Typically, salty isn’t considered a good thing. Eating foods that are salty on a regular basis can increase one’s blood pressure to unhealthy levels, and people who are “salty” are often described as bitter or generally unpleasant to be around. However, every rule has an exception, and in this case, the exception is a salt chlorinator.
A niche market for salt water pools is rapidly expanding as more and more pool owners are searching for more sustainable and cost effective ways to enjoy their backyard oasis. While everyone may agree that pools are a great way to beat the heat during the summer and are easy to enjoy, they can be time consuming — and even expensive — to maintain. Swimming pools require near constant maintenance in order to maintain perfect pH levels, the perfect temperature, and of course, proper pool sanitization levels.
Maintaining a pool’s chemistry is a year round, round the clock responsibility. Even in the winter, homeowners are urged to check their pool water chemistry at least once a week. In the summer, it can be necessary to check the pool water’s chemistry as many as three times a week or more. In fact, you may even need to have someone “pool sit” for you if you leave for vacation, as pool water can easily turn green in as little as two to three weeks without maintenance.
Salt chlorinators, however, are an easier, and more sustainable way to keep your pool water clean while eliminating harsh odors, red eyes, and itchy skin due to traditional chlorine. So how does it work? Using ol’ fashioned table salt — sodium chloride — salt chlorinators convert the chloride into a usable form of chlorine. In order to maintain proper water chemistry, excess chlorine is then filtered back into the system and convert back to salt for the process to start all over again. The salinity of salt water pools is less than that of the ocean, and many find that the water has a softening affect on their skin.
So in this case, being salty and green is actually a pretty good thing!