Swimming Pool Maintenance - Choosing Between Salt Water Or Chemicals

In North America, chlorine is by far the most popular method to sanitize a pool. However, it is not the only way. Long a favorite in other parts of the world, saltwater swimming pools are starting to gain popularity all over North America. Proponents of salt water pools claim since there is no chlorine in the pool water, it feels smooth or 'silky', will not irritate your eyes or skin, is safe to swallow when swimming and will not fade bright colored swim wear. Some also claim the saltwater pools are virtually maintenance free, less costly to operate and more environmentally friendly since they use a totally natural product - salt - rather than a manufactured chemical -chlorine. Sounds like a lot of good reasons to install a saltwater pool, but perhaps we should take more balanced look at the discussion.

Common Myths of Saltwater Pools

INSTALLING A WATER SOFTENER

Saltwater pools contain large amounts of salt. First, here is an interesting fact - saltwater pools do not really have salt water in them, at least not salt water like in the ocean. A properly maintained saltwater pool does have salinity but is well below that of ocean water (somewhere between 10 and 20 percent), much closer to the salinity level of water that has been passed through a water conditioner or softener.

Saltwater pools are chlorine free: A saltwater pool is not a chlorine free pool. In salt water pools, when the water circulates through the pump and filter system it also passes through a chlorine generator. Inside the chlorine generator an electronic process combines hydrogen molecules from the water (made up of hydrogen and oxygen) with chlorine from the salt (sodium and chlorine) to produce hypochlorous acid which is carried in the circulating water back into the pool. This hypochlorous acid is what keeps the pool free of algae and bacteria. So in reality, the main difference between the two systems is with one you need to store chlorine and add it intermittently, while in the other the system is constantly adding chlorine when the pool is running.

Saltwater pools are maintenance free: Remember, the chlorine generator only adds chlorine to the water, it does not replace the requirement to monitor and balance the pool water. In order to maintain pH and alkalinity, the owner will need to regularly test the water and when necessary, add chemicals to bring the water into proper balance. As well, the chlorine generator itself requires regular maintenance. As part of the electrolysis process, calcium builds up on the titanium plates inside the generator and the calcium needs to be cleaned off or the system will no longer be able to produce chlorine.

Saltwater pools are less costly: In fact, installing a salt water pool is more expensive initially than a chlorine based system - primarily because of the need to include a chlorine generator as part of the pool equipment. However, after installation you only need to add inexpensive salt (regular table salt or salt pellets used in water conditioners works well). So, once the system is installed salt water pools will be less costly to run since there is no need to constantly buy (expensive) chlorine to add to the pool.

The 'fly in the ointment' here is since chlorine is only generated when the saltwater system is running, many experts suggest you should run your salt water system 24/7. So in effect you are trading the cost of Chlorine for the cost of electricity and depending on the price of power in your area, a saltwater system could in fact be more costly.

Another potential cost factor is the chlorine generator itself. Besides the initial cost of approximately 00, they have an expected life span in the range of 10,000 hours of operation. Depending on the length of your pool season, that could be as little as three years before it might need to be replaced.

So what have we learned?

Compared to a chlorine pool, no one can argue that the water in a saltwater pool does not feel different - it's smoother and softer. Also, because the chlorine level is so low, the water will not smell or irritate a swimmer's eyes and skin. As well, there are undoubtedly environmental benefits to using salt rather than chlorine. However, the operating costs are highly dependent on the price of electricity so, it's impossible to generalize as to which system is actually less costly. Salt water or chlorine? It is an individual decision.

Swimming Pool Maintenance - Choosing Between Salt Water Or Chemicals

INSTALLING A WATER SOFTENER

Why Using Swimming Pool Water Test Kits Are a Must!

Sure, you could just add pool chlorine, clarifier, algaecides, and other pool maintenance chemicals. But is your algaecide neutralizing the benefit of your chlorine? Are you adding enough bromine, or too much? Is your pH safe for you and your loved ones?

Without a swimming pool water test kit you are swimming blind. Measure well, to be sure. Follow a good maintenance schedule and you are on track to create good pool water. But many things you can't control affect the final result, no matter how careful you are.

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Unless you want to be limited to measurements and calculations - in other words, an educated guess or worse still, your nose and touch - you need a pool water test kit.

Fortunately, many are inexpensive and easy to use.

Some are as simple as the traditional test tube kit that provides an eyedropper, litmus paper, and a few needed chemicals. Those can do a good job of measuring pH, determining chlorine concentration, and so forth. Many will allow you also to measure cyanuric acid, urine and ammonia products, and more including calcium, to test water hardness.

You don't have to have a science degree to get good results or interpret them correctly, even with a simple, old-fashioned kit. But modern technology has vastly improved on the methods your grandfather employed to keep his pool clean and clear.

One slightly more advanced version will include a photometer, even with those small, test tube kits. In this device, a small light (often a laser, but there are other devices that use ultra-violet, or another source) shines through a sample.

That sample causes changes to the source's intensity, wavelength, and other characteristics. A sensor lets the device detect them, which transmits data to a small chip to analyze the desired water attributes. The display then shows pH and other measurements, in a form that's easy for an ordinary mortal to read.

Similarly, more advanced digital water test kits can entirely eliminate the need for litmus paper, vials, and chemicals. Various electronic and photometric sensors use proxies to measure all the things you want to know.

Those more advanced systems can automatically self-calibrate for temperature and other variables that might skew the results of an old-fashioned kit. Instead of measuring, for example, pH by observing the color of litmus paper dipped in a sample of your water, you just dip a little test probe into the pool. Voila! Instant, accurate readings.

An intermediate, and therefore less expensive, device might still use a strip, but let you thread it through the unit, which then reads the pH level for you accurately.

Naturally, all digital kits are waterproof, easy to hold, resistant to corrosion, and provide easy-to-read results on an LCD display. Many feature one-touch activation and automatic shutoff so you don't have to worry about the batteries draining.

Why Using Swimming Pool Water Test Kits Are a Must!

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