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How to Install Your Own Salt Pool Chlorinator System

As with many new technologies, the mystery surrounding saltwater pools has quickly given way to general acceptance and the do-it-yourself crowd has said, “That looks like something I can do myself!” Fortunately, they are correct and people with basic home-handy skills are converting their pools to salt in record numbers, and saving a great deal of money in the process. This article may help you decide if this project is a good fit for you. Today pool removal Sydney is different and more whether we work in a confined place of underground area.

The process of converting a standard chlorine pool to a salt water pool is quite simple and revolves around the installation of a chlorine generator. Remarkably, the pool industry has yet to form a consensus on what to call this category of equipment. Some call them chlorine generators but some refer to them as salt chlorinators. Others still call them saline systems or simply salt pool systems. In some parts of the world, they are known as electrolyzers. They are all the same thing, a device that breaks down salt molecules and releases sanitizer into the pool water. Universally, they have two major components; a power supply and a generating “cell” that the water passes through. On one component or the other, a control allows the user to regulate the amount of sanitizer delivered. Beyond these basics, various brands have an array of differences, mostly in the electronics and in the design of the cell.

Sophisticated salt chlorinators have digital circuitry programmed to monitor the salinity and temperature of the water and provide self-regulated power to the cell. The displays make it easy for the pool owner to know that the unit is functioning normally and provide alerts when it’s time to add more salt. The circuits also apply power to the cell in a way that maximizes cell life. Moreover, modern units all have circuitry that minimizes the need to clean the cell and they work at low salinity levels that are generally safe for all modern pool equipment and finishes. Although the troublesome stories still resonate in some corners, the old days of salt brine tanks with high salinity levers have gone the way of floppy disks. Today’s salt pool systems work with pool water that is less salty than the solution we wash our contacts in. You can’t taste it and you don’t notice anything but a soft sensation to the water. The point is, all of your existing pool equipment is fine. Don’t throw anything away!

Step one to installing your salt chlorinator is probably already done; Make certain that your pool water is balanced. Dust off the test kit and check the PH, Total Alk, and Hardness. If needed, make some adjustments.

Next, add the salt directly to the pool. Depending on your manufacturer, this will require from 30 to 40 pounds of pure salt, per 1000 gallons of water! If you don’t know how many gallons of water are in your pool, you must do the math…there is no “standard size.” For rectangular pools, it’s easy to multiply the average length X average width X average depth and then multiply times 7.5. For other shapes, there are many online resources that provide various formulas. Pool salt is available everywhere these days. All the home improvement centers, hardware stores, and some big box stores have it. You may also use water softener salt but steer away from any that have additives such as rust inhibitors. If you find food grade salt, make certain it is not iodized. Don’t be intimidated if it seems like you are adding a lot of salt to the pool. You have a lot of water and it’s only a teaspoon per gallon. Within several hours of dumping the salt over the side, it will dissolve, never to be seen again!

Now, you are ready to install the equipment; the cell and the control module. There are some installation differences between brands but basically, the plumbing job and electrical hookup are the same. It’s all simple stuff but it’s not a BBQ grill so read the instructions before cutting into anything.

I recommend starting with the plumbing. The position of the cell will be dictated largely by the location of your filter, heater, and control valves and in the next step, you will locate the power module so that the “cell cord” reaches the cell. This electric connection between the power supply and the cell is usually soldered in place and has a proprietary plug so there is no extending it. Most in-ground pools use 2″ plumbing but some are 1.5″ so figure out what you have before driving to the store. Some brands of chlorine generators are made to work with both sizes but if needed, you can buy adaptors, known as bushings. Locate the pipe that leads from the filter (or heater if you have one) and identify a section of pipe that will allow you to plumb in the cell. In most cases, you will be eliminating the plastic chlorine tablet dispenser and installing the cell in its place. Use whatever number of couplings or elbows necessary to route the water through the cell and then back to the return pipe. Having said that, try to minimize the complexity of the route and keep back pressure to a minimum. Also, when possible, provide around eight inches of straight pipe between all turns, for the same reason. Lastly, use additional pipe if necessary to raise the height of the cell for easy inspection and service. (Or go buy a pair of good knee-pads.) I won’t go into the details of gluing PVC pipe because it’s easy and most people have done it before. If this is your first time, there are some good videos via Google and the rest. I do recommend using good quality cement such as Gorilla PVC Glue or Red Hot Medium Duty PVC Cement. Dry fit everything first and be certain that it’s going to work out before gluing to the actual cell fittings. Pay attention to the direction of the water flow through the cell. With some brands it matters and with others, it does not. All good chlorine generator cells come with threaded unions so that once the cell is glued in, you can remove it easily without cutting pipe. Lastly, some brands have a flow switch that must also be plumbed in. Installing this backwards will guarantee that your unit never comes on, so again, pay attention to the direction of the water flow.

