the plaster in your pool, leave deposits on stone and tile, and cost more. Also, while you don't have to run it 24 hours a day, you have to run the pump about twice as long as a regular chlorinator and that eats into your electric bill.


We went with a regular chorine pool. I had had one growing up and knew how to take care of it and I don't really have a problem with chlorinated water.

When we were getting it installed, I asked the pool guy what their cheapest pool would run. A basic pool (shape doesn't really affect the price), with plaster, basic tile coping, minimal decking, no heater or spa or water feature can get as low as $15K-18K

 

Salt water doesn't reduce the life of the plaster. Not regulating the pH in your pool reduces the life of your plaster. With a saline pool you have to pay closer attention to the pH, but the salt doesn't actually deteriorate the plaster.
I don't run the pump "twice as long as" a regular chlorine pool. The water is crystal-clear and no algae blooms so far.
I also fail to see how a salt water pool "costs more" than a standard chlorine pool. True, the generator costs approximately $1200, but you also never have to purchase chlorine again. Also, I purchased six 40lb. bags of salt at $6.50/bag. The salt never evaporates. The only salt loss comes from emptying the pool and backwashing.

 

The prices I am seeing listed for pools are basically the same amount you would pay for a car or truck, right? Do you finance the costs of a pool and if so, through who? The pool installer, bank, etc.?

 

These are not my opinions, but the opinions of the people that were in the pool business. They may or may not be true, I'm only repeating what the pool guys told me.

Anyways, as far as financing, we financed it into our mortgage on our house (it was a new home purchase). Other than that you usually have to get a home improvement loan from the bank if you want financing. Some of the larger pool companies offer their own financing, but I don't know what kind of rates they give.