FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: What kind of salt can I use?
A: Avoid Rock Salt as it contains too many impurities! Acceptable salts include Food grade salt, Water softener pellets, Solar salt flakes, Water conditioner salt, or Brine blocks.

Q: Where do I add the salt?
A: What is most important when adding salt is to brush it around until it is dissolved. This is accelerated by turning your pump on, opening the bottom drain and adding the salt over the drain, rather than walking around the perimeter while adding the salt. It is recommended that you continue to run the pump for 24 hrs so the salt can spread evenly throughout the pool.
With Granular salt, 60-70% will have dissolved before hitting bottom. The remaining salt can simply be brushed into the drain which will then complete dissolution.
With all other forms of salt, it will take longer to dissolve but the same process will accelerate the dissolve rate. Simply brush the salt in a pyramid over the drain to increase dissolution.

Q: How much salt do I add?
A: Enough for 3000 ppm (parts per million) as a starting point. So depending on the initial salt level of your water, you only add the amount needed to establish 3000 ppm. For new pools or freshly filled pools, the salt level will most likely be zero. In this case, 50lbs of salt per 2,000 gallons of water will establish 3000 ppm. For existing pools, the previous usage of chlorine bleach or tablets will have already introduced a level of salt into the water. Have the water tested first then add the appropriate amount to establish 3000 ppm.

Q: What happens if I add too much salt?
A: Oversalting will not harm your Pool Pilot system, but will lead to a salty tasting water. For some, this is not undesirable as it will more closely match our bodies natural salinity level, making it more comfortable to swim in.
If it is too excessive (over 6000 ppm), you can sustain corrosion damage to metallic equipment such as stainless steel handrails, ladders and filters, light rings, or copper heat exchangers.
To reduce the salt level, dilution is the solution. Drain some water and refill with fresh water.

Q: How often will I need to add salt?
A: After the initial dosage of salt, you will only need to add salt when necessary. The most common ways salt is lost is through leaks, rainwater overflow, filter backwashing, and bather splashout/carryout. Normal water evaporation does not lose salt, it increases the concentration. The make up water added to bring the water level back to normal will then reduce the salt concentration back to 3000 ppm.
The Digital and Soft Touch units both have low salt indicators, with the Digital going further to provide the proper salt amount needed to restablish 3000 ppm (based upon the programmed pool volume input).

Q: Do I eliminate the need to add chemicals?
A: The Pool Pilot does one thing, generate chlorine. However, the purity of this chlorine has less effect on the overall water chemistry balance, therefore, LESS chemicals are needed rebalance the water. Your Pool Pilot recommends periodic (weekly or bi-weekly) testing of stabilizer levels (60 - 80 ppm), Free Chlorine (2 - 4 ppm for pools and 3 - 6 ppm for spas), pH (7.2 - 7.6), and salt levels (2500 - 3500 ppm). Since we do not affect the Total Alkalinty or Calcium Hardness, a monthly check is sufficient.
In some cases, you might still need to add chlorine for shocking purposes due to extremely heavy bather loads, rainstorms, or accidents (fertilizer, excessive organic debris or kiddy poo-poo) but will not affect your Pool Pilot.

Q: Will I have to run my equipment more?
A: Your Pool Pilot does not rely upon a higher salt level AND extended pump run times in order to generate enough chlorine, provided the cell is properly sized to the pool. The Pool Pilot allows for multiple configuration set-ups so that you can generate sufficient amounts of chlorine during your current pump circulation time. For regions that have short circulation times, you can increase the output power of the Pool Pilot to compensate.

Q: How long will the cell last?
A: The residential cell is rate for approximately 10,000 hours of operation. This typically translates to 3-5 years, depending on pool volume, cell size and the sanitizer demands of your pool. Water chemistry balance, salt levels and stabilizer levels are key factors in ensuring maximum cell life.

Q: When I need warranty, whom do I contact?
A: Most situations can be diagnosed and corrected by a simple call to us, 800.786.7751. If service is needed, we will dispatch an authorized service center to correct any problems. However, we stipulate in our warranty terms that if an authorized service center is not available in your area, the part(s) must be shipped back to the factory and repaired/replaced at our discretion.

Q: How long is the warranty?
A: Your Pool Pilot is covered in the U.S. for 2 years parts and labor at 100%. In addition, the power supply and cell are further covered under a pro-ration for up to 5 years. Click on the Warranty link for specific terms.