How to lower salt level in a pool
Getting salt down in a pool means draining out part of the water and topping back up with fresh. Since salt won't evaporate or break apart, no chemical can pull it from the water. Type in your reading and the tool tells you how many inches to let out.
Wondering if your salt level is too high?
Before draining anything, look at the limit your own chlorinator sets. On the Pentair IntelliChlor, salt counts as good up to 4,500 ppm (parts per million, the number a salt test shows). An AquaRite is happy only to 3,400 ppm; past that its High Salt light comes on and it stops. The band itself is printed in Hayward's manual, and Pentair's warning lights are on the IntelliChlor page.
Salt becomes noticeable on your tongue at roughly 3,500 to 4,000 ppm. Per Jandy, going past 4.0 gpl (grams per liter; 1 gpl is 1,000 ppm) can hurt the power center, and past 6.0 gpl pool fixtures may corrode.
Maximum salt each chlorinator allows
| Chlorinator | Top of the range |
|---|---|
| Hayward AquaRite | 3,400 ppm |
| Pentair IntelliChlor | 4,500 ppm |
| Jandy AquaPure | 4.0 gpl (power center) |
| CircuPool | 4,000 ppm |
| Intex Krystal Clear | 3,500 ppm |
Bringing pool salt down, one step at a time
- Confirm with two checks: a strip plus the chlorinator display, or hand a sample to a store. Pentair says its own salt sensor can be off by plus or minus 500 ppm.
- Let the calculator tell you what fraction comes out. Pull water from the deep end with the pump switched off, or use a submersible pump if the pool is above ground.
- Fill back up with fresh water and let the pump circulate for 24 hours so everything blends.
- Test again. Still reading high? Do another round, draining less this time.
Methods that fail
Salt won't drop from shock, acid, baking soda or clarifier. Pushing the cell harder doesn't help either. Holding out for rain pays off only when the rain overflows the pool and you refill afterward with fresh water.
Questions people bring to the counter
Does 4,000 ppm of salt count as too high for a pool?
For a Hayward AquaRite it is, since the band runs 2,700 to 3,400 ppm. For a Pentair IntelliChlor it isn't, because the good-salt range sits at 2,800 to 4,500 ppm. CircuPool runs 3,000 to 4,000 ppm, which puts you right at the limit.
How can you tell when a pool has too much salt?
You might notice a salty flavor, the chlorinator showing High Salt or code 92, and on some cells zero chlorine because the unit shut itself down.
What's the time frame for getting a pool's salt level down?
However long the draining and refilling takes, add one more day. Once you've topped the pool back up, run the pump for 24 hours so the new water blends in, then check it. That 24-hour waiting time comes straight from Hayward and Pentair alike.
Is there a way to bring pool salt down without draining any water?
No. The only fix, says Hayward, is draining some water out and refilling. When water evaporates the salt stays put, so letting it evaporate only raises the level.