SALTWATER POOLS 101: Pros and Cons - From a Real Inground Pool Builder
A LITTLE HISTORY ON SALTWATER SYSTEMS
There is a ton of information about saltwater sanitizers on the web. Some info is very informative and some very basic. If you want to get good info you should always look for people that are experienced with the product. I have been installing inground swimming pools for about 30 years in Winnipeg and first started installing salt systems in pools around 1995. It’s absolutely imperative that a swimming pool needs chlorine to kill the bacteria to keep the pool water clean, clear and healthy to swim. Health Canada recommends your pool water have a chlorine level, or residual, of 1-3 ppm consistently. You can either add chlorine pucks manually or install an automatic chlorine maker called a Saltwater Sanitizer. Sometimes referred to as a Saltwater Chlorine Generator (SCG), the Saltwater Sanitizer creates pure chlorine, automatically, with just a little bit of salt in the water.
It was known that pool companies in Australia were already installing saltwater sanitizers since the 1970’s and having much success. The United States started installing saltwater sanitizers in the mid 1980’s, one of the popular brands was Lectranator. These early style saltwater chlorine generators were expensive, not easy to operate and used more salt than today’s systems. But they caught on. Canada started installing salt systems in the mid 1990’s and they did become easier to operate and less expensive. One brand, called Goldline, really took off. They produced the AquaRite saltwater generator for inground pools and made it easy to install for the builders and easy to operate for the customers. They were so successful that Hayward, a leading pool products supplier, aquired them. Now every major brand of pool equipment has their own variation of a saltwater generator, but the AquaRite system is the most popular today.
In 1995 after our first few installations, we realized saltwater sanitizers were outstanding and lived up to the hype. We were blown away that this little device could make all the chlorine the pool needs for FREE! Pool companies were very excited but worried all at the same time. They were excited because salt sanitizers make it very easy to own a pool and that increases owner satisfaction, which in turn increases pool sales. They were worried because salt sanitizers eliminated the need to buy chlorine pucks and shock which was a huge business in the mid 1990’s. But like any amazing technology, saltwater chlorinators became the standard and ultimately revolutionized the pool industry. By 2007, nearly 75% of new pool installations in the United States were equipped with saltwater systems, according to P.K. Data Inc. Today we install Saltwater Sanitizers in about 98% of our new pool installations. They just make pool life easier!
HOW A SALT SYSTEM WORKS
A saltwater sanitizer consists of two main pieces, the “Control Panel” and the “Salt Cell”. We install the control panel, about eye level, beside the equipment pad. How a saltwater sanitizing system works is pure chlorine is created when the pool’s water passes through the salt chlorinator’s salt cell and electrolysis converts the salt into free chlorine. It is a harmless, low voltage, charge between two titanium plates in the salt cell. This chlorinated water then flows into the pool to destroy bacteria and it slowly builds up a bank of chlorine called a residual. The higher the residual the cleaner and clearer the water is. But too much chlorine residual will prematurely wear out the salt cell and prematurely fade your liner. So, we keep the chlorine residual levels at 1-3 ppm and no higher than 5ppm. If you are interested to learn some more in-depth technical reading about saltwater chlorination go to the wikipedia page.
THE BEST SALTWATER SANITIZER IS LOW SALT!
When we install a new inground pool in Winnipeg, MB, we almost exclusively install a saltwater sanitizer. The reason we do this is it is much easier for our clients to have beautiful pool water and it and gives them a much better swimming experience. You can scroll down to see the 7 BENEFITS OF A SALTWATER SANITIZER.
The most popular saltwater sanitizer we install is the AquaRite Low Salt system. It has the same components as a traditional salt sanitizer, with the control panel and the salt cell, but the Low Salt system uses about 40-50% less salt than a traditional salt system. There are 3 reasons Low Salt is better, you need less salt bags to maintain the salt level, the salt system will continue to produce chlorine at lower levels of pool salinity and less salt is much more environmentally friendly.
YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF CHLORINE PRODUCTION
It is very easy to manage a saltwater sanitizer. You are in control of how much chlorine it makes by simply pressing into the output setting on the control panel and turning up or down the middle knob call the “Desired Output %”. We start at 50% and you turn it up or down to adjust the chlorine in the pool. It’s that simple. To test the chlorine amount in the water it’s very simple also.
Imagine dipping a toothpick into water, that’s about the same size as a test strip. We provide you with colour coded test strips to dip in the water, every few days, to see where your level of chlorine is at. To test the water just dip the strip, in your pool water, for one second and compare it to the back of the colour coded bottle. If the chlorine is low, the strip will be white, so you would turn the “Desired Output %” knob up 10%. If the chlorine is high, then the strip will be purple, so you would turn the dial down by 10%. If it is pink then it’s perfect, no adjustment required. For new pool owners you retest every second day for two weeks and adjust the “Desired Output %” knob until your test strip consistently shows pink. This number you land on is your perfect percentage number. One you set it, you forget it, almost. After that you test once a week just to check to make sure the chlorine level is on track. It’s very simple and only takes a few minutes a day for this testing and adjusting process.
