Saltwater For Pools vs. Chlorinated Water

Swimming pools hold hundreds of gallons of water that must stay clean and hygienic, and chlorine is an effective sanitizing agent. However, another option, saltwater pools, is just as sanitary, and the water feels smoother and fresher. It's well known that chlorinated pools are easy to maintain, have low maintenance costs, and offer flawless sanitization.

So, which one is best for your pool: saltwater or chlorinated water? Read on to review the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Saltwater For Pools vs. Chlorinated Water

Creating a saltwater pool isn't as simple as dissolving salt in a swimming pool and leaving it at that. Instead, a salt chlorine generator machine converts sodium chloride, or ordinary salt, into chlorine.

So, in essence, a saltwater pool does have chlorine. In contrast to a traditional chlorinated pool, though, saltwater pools produce a pure form of chlorine that's delivered in a controlled way to prevent irritating byproducts called chloramines.

Salt is added directly to the swimming pool water. The pool water is drawn into the generator and passes through the salt cell. In the cell, metal blades coated in ruthenium or iridium are charged by electricity. After electrolysis, the water that leaves the machine is chlorinated.

Water Smell and Feeling

Saltwater pool owners say a significant advantage to saltwater pools is that they love the water's feel, as it's smooth, silky, and soft. The sensation is much like swimming in clean, fresh lake water or even like swimming in ocean water, minus the briny smell and the sand.

The comfortable feeling continues after the swim, too. Users of chlorinated pools can experience dried-out skin, burning eyes, and hair stripped of oils. Meanwhile, after swimming in a saltwater pool, the swimmer's skin usually feels supple and moisturized, not dry.

Sanitization Method

Swimming pools that use chlorine additives can be converted into saltwater pools by adding a chlorine generator.

Once the chlorine generator has been set up and the pool water is brought up to its required quality, ongoing costs are relatively low. A significant advantage of salt is it's cheap and easy to find; bags of 40-pound pool salt cost $5 to $20. This expense is a considerable cost savings compared to 40 pounds of chlorinating tablets, which cost $250 to $350 per year.

After setup, keeping the pool water clean is relatively simple. Many newer chlorine generators can be controlled by a touchpad or mobile app.

Maintenance

While upkeep is inexpensive, startup costs can be rather pricey. Saltwater pools have an initial cost of $800 to $1,000 for the chlorine generator alone. Salt cells need to be replaced every 3 to 8 years, and each cell costs $300 to $600.

Materials

Starting a saltwater pool requires hundreds of pounds of salt to raise the water to its correct levels. Bulk salt, too, requires a lot of storage space, so you'll need a shed and a cart to transport it.

Salt cells must be cleaned frequently (around every 500 hours) using either a cell cleaning stand or a bucket. Cells are washed in muriatic acid, a hazardous chemical.

Corrosion

A disadvantage of saltwater is that it does not work with all types of pools or pool equipment. Salt will corrode vinyl pools with metal wall panels, as well as some handrails and ladder bolts. Be cautious if you are planning an above-ground saltwater pool.

Winterization

In cold climates, the chlorine generator may not be able to produce enough chlorine to winterize the pool. So, you may still need to use traditional chlorine additives during the winter.

Safety

Saline chlorination systems used with saltwater pools can present a health issue for users with implanted cardiac devices such as pacemakers. The biggest disadvantage is the electrical current in a saline chlorination system can cause electromagnetic interference in implantable devices such as pacemakers.

Chlorinated swimming pools do not pose a similar problem to users with cardiac devices.