Is sea salt water treatment better than chlorine for swimming pools?
Answers:
The difference between a saltwater pool and a pool maintained with chlorine?
Lower Chlorine Levels
Saltwater Pools - 0.5 to 1.0 ppm chlorine
Traditional Pools - 3.0 - 10.0 ppm chlorine
No "Chemical Bath" Feel
NO packaged chlorine needed.
NO algaecides needed
NO soda ash or baking soda
Better Swimmer Comfort
By eliminating the need for the harsh chemicals, you eliminate the source of the irritation that plagues swimmers in most pools.
Controlled Stabilizer Levels
If you are using chlorine tablets, you are adding 1 lb. of stabilizer for every 2 lbs. of tablets you put into your pool. Your stabilizer level rises to over 100 ppm and your chlorine becomes ineffective and yellow algae and poor sanitization results.
With a salt system, you add stabilizer as needed and are able to keep the level low. Your chlorine remains VERY effective and you need much less in the water to do the job (see above).
On commercial pools, state code requires you to drain pools when the stabilizer level exceeds 100 ppm. The salt system avoids this problem.
Superior Algae Control
Saltwater pool systems virtually eliminate algae problems. This is because the chlorine in the pool is not inhibited by high stabilizer levels.
Popularity and cost benefits of salt water pools
Most people who consider themselves "sensitive" or "allergic" to chlorine are not reacting to the chlorine at all. What are creating a problem are packaged pool chemicals and the additives and carriers in those chemicals. Those same swimmers, who claim allergic reactions to chlorine, typically experience no problems when they are in a salt water pool. The answer isn't the absence of chlorine. Salt systems create their own chlorine. The answer is the absence of all the packaged chemicals and by-products in those chemicals. In the case of salt water swimming pool operating costs, most people do not buy a salt water pool system for the sole purpose of saving money. They buy it for the increased swimmer comfort. With that said, they do save quite a lot on pool chemicals, but it probably takes about 2-3 years before the system pays for itself. In the long run, however, a saltwater system will save on costs!
Why use salt water pools?
The most important fact is that you save the chemicals you have to add normally. Generally, when people swim in a non-chlorine generator pool (a pool with no salt water in it) they feel like their skin dries quicker upon exiting the pool. They may feel and/or see a whitish residual, chlorine flaking, on the skin. In a salt-water pool (one with a chlorine generator) the water feels smooth, your skin feels smooth and many people feel more refreshed. Swimming in a mild saline solution is much like taking a shower in soft water. Saltwater pools are often more relaxing than their chlorinated counterpart. Ocean water has a salt content of around 35,000 parts per million ("ppm"). Humans have a salt taste threshold of around 3,500 ppm. Most chlorine generators require a salt content of 2500 - 6000 ppm in the pool. A unit that needs less than 3500 ppm to operate effectively is optimal.
Other answers:
NO all your metal parts will corrode
NO all your metal parts will corrode
No.
The chlorine from sea salt NaCl is not the same as the chlorine from a chlorine tablet or a chlorine generator. NaCl - salt, has no abiity to kill bacteria. The active chlorine from a pool tablet or from gaseous chlorine is in a different oxidation state, and is a very good disinfectant. One way to look at it, is to compare bleach with salt. You can eat salt, but you wouldn't drink household bleach.
no, u will ruin ur pump and fittings