NO SHOCK REQUIRED, SALTWATER SANITIZERS DO BOTH!
Not only does a saltwater chlorine generator make all the good chlorine you need, it will also eliminate the need for you to weekly shock the pool to get rid of the bad chlorine. The reason pool owners shock the pool weekly is to eliminate the bad chlorine, aka “chloramines”, from the pool. Chloramines are the bad chlorine that sits in your pool after the good chlorine has killed the bacteria. It is the bad chlorine that stinks and irritates your skin and eyes. With a salt sanitizer the salt cell destroys the bad chlorine, or chloramines, at the same time it is creating the good chlorine. The low voltage charge zaps the bad chlorine away and produces new pure chlorine, all at the same time. It’s quite an amazing technology and this is why salt systems are very popular. This is why you never smell the chlorine while you are swimming in a saltwater pool. This is why your eyes never hurt and your skin doesn’t get irritated because you are not swimming in chloramines. But if you were using chlorine pucks you would have to shock the pool weekly to remove the chloramines. That is more work and more cost to you. So you can see why saltwater pools are much more popular than chlorine puck pools, it’s just less work!
HOW DOES THE SALT GET INTO THE POOL?
That is very simple, we bring several 20kg bags of pool salt to the pool and we pour them into the deep end of the pool. The salt will dissolve overnight but you can take your pool brush, on the long pole, and move it around the floor to help dissolve the salt. An average pool with a Low Salt system requires about 6 bags of salt and 10 bags for a standard saltwater pool. When we build your pool we will have your exact volume of water and can calculate out the kilograms of salt required. Over the year you may have to replace a bag because of splash out, they are not expensive typically around $15 per bag. In the spring you will need to replace a bag because we lowered the water to winterize it.
HOW DO I TEST THE SALTWATER IN THE POOL?
That is very easy. You actually don’t have to test the water in your saltwater pool because the control box will display the exact salt amount in the pool. The salt cell actually has a test probe in it that monitors the salt amount and relays the info in real time to the control box. So you never have to bring your pool water to a pool store to have the salt tested, it will tell you. In a Low Salt system, the right amount of salt is around 2000ppm. This is a personal conclusion after doing hundreds of hours of testing in over 50 pools. There is one caveat, if your pool is 100,000 litres or more and your family is a heavy user, it would be wise to increase the salt amount in the pool to 3000ppm. This allows for more chlorine to be produced. But on an average sized pool you can keep the salt levels at 2000ppm.
7 BENEFITS OF A SALTWATER SANITIZER
1. NO CHLORINE PUCKS - A Saltwater sanitizer automatically produces all the chlorine you need – you never have to buy Chlorine Pucks, touch them, and add them to your pool. That saves you about $350 per year and your valuable time.
2. AUTOMATICALLY CLEAN AND CLEAR POOL WATER - A Saltwater sanitizer takes the human element out of the equation as the unit never forgets to add chlorine. It’s automatic with a saltwater system, so your pool is always clear and ready for swimming. Everyone is super busy with life, family and work so the last thing you need is more maintenance. Chlorine pucks need to be added regularly or your pool will be cloudy and unswimmable. Saltwater chlorine generators never take a day off, they are always working to make chlorine which keeps your pool clean, clear and ready to swim.
3. NO SHOCKING REQUIRED - Saltwater sanitizers automatically burn off chloramines, which is the dead chlorine that stinks and irritates your eyes. This means you don’t have to shock your pool weekly. That saves you about $300 per year and is less ongoing maintenance for you.
4. SOFTER WATER WITH NO EYE & SKIN IRRITATION - The salt in the water makes it feel softer and smoother, which is gentler on the skin and hair. Your hair won’t feel like straw when you come out of the pool. The lower chloramine levels in saltwater pools reduce eye and skin irritation for most people.
5. NO ACIDIC WATER - BETTER FOR SWIMMING, EQUIPMENT & LINER - The chlorine that a Saltwater sanitizer creates is a higher pH unlike chlorine pucks that constantly lower the pH and alkalinity levels in your pool. Low pH and alkalinity levels in pool water create acidic water with drastic consequences. An acidic pool will not only irritate your skin and smell bad, but the acid water is corrosive and will attack the heater and eventually destroy it. Inground pool liners will rapidly deteriorate by acidic water, as they become wrinkled and brittle. Eventually, this will lead to tears and rips in the liner. On the flipside, saltwater pools will slowly increase the pH and alkalinity levels so you will have to periodically lower them. In Winnipeg, this is very easy to do with one chemical called Acid Magic. You pour a few cups in every other week, in front of the deep end return jet, and it lowers the ph. On the plus side, if you happen to let the pH and alkalinity creep up it is not a big issue as higher pH levels won’t destroy your pool equipment and typically won’t irritate your skin. Actually many municipalities, outside the city of Winnipeg, have well water which is very high in pH. So these pools are always high pH and most of these pool owners never lower their pH. So saltwater systems don’t have acidic water which can prevent many equipment and liner issues. Plus you will never be swimming in acidic water with a saltwater pool.
6. ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY: Saltwater pools generate less harsh chemicals compared to traditional pools, reducing their impact on the environment.
7. LESS CHEMICALS TO STORE – With less pails of pucks, shock, pH up and buffer you will need less room in your shed for these chemicals.
A FEW CONSIDERATIONS OWNING A SALTWATER POOL
1. YOU MUST TEST YOUR POOL WATER – Even though a saltwater sanitizer produces chlorine automatically, it is not a hands-off system. Saltwater sanitizers produce chlorine based on what you set it at. New pool owners run the risk of over chlorination if they see the pool is clear and don’t bother to test the water. Over chlorination will bleach the pool liner and shorten the life of the cell. We recommend testing the water weekly with test strips. Just dip the strip and compare the colors. You don’t have to be a mad scientist but you have to weekly test the water and adjust the output if required.
2. YOU WILL NEED TO LOWER THE PH LEVEL - The chlorine a saltwater sanitizer generates has a higher pH level than is optimal, so you will need to reduce the pH in the pool. Typically, in the city, you will use a few cups of Acid Magic once every few weeks.
3. THE SALT CELL WILL NEED TO BE CLEANED - Over the season the salt cell gets dirty and we recommend cleaning the cell with “Salt Cell Cleaner” at the end of every season. We can do it with your pool closing, at the end of the season, or you can take care of it yourself. It takes about 20 minutes and you need Salt Cell Cleaner, a Salt Cell Stand and a garden hose.
4. THE SALT CELL WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED - To replace a cell is very easy, a home owner can install it in about 10 minutes. The replacement cost is $999 to $1199 for the cell. That may seem expensive, but if you compare it to the cost of buying all the chemicals for a chlorine puck pool, which adds up to about $3500 for 5 years, you are still ahead financially. Plus don’t forget about all the time you saved with a saltwater pool as well.
5. ADDING SALT TO AN EXISTING POOL MAY CAUSE RUSTING - If you just moved into a house with and existing pool and you would like to convert it to a salt water pool, the equipment may not be compatible. When we install new pools today, we use salt water compatible equipment including heaters, pumps, ladders, diving boards, etc, but older pools may not have these salt compatible components. Plus, older pools may not be bonded properly. If you want to upgrade to a saltwater system you can have a pool company visit and inspect your pool to see if your pool is compatible with saltwater. If it is compatible, then go for it!
WITHOUT A SALTWATER SANITIZER YOU WILL NEED CHLORINE PUCKS
The alternative to a Saltwater System is Chlorine Pucks. This is the “old school” method of keeping the water clear. You must keep replacing the pucks in the pool to keep up a residual or the water will turn cloudy and green. The easy button for pool owners is they add 2-4 pucks in the skimmer. But that is very hard on the pool equipment as concentrated chlorine is entering the equipment from the skimmer. The proper way to use chlorine pucks is to install a chlorine erosion feeder. The chlorine puck erosion feeder is a round plastic container with a screw top lid that holds up to ten 3” chlorine pucks. It is plumbed after the pump, filter and heater so the concentrated chlorine won’t go through the equipment and prematurely destroy it. The chlorine feeder works by the pool water passing through it and slowly eroding the chlorine pucks inside the feeder. As the pucks erode in the feeder, the chlorine dissolves, and it is drawn into the pool as the water circulates. There is a dial that allows you to somewhat control the flow. But we recommend a bypass be installed as well. If you choose chlorine pucks as your pool’s sanitizer, we highly recommend you install a chlorine puck erosion feeder.
NEGATIVES OF CHLORINE PUCKS
You have to manually add pucks to your pool daily, or weekly if you have a chlorine erosion feeder, and it takes time away from enjoying the pool. The cost of pucks is expensive and adds up, its about $300/year. Physically touching concentrated chlorine pucks is very harsh and smells bad, we recommend you wear gloves.
You will likely forget to add pucks and your pool will turn cloudy and potentially green. Humans are forgetful creatures. Bringing back a cloudy or green pool to be swimmable can be a hundred dollars or more of shock and algaecide. Plus your pool is down for about 3 days while you clear it up.
You must shock the pool weekly to remove the chloramines. This is the dead chlorine that stinks and irritates your skin and eyes. This is extra maintenance for you and costs you about $250/year to purchase pool shock.
You must increase alkalinity and pH weekly as pucks have a low pH. If you don’t test and balance your alkalinity and pH, the pools water will become acidic and unbearable to swim plus it will start destroying your pool heater. The average yearly cost for pH increase and Buffer is $150/year.
POSITIVES ON CHLORINE PUCKS
Less expensive than a Salt Water system to set up. The recommended chlorine puck Erosion Feeder installed is $299 as compared to $2997 for the Low Salt Saltwater System.
Pucks have stabilizer added so you don’t have to add stabilizer to your pool. Although you may eventually have too much stabilizer and have switch to non-stabilized chlorine for a season or tow.
Chlorine pucks do not contain salt so there is no risk of rusting of bolts. Chlorine pucks are better suited for older pools with older equipment that isn’t salt friendly.
