If you have a swimming pool in your backyard and you are a pool party freak or enjoy time in your swimming pool, then you must be looking for an alternative pool to chlorine pools.
Chlorine pools have a hard chemical smell and can even damage your hair, skin, or even eyes at some point, and this is when you should change to saltwater pools.
Saltwater pools have been very popular in recent times and are people’s choice instead of traditional chlorine pools.
Even though you tend not to put chlorine in your pool, the water always contains a hint of chlorine as it is precipitated from the filtration system.
Saltwater pools are generally costlier to install than chlorine pools despite this, it is economical in the long run, and this makes it one of the main reasons why it has gained so much popularity in the United States.
Another reason why people are opting for this is the subtle and gentle feel they provide on the skin. People who use swimming pools regularly or have kids who do use saltwater pools instead of highly chlorinated water pools as they tend to damage and increase skin roughness.
Let’s learn more about Saltwater Pool and check out if you need to make a change in your swimming pool.
What is a Saltwater Pool?
A saltwater pool is not very different than other swimming pools, they just use salt instead of chlorine tablets. They do not have any chlorine is a misconception, as saltwater pools use a salt chlorine converter to convert the salt into chlorine.
Adding salt to the water, which is then turned into chlorine, makes the water much silkier, and the salty taste is almost negligible and enjoyable, if there is any.
Many people think that salt water will taste and feel like ocean water, which is not the case; it has one-tenth of salt in the swimming pool compared to the ocean.
How a Saltwater Pool Works?
Saltwater pool works through a salt chlorine generator which converts the salt in the water into sodium chloride with chemical formulae of NaCl.
Let us look at the working process of saltwater pools.
1. The Working Process
The first step towards a saltwater pool is installing a salt chlorine generator in your pool. And then add salt into the pool. Adding your salt to the shallow parts of the pool is highly advised.
Let the pump work for a day, and it will fully dissolve the salt. The pump will have a salt cell, creating a process called electrolysis. This process separates sodium and chlorine. Yes, salt has chlorine, and the pool uses it to stay sanitized.
Instead of using chlorine in added forms, saltwater pools use pure chlorine extracted from salt. Salt in your pool will be nowhere compared to the ocean as your pool’s salinity level will be significantly less, and people won’t even feel the presence of salt in the pool.
The most significant advantage of this saltwater pool is it is almost free from chloramines, a chlorine byproduct that causes roughness of skin and eye irritation, making the water very soft and of the utmost quality.
The process keeps on going, and the system provides chlorine effectively every day in such amounts that the pool remains free from infections, algae, or any unwanted substances.
This system also helps in cost control, it does not need any new amount of salt as the chlorine and sodium extracted from the salt reform in the water after some time, and then the salt cell again works to start electrolysis.
So you don’t have to replace the salt; it starts recycling on its own, making it very cheaper and your maintenance of the pool easy.
How Much Salt Does my Pool Need?
To decide how much salt you need for your pool depends on the size of the pool. Generally, the manufacturers of the salt system recommend the initial salt level of the pool to be 2400 to 3200 ppm (parts per million) per 10,000 gallons of water in the pool.
Always check your system, as the required range of salt may vary from system to system.
If your salt level is around 3200 ppm, your salt water generator will start working and producing the needed chlorine. This amount of salt is 1/10th of what the ocean has, so it’s almost negligible to feel.
Pool-grade salt comes in 40-pound bags, and if you have a pool size of 10,000 gallons of water, then 6 or 7 bags of pool salt will be enough to make the salt level go from 0 to 2400 – 3200 ppm.
Saltwater Pools For Health
Saltwater pools are generally healthy and do not have any significant known health risks, and are known to prevent skin roughness and eye irritation, which is caused in other chlorine pools.
Saltwater pools are safer for people with breathing problems like asthma or chemical allergies. High chemical smells in chlorine pools are generally a result of chloramines, a formation of chlorine, and ammonia.
This smell can cause severe breathing problems in people who are allergic to chemicals and suffer from asthma.
Saltwater pools are different and do not have any chloramines in them, which makes them a healthy choice.
What Are The Pros And Cons of a Salt Pool?
Before you buy a saltwater pool, it is essential to know all its benefits and disadvantages, if any. Let us know about the pros and cons of the salt pool.
Pros
Pricing
Initially, it is costlier to get a saltwater pool as the system itself can cost around $1400-$1800, and then the installation cost after that.
But in the long run, having a saltwater pool is cheaper as you do not need to buy chlorine tablets or much pool salt.
Maintenance
It is easier to maintain and upkeep a saltwater pool than a traditional chlorine pool. A saltwater pool is mostly self-cleaning and requires just a mere check-up of alkalinity and pH on a weekly basis.
Smell
It is safer for people with breathing problems to have a saltwater pool rather than a traditional chlorine pool, as the smell of chlorine is not present in the salt pool.
No Chlorine Effect
Chloramines are a formation of chlorine, and ammonia changes your hair color; even the color of your swimming or bathing suit will bleach out in a traditional chlorine pool.
Saltwater pool prevents all these effects of chloramines and keeps the hair and skin conditioned well, making the water feel softer.
Safer to Work With
It is always a challenge to work with chlorine as it can be damaging to the body and skin. The saltwater pool has no such issue as you work with salt, which has no significant risk.
Easily Accessible
You can easily find salt for pools than by searching chlorine tablets for the pool. Many hotels and resorts have saltwater pools installed hence, it is now very easily available in local markets and online marketing websites.
Cons
Damaging of Tiles
Salts can damage certain types of tiles in swimming pools. The chances of corrosion in many swimming pool tools and equipment are very high.
It can damage lights, railings, brackets, and other things that stay in the salt water.
Requires Professional Help
Saltwater swimming pools require professional help for any damages. While experienced people can repair chlorine pools, a saltwater pool requires a professional technician for the repair.
Installation is Costly
As mentioned before, getting the saltwater pool system is very costly and can cost around $1400-$1800 just for the system, and then the installation cost after buying.
Conclusion
If you are a swimmer and love to be in the water, you should get a saltwater swimming pool in your backyard. It is better than any other traditional chlorine swimming pool in many ways. I sincerely hope this article has enlightened you about saltwater pool and how it works.
This read will also help you understand its pros and cons. And will guide you in clearing all misconceptions about the saltwater swimming pool.