We build salt water pools. Before we start every salt water project, we start by educating you as to why we don’t build more.
A salt water pool sounds so natural, like the ocean. And healthier than chlorine, right? The truth is that a salt water pool is a chlorine pool. The part that keeps your pool clean is chlorine, but instead of going to the source and using chlorine, a salt water pool extracts the chlorine from the salt using electrolysis.
Read more on Salt Water Chlorination
How do Salt Water Pools Work?
A salt water pool uses a salt chlorine generator to convert the salt water into chlorine, which then becomes your pool’s sanitizing agent. The salt chlorine generator is attached to the pool’s filtration system, catching the flow of salt water as it flows through.
The salt water enters one side of the generator, which sends a low-voltage current to create a reaction that converts the salt into chlorine. For the science nerds out there, chlorine then mixes with water and produces hypochlorous acid, which actually does the cleaning. It’s easier to give chlorine all the credit.
Why we aren’t fans
People in Rochester “get it” because they watch what salt does to, well everything. It erodes metal, attacks concrete and now when you add an electrical charge in the water it becomes a corrosive mess of keeping your pool nice. Try watering your lawn with salt water, and you don’t have a lawn, so we need to consider your surrounding landscaping as sacrificial in the design process.
What’s different, can I choose later?
You need all different equipment to run a chlorine pool. Everything metal has to be coated or made of stainless to help slow down the corrosion process due to exposure. The chlorine generator is going to last you a few years and then you need to start replacing it, every few years. Most of them are only warrantied for 2 years, knowing they are going to corrode.
So why do people want salt pools?
We almost forgot, we were here to tell you how wonderful your new pool will be.
Salt water pools are so “In” right now. It’s trendy and we saw it on Pinterest, which is how you found this. We hate to say it but it’s true. The same reason that people try trendy diets, because it’s the cool thing to do.
There are actual positives of owning a salt water pool. Annually, you have less investment to keep them balanced. Salt is cheaper than chlorine and the system balances itself out rather nicely. It’s like buying ingredients to make your own bread to cut down on your annual cost of bread.
I’m allergic to Chlorine
News flash: everybody is allergic to chlorine. In concentrated forms it is very caustic and we take it very seriously. Perhaps you jumped in a public pool after they shocked it and had a reaction or perhaps you are super sensitive to chlorine. Let us know. A properly balanced pool doesn’t smell like chlorine, or make your eyes burn.
Considering all expenses, using a salt chlorine generator in your pool costs about the same as traditional chlorine. With that said, as the salt water system itself is more complex than that of a traditional pool, it will require more maintenance, even for something that may be considered a minor problem.