The next step is simply mounting the control module (power supply) in a spot that is easy for you to get to and also within reach of the electric cord that feeds power to the cell. In most cases, this is on the wall next to your timer or pump switch and the package will include the hardware need for this attachment. In some cases, it may be necessary to install a post for mounting the control so that every thing reaches.

The final step is connecting AC power to the unit and while many if not most do-it-yourselfers find this an easy thing, I would caution you to call an electrician if you are not totally comfortable working with electricity. A few brands offer units with plugs that simply plug into an available GFCI outlet. Most brands are made to be hardwired but could also easily be converted to the plug in variety with a $4 plug from the hardware store. Except in the Deep South and parts of Florida, most pool equipment is set up to run on 220 volts and most salt chlorinators default to this voltage. If you only have 110v at the equipment pad, speak with your vendor before ordering your system. Most will gladly set it up for 110v before shipping and save you the trouble of converting it. A description of the electrical codes that may apply to the hookup of any pool equipment is outside the scope of this article but suffice to say that they are there for a reason. You want equipment that is properly grounded and connected in a way that will not be compromised by weather or a child that tugs on a hanging wire. Do it right or not at all and call a licensed electrician if you are unsure of anything.

When everything is connected, turn on your pump and wait for the system to pressurize, checking everywhere for leaks. Once you are happy with your plumbing job, turn on the salt chlorinator and follow the set up instructions.

Congratulations. You now have a salt pool! Give your left over chlorine tablets to your brother-in-law so he can save up for his own chlorine generator. Good job!

This information provided by Don Uhle, President of Pace Research Ltd. in Houston, Texas. With his brother Ken Uhle, Don heads up PoolBids, the original web-based connection for homeowners and reputable swimming pool builders. Since 1997, PoolBids has helped over ten thousand homeowners in their quest for the ideal backyard pool and maintains a network of over 200 pre-screened pool builders throughout the continental United States. Their sister company, Discount Salt Pool, provides specialized pool equipment to pool builders and directly to the public via the website http://www.discountsaltpool.com. With a line up that includes all popular brands, Discount Salt Pool provides conversion kits, parts, and lot’s of free advice. Call them with your questions anytime at 866-766-5243.

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A paved driveway offers a number of advantages over one that is made of gravel. Not only does it look better but it is also easier to maintain. It also reduces the risk that your car will be scratched by a stone. Paving a driveway is a major job and it is not cheap. Therefore you have to make sure that you know how to find the best contractor for the job. In order to do this you have to know exactly what is involved in paving a driveway so that you know what to look for in a contractor’s bid. How much does a concrete driveway cost? That’s the question that most of all always ask well for me it depends of the area of your driveway and not only that the materials as well.

The most important thing that you have to look at when you are having a driveway paved is the prep work. You have to make sure that the driveway is poured on a well prepared base. This is something that you have to make sure that you discuss with your contractor. In most cases the cheapest bids that you will get will be from companies that do not do this part of the job properly. If you choose to use a cheap contractor you will find that your driveway does not last more than a couple of years.

A proper base for a driveway requires that the area be excavated to a depth of at least a foot; this is going to cost you quite a bit of money because excavating that deep is not easy. You will then need six to eight inches of aggregate put in as a sub-base. This is will support the whole driveway so it has to be done properly. The sub-base also needs to be thoroughly compacted and allow for efficient drainage of water. Make sure that any bid that you get from a contractor includes this work and that the depth and the amount of aggregate is specified in the bid.

The next part of the driveway is the base layer; this should be at least two inches thick. It is important to remember when you are getting a bid for your driveway that the bid specify that the base be at a compacted thickness of two inches. If not you may find that they pour two inches of asphalt and then compact it down to a much smaller amount. Two inches is necessary to make sure that your driveway can support the weight of your car.

After the base layer is done the final step in paving a driveway is the top layer which should be at least one and a half inches thick. The important thing here is to make sure that the proper asphalt mix is used. There are broadly speaking two classes of asphalt, class one is used for the base while class two is used for the top. There are a lot of different mixtures within the two classes and the right one will depend mainly on the climate where you live. For this you are largely going to have to trust that the contractor knows what he is doing and will use the proper asphalt. This is why you need to make sure that you work with somebody who has a lot of experience.

On last thing that you should make sure is included in the bid that you receive is the slope of the driveway to allow for drainage. You don’t want water pooling in the middle of your driveway so it should slope down from the center towards the sides. Normally a slope of a quarter inch for each foot of distance is ideal. A contractor will know the proper slope but you want to make sure that this is included in the bid so that there is no confusion.

Actually finding a contractor to pave your driveway should not be all that hard, there are a lot of them. The best place to start is to ask for referrals from people that you know. If you know somebody who has had their driveway paved they could probably recommend somebody. Another option is if you know any general contractors who build houses they could be a great source as they work with paving contractors all the time. The goal here is to make a list of at least five contractors that you can research further.

