Salt water pools
It is said that salt water pools have no chlorine. This is a big misunderstanding in the industry. You see, the truth is, they do have chlorine. The difference is the chlorine comes from the salt. It is created by the salt water generator. The salts proper ppm is in a range of 1800 to 6000. It takes about a tsp. of regular salt per gallon of water. This solution is then run through a salt water chlorinator, using a process called electrolysis, that creates the chlorine gas which mixes in the water. This is a constant flow of chlorine that keeps your salt water pools sparkling fresh and clean.
Salt water pools maintenance
The initial start up for your salt water pools system is a little costly, but over the life of the pool it is actually cheaper to maintain than a regular fresh water pool. Once the salt water pool is set up and running you do not have to add any chlorine. this was covered in the first part of this article. You do however need to keep a close eye on the PH level of the water. The by-product of the chlorine creation is the raising of your PH levels. You will want to maintain a 7.2 to 7.6 pH level. These levels will keep your eyes from burning and your skin feeling smooth. Usually if your pool is exposed to rain and the sun most of the time your pool should stay in this range. But it really depends on how long you keep your chlorine generator running. You will have to use muriatic acid or baking soda to make corrections to your water depending on if you need to raise it or lower it. Other than that you need to make sure your filter basket is kept clean so that the water flow is not affected. You also will want to make sure that you clean the generators cells every three to six months depending on the level of calcium build up. As the calcium builds on the cells it will decrease the efficiency of the generator. It is stated that you should expect to change the chlorine generator every 3 to 4 years. I have found that you should be able to easily double or triple that with a proper maintenance schedule.
Salt water pools chlorinator
As stated earlier in the article. The salt water generator is responsible for the creation of chlorine. The difference in this chlorine compared to the chlorine in fresh water is the lack of chloramine. No chloramine means it is less harsh to your eyes and skin. If you keep your chlorinator clean and your pH in the range of 7.2 to 7.6 you will experience no burning of the eyes, since the pH of the eye is about 7.4 and your skin will come out with a silky feeling. The salt water pool originated in Australia and only about 15% of all U.S. pools where of the salt water kind in the year of 2002. This number has jumped up, around 70% of all new pools go in as salt water pools and many of the existing pools are being converted over to salt water. Should you decide to go the route of a salt water pools or even a spa I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the fulfilling enjoyment you experience with this system.