What Is A Salt Chlorinator and Why Should I Have One On My Swimming Pool?

A SALT CHLORINATOR is a feature on many swimming pools and spa today.  It is a device that by adding standard table salt to a pool will create chlorine or sodium hypo chloride.  Why would I want one of these items on my pool?  The answers are many but some of the main reasons are:

·        Pure sanitizer being added to the pool

·        Sanitizer is being added on a regular basis (daily)

·        pH neutral chlorine is being produced, helps keep the pool and spa pH in balance

·        Softer silky water to swim in

·        No need to store dangerous chemicals

So how do theses units work?  The unit is installed in the pump and filter area.  There is an inline “cell” which is installed in the piping and power box which is installed on the wall of the home.  As the pool or spa pump is causing the water to flow, the pool water is pushed through the inline cell and the salt in the water is changed into sodium hypo chloride. (chlorine or sanitizer)  The sanitizer flows back to the body of the pool and the process continues over and over again.  The power box or power supply is electrically connected to the inline cell and controls the amount of time and output of the pool sanitizer.

How much salt will need to be added to the pool? The amount of salt that will be added to the pool will depend on the total gallons of the pool and or spa. Each unit will come with an instruction booklet to advise the amount of salt to add based the amount of gallons of water in the pool.  Most units will require 3000 parts per million of salt in the pool (reference point – ocean water = approximately 35,000 parts per million of salt)

How often will salt need to be added to the pool? The salt in the pool water does not get used up but during normal evaporation and pool water splash out a certain amount of salt will be lost.  The amount of salt which will need to be replenished will depend on both of these factors.

Is this a special type of salt? No, this is standard table salt and can be purchased at many different locations.

What other chemicals will need to be added to the pool?  All the other chemicals which are normally added to a pool and or spa will continue to be added, chemicals which control pH, alkalinity, hardness and stabilizer.

What type of different features do these units have?  There are many different brands and models of salt chlorinators on the market today.  Each manufacture has several models with a variety of different features.  Some of the many features which can be found are:

·        Automatic salt sensors – displays the amount of salt in the pool

·        Pool water temperature readout

·        Automatic shut off of unit if the salt level in the pool becomes to lower

·        Built in time clocks for pump control

·        Digital readouts vs., manual dials

·        Boost modes – allows for adding additional sanitizer to the pool