The Good, The Bad & The Salty
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The good, the bad and the salty about pool salt water systems. Salt systems for swimming pools have been one of the hottest items and most requested upgrades by pool owners for decades now. The reasons for this are firstly that salt systems are not all that expensive. Some pool upgrade options can run you tens of thousands of dollars to add them to your pool package but a salt system is a few hundred to a few thousand depending on the size of pool you have. In addition to being affordable, or at least affordable enough, salt systems also have a very high perceived value by pool owners. People speak very highly of salt systems and the pool owners that have one and like it tend to be very vocal about this fact. There is also a fairly heavy dose of misinformation about salt systems, what they do and more specifically what they don't do.
I have written quite a few articles about pool salt systems to help pool owners to get informed about salt water and this would be a good starting point if you are trying to learn as much as possible in order to make an informed decision about adding salt to your pool. I have also written an extensive comparison review of salt water systems, specifically comparing the systems with an apples to apples approach: how much chlorine can a salt system make in 24 hours. If you are surprised to read that salt water systems generate chlorine then you definitely still have some learning to do before deciding on salt water for your pool. Salt water systems are not an alternative to chlorine. This is the first and most important thing you need to know about salt water pools - salt water pools are chlorine pools.
Salt, or sodium chloride, is the base mineral used to generate chlorine on demand for pool systems. When you have 3000 parts per million of salt in your pool water you can use an electrolysis cell to generate free chlorine from this sodium. A salt water system would be more accurately called a chlorine regeneration system. This would help to eliminate a lot of the misinformation out there about salt systems in that many pool owners are mistakenly under the impression that salt water systems are maintenance free, and salt systems are some kind of alternative to chlorine. Neither of these statements are true. Salt systems most definitely have benefits that pool owners will enjoy however it would be a huge and costly mistake to assume that salt pools do not need maintenance or that they are some kind of alternative to traditional chlorine.
The Bad:
- Salt increases conductivity of the water which results in higher potential for galvanic corrosion to pool components
- Salt water pools have chronically high pH due to the electrolysis process used to generate the chlorine
- Salt pools are hard on concrete and natural stone finishes
- Salt water pools have restrictions on how and where you drain them (in some areas)
- Salt pools are inclined to have scale issues
None of these are deal breaking issues. Often my readers misconstrue my harsh words about salt water pools to mean that you should not get salt water. I do not have a problem with salt water. I only have a problem with pool owners who buy a salt water chlorinator but expect it to be something that it is not. Every pool owner is different. If you tell one pool owner that they will have salt stains on their pool deck from where salt water puddles dry up they won't care in the slightest. However a different pool owner might find salt staining on the deck to be a total deal breaker and something that they definitely do not want. This is why salt systems can be perfect for one pool owner but a big miss for another.
The Good:
- Salt systems are a very convenient way to get the chlorine that your pool needs
- Salt pools feel softer on the skin and less drying to skin and hair
- Salt pools make swimmers feel slightly more buoyant
- Salt pools tend to be easier on eyes (less red eyes)
- Salt pools do not actually taste "salty"
The reality is that pool owners tend to overvalue salt water systems. They are a bolt-on device that generates chlorine and not a stand-alone pool maintenance system. This means you still need to maintain your pool (both physically and chemically) in every way that you would need to maintain a regular chlorine pool. The only exception is that instead of buying and adding chlorine you are going to add salt until you have somewhere around 3000 ppm and then you will use electrolysis to generate chlorine on demand. One of the biggest actual benefits of salt water systems other than convenience is for people with dry skin or skin conditions such as eczema. Salt pools are largely praised as being much better and possibly even beneficial for people with eczema so that is definitely worth considering.
The Ugly:
- If your pool or equipment is not bonded you risk advanced corrosion issues
- A leaking salt water pool is likely to cause considerably more damage than a non-salt pool
- Poor installation can cause damage to other pool components like pool heaters
- Chronically unbalanced water (high pH) will cause scaling issues including early equipment failure
Interestingly most, if not all of the "ugly" aspects of salt water systems can be completely avoided by following established pool maintenance protocols. Salt systems can cause pools to have high pH issues but this is only if you do not do something to correct this. Proper balancing of pool chemistry including total alkalinity, as well as potentially exploring borate treatment all but eliminate the "problem" of high pH in salt water pools. So if you want to avoid these ugly situations with your pool then learn about salt water pool maintenance as well as getting your head around pool water chemistry to minimize the potential for problems with your pool. Where salt water gets ugly for swimming pools is when you operate your pool with deficiencies. Salt water is less forgiving in these situations, or situations of prolonged chemical mismanagement, so be sure to keep up with your pool maintenance and repairs to avoid any ugly situations with a salt water system.
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Swimming Pool Steve is an award winning, second generation swimming pool and spa specialist from Ontario Canada. With over 10,000,000 views on the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel, winner of the 2018 Pool & Spa Industry Leadership award and author of hundreds of pool and spa articles both online and in print Steve is committed to helping pool and spa owners as well as pool and spa industry workers learn more about the technical side of building, renovating, repairing and maintaining all types of swimming pools and spas. Follow Swimming Pool Steve on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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