Understanding the Advantages of a Saltwater Swimming Pool

You can find chlorinated freshwater pools in just about every suburban neighborhood in the country. They’re clean, they’re attractive and they’re fairly easy to maintain. That doesn’t mean that they’re perfect for everyone, though. The harsh chemicals used to cleanse the water in these pools can easily irritate sensitive skin. Over the years, the cost of purifying a pool with chemicals can also get pretty expensive. That’s why many homeowners have begun to turn to saltwater pools as an alternative. These pools have been available in the United States since the 1980’s, but they’ve only just recently started to become popular.

So how do they work?    

Rather than using chemical additives, saltwater pools clean themselves through a system of passive chlorination. In a saltwater pool, a chlorine generator is attached to the pool’s filtration system. This generator uses a simple electrolysis system to convert the chloride component of salt into a chlorine sanitizer. Best of all, this process doesn’t actually consume the salt, so you don’t have to keep adding salt to your pool to keep it clean. All you have to do is clean the cells in the chlorine generator periodically to keep them free of calcium deposits.

And why do people like them so much?

Well, to begin with, they require less maintenance than freshwater pools. The chlorine generator takes care of the water purification all by itself, so you don’t have to worry about adding chemicals to keep it clean. This can also make saltwater pools more cost effective in the long term. Plus, the light saline solution is much gentler on skin than the chemicals used in freshwater pools. Keep in mind that the salt concentration in a saltwater pool is very mild – only about one tenth of that of the ocean. Even if you already own a freshwater pool, it’s relatively easy to convert it to a saltwater system.

Want to learn more about the unique virtues of saltwater swimming pools? Give us a call today to speak to the team at VistaPro.