How To Add Salt To A Salt Water Pool

Step 1

If your pool is new or has fresh water, add about 50 lbs. of salt per 2,000 gallons of water. The salt level should be around 4,000 ppm (parts per million) for new pools. If you are transitioning an existing pool to salt water, test the water to find the existing chlorine level. The salt level should be between 2,000 and 4,000 ppm.

Step 2

Turn on your pool pump, and open the bottom drain. Use the plastic scoop or a plastic cup to pour the salt over the drain instead of walking it all around the pool. You want the salt to go into the drain, so it can run through the chlorinator and back into the pool.

Step 3

Granular salt will be mostly dissolved by the time it reaches the drain. If you are using larger salt grains, use the brush to push them toward the drain. You can also brush them around to help dissolution.

Step 4

With the correct amount of salt, you should not notice the salt in the water. Adding too much salt may give the water a salty taste. If your salt levels reach over 6,000 ppm, then you risk corrosion of damage to the metallic equipment.

Step 5

Continue to run the pump for 24 hours so that the salt can spread throughout the entire pool.

Hold a test strip underwater for 10 seconds. Hold the strip so it is below the water line, but not in the stream of the jet-returned water from the filter. Test kits typically come with a test tube or small glass jar. If yours did not, use a small, clean juice glass. For instance, if you have a 20,000-gallon pool and your chlorination system requires you to have 3,500 parts per million of salt, that is equivalent to 834 lbs. If your salt reading is 5,000 ppm, it is recommended that you drain water from the pool, add fresh water from your garden hose and adjust the water accordingly.