The next thing that you are going to want to do before you hire a paving contractor is a background check. This you can do with your state Attorney General’s office. They will be able to tell you if the contractor has had any complaints lodged against them; they will also be able to tell you if they are properly licensed. It is also a good idea to talk to the local Better Business Bureau to see if they have received any complaints about a contractor.

The next step is to contact the contractors that you are interested in and talk to them about the work that you need done. The main thing that you are looking for here is to find out how easy they are going to be to work with. You should also be able to get a good feel for whether or not they know what they are doing, it should be pretty obvious if they don’t. At this stage you are also going to want to make sure that they are bonded and insured, don’t even consider hiring a contractor who isn’t.

Once you have verified that a contractor is properly licensed, bonded and insured and that they are somebody that you are comfortable working with you will want to get bids from a few of them. You don’t need a bid from dozens of contractors, three should be sufficient. The big thing is to make sure that the bid specifies exactly what is included. This is why it is important that you know what is involved in paving a driveway so that you can make sure that everything that needs to be included is included. Once you have a few bids you will want to choose the one that will best meet your needs, rarely is this the cheapest one.

A paved driveway can really improve the look of your home. That being said depending on where you live a concrete driveway may be a better option. It is important to be able to decide which is better a paved or a concrete driveway.

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Whether working with an in-house art department or an outside agency, here’s a handy checklist to make sure your digital signage content achieves what you want. Vehicle signage Sydney is the most cost effective form of advertising for any business big or small, we will wrap your vehicle with professional appearance while on site.

Digital signage is going mainstream as a medium. Simply look around in retail stores, shopping malls, arenas, gas stations, hotel lobbies, restaurants, and just about any other place you can image, and you’re bound to see one or more digital signs.

However, even though digital signs are growing in popularity, they are likely to be a rather new medium for the majority of graphic artists and other media creators, like graphic designers and animators, which you may turn to create compelling content to achieve your communications goals.

Perhaps, you will be working with in-house graphic artists whose expertise is the design of brochures, reports and other printed collateral. Or, you may find yourself working with a creative agency that specializes in television commercials. Both are creative, talented and have an abundance of knowledge and experience to bring to the table. Your challenge will be communicating the unique demands of digital signage content to them and directing them so they deliver the message you need.

Following some or all of the recommendations on this handy checklist should help you focus your creative team’s talent regardless of their prior experience, or lack of experience, in creating a digital signage portfolio.

* Clearly state what you wish to accomplish. Explain precisely how the signs are to be used. Will they be informational in nature? Do you want to sell a product or service with the signs? Is the communication mission straightforward like that of a menu board or more nuanced?

* Define your target audience. Layout as much demographic information, i.e. age, sex, ethnic background, and psychographic information, including interests, attitudes and opinions, of your intended viewers as possible.

* Identify where the sign or signs will be located. Giving your creative team this information will inform decisions they make later about the appearance, placement and dwell time of content they will create.

* Explain desired quality. In today’s world, it is hard to imagine that the display or displays to be used won’t be HDTVs. But even if that’s the case, will they be 720p, 1080i or even 1080p displays? That information will be helpful when content is created and may reduce the need for up, down or cross conversion of video, graphics and animation content.

* Visual SPAM. Because digital signage is becoming more common, the level of “visual noise” is also increasing. This should be considered along with the sensibilities of the target demographic. Work with your designers in creating a pleasing visual environment that will be more readily received by a discerning audience. Avoid excessive in-your-face content that may wax against the shopping experience by overloading the senses. Too much eye candy is not a good thing -it can give eye pain.

* Define duration. On a macro level, your messaging will be used for a finite period before it must be updated or changed entirely. On a micro level, individual pieces of content will dwell on the screen before being updated by the next item in the list. Information about both will help your team in creating content that can accomplish its communications task in the allotted time on screen as well as give the team a way to begin building a workable content production schedule.

* Discuss the number of onscreen zones desired. Start out by giving your team an idea of how many discrete areas of onscreen real estate you envision to communicate your message and what you believe should be communicated in each. Don’t consider this the last word on the topic. Rather use your list as a point of departure to discuss and ultimately define how many zones actually will be used.

* Identify existing content resources. While you will want your content to be fresh, engaging and designed to meet your communications goals, there is no sense reinventing the wheel when existing resources can be used or repurposed. For example, if you intend to communicate to owners of high performance cars as they wait in a car dealer’s service area, an existing RSS feed of Formula One, Indy Car and NASCAR race results and news might be available already for an onscreen crawl.

Whether or not your designers are experienced with digital signage, they will appreciate the guidance you give by discussing the items in the checklist. More importantly, reviewing the points in the checklist will help ensure you receive the content you need to achieve your communications goals.

David Little is a charter member of the Digital Screenmedia Association with 20 years of experience helping professionals use technology to effectively communicate. For further digital signage insight from Keywest Technology, visit our website for many helpful tips and examples. For more in-depth research from Keywest Technology, download our free digital signage white papers and case studies.

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