An increasing trend in the construction of pools is salt water pools. These pools are not treated with liquid or granular chlorine but instead treated with salt water. This is not to say there is not any chlorine in these pools because there is; but through the process of electrolysis, salt water is converted into chlorine. Salt water pools are commonly sought-after because of how gentle it is on the body and the actual maintenance of the pool.
SALT WATER POOL DESIGN
Salt water pools use salt as the primary “chlorine” source. In the process called electrolysis, the salt reacts with water and eventually changes the salt into chemical compounds commonly used in traditional chlorine disinfectant process. Chlorine is not physically added to these type of pools, but instead saltwater pool systems use chlorine generators to convert salt into chlorine, thus resulting in low levels of chlorine in the pool.
NO CHLORINE POOL
The lack of chlorine in the pool produces a nicer and gentler feel on the body. Most people find salt water pools to be much less irritating to the skin. The saline solution doesn’t dry out the skin, discolor hair or leave a pungent smell of chlorine on the skin.
A common misconception in salt water pools is how much salt is actually added. People assume the pool will taste like ocean water when in fact there is very little salt added. Saltwater pools do not taste like the sea because there isn’t enough salt. Humans have a salt taste threshold of about 3,500 parts per million, and a salt water pool only has about 3,000 parts per million. The ocean has approximately 35,000 parts per million, which is why we receive an overwhelmingly high salt taste. The amount of salt found in this type of pool can be compared to the amount of salt found in a human tear; this is why the salt does not feel drying to the skin and swimmers can open their eyes under water.
SALT WATER POOL MAINTENANCE
Finally and most importantly, a saltwater pool requires less maintenance. Salt needs to be added less frequently than traditional chlorine. With this type of pool, you can leave town and not worry about green algae growing in the water. The newest saltwater systems can monitor the cleanliness of a pool and automatically clean it, which is why these type of water systems are popular.
