Here is a salt water alternative that has fresher smelling and non-irritating water. It has very low chlorine and acid consumption and costs less to maintain. Why is America still in love with chlorine (salt chlorine included) as the main sanitizer/oxidizer? It's our chlorine addiction that has led to higher asthma rates compared to other countries that limit or don't use choline. Chlorine also make asthma worse. Check out this link: http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20040611/chlorine-pools-breathing-trouble My wife has noticed a flare up in her asthma in pools with both salt generated chlorine and traditional chlorine. After learning that the last Olympic pool built had a combination of ozone for oxidation and uv for sanitation we switched over to ozone and ultra violet pool systems. Because neither system leave a residual in the water we add a mineral sanitizer every six months (just the cheap one like the frog or poolRX) and keep about 0.3 ppm chlorine in the summer months. (We used to keep it between 2-4 PPM.) In the winter there is no chlorine in the water. My hair/eyes and skin feel great when I get out of the pool. The water doesn't smell and tastes like fresh water. I use way less acid than before and the pH is easier to balance. The most important thing is that my wife's asthma doesn't flare up when she swims now. Also, I don't have to worry about my kids breathing in or absorbing harmful chloramines. I run the pump at about %45 for about 7 hours and save a ton on electricity too. The UV bulbs, I am told have to be replaces every few years, but come with a two year warranty. It will cost me about $160 for both bulbs, and the ozone uses a $40 uv bulb which will also need to be replaced every three years or so. We have an in-line tablet feeder to we put a chlorine tablet into every other week during the summer and the mineral cartridge goes into the skimmer basket every six months.

"3" Tabs should NEVER be in the skimmer baskets except for urgent and just cause and only for a short period of time." Scott thanks for your comment, and yes I�ve been so advised by others "When the pump is off, they keep dissolving. The chlorine and stabilizer sink in the pipe and skimmer and build up to high levels." True, and also Cl concentration especially around shallow end. For years my solar cover would begin shredding after only two seasons "This can cause flex PVC to swell internally, forming restrictions and weakening the walls, causing collapses in the line." My predecessor used tabs in the skimmer for 5 years and I�ve continued the practice now for some 16 years. Evidently the plumbing is highly resistant. However the solar cover isn�t. If letting the pump run that additional 16 hours will make it last even one more season the additional cost of electricity might prove justified "The solutions available are salt cells, manually dosing, or erosion feeders." Thanks I�ll look into this "WRT to the settings of your Intelliflow, what are they?" Pump on slowest speed Except for a 5-min high-speed prime once a day and one hour at medium speed when my Polaris sweep is on The Polaris incidentally uses a separate pump "What are your expectations?" Only hope to prolong life of solar cover. Thanks again for the rundown

Thanks, Scott. I understand that I'm just trying to keep whatever day heating I get from the direct sun in the pool overnight. I saw those fish things while researching yesterday and I'd definitely need more info before I'd dump chemicals into my pool. Probably wouldn't work anyway because of our location, waterfront with no fences and a prevailing sea breeze. I don't see our pool "still" very often. Also, I plan to continue swimming laps until I can't stand it any more and we'll use the spa throughout the winter. Last night we were debating "diamond" pattern vs "circle" patterned bubbles. Ugh.

"I'm curious why this would produce a higher FC level," Because the flow rate in the skimmer is so much higher than with a typical 'floater' dispenser "..and wonder if the high concentration in the skimmer might not accelerate failures in other parts (pump seals?)." I have wondered about that too. However the distance between skimmer port and pump is about 20 ft so it's hard to imagine with pump off the FC zone of high concentration could migrate that far within a single day. Of course when the pump comes on it would quickly be draw in but would be present within the pump only for a second or two at most before dilution