Is it time to re-examine salt water chlorination? The bandwagon has left the station…

03 Apr Is it time to re-examine salt water chlorination? The bandwagon has left the station…

Saltwater fastest growing trend in swimming pools

From Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

The biggest groundswell ever experienced in the swimming pool industry is the consumer-driven demand for “saltwater swimming pools”.  We have examined the pros, cons, and popular misconceptions of this feature ad naseum in previous posts.  What most pool professionals, manufacturers, and other companies associated with the swimming pool industry realize, however, is that salt water chlorine generation is not going away any time soon.  Manufacturers are addressing the negative issues with salt-resistant equipment, and the demand for this feature continues to spiral upward.  In this post from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, saltwater swimming pool chlorination is identified as the fastest growing trend in swimming pool design and construction.  Click here to see if you are ready to jump on the bandwagon, (if you can catch it)….

Here is an excerpt from the post:

altwater pools work by converting salt to chlorine using an electrolytic converter. This produces the same type of bacteria-killing chlorine found in a traditional pool, but in a radically different fashion. Since the salt generator is adding chlorine to the water at a constant rate, it is capable of displacing the bad smell and burning irritation we normally associate with chlorine and maintaining the right amount at all times.

As the water exits the converter and enters the pool, the sanitizing chlorine eventually reverts back to salt, and the process repeats itself, conserving salt and keeping sanitizer levels balanced. However new salt does need to be added occasionally as salt levels can drop due to splash-out, rain and filter back-washing. Pool owners still should test weekly for pH and chlorine and monthly for other water balance factors.

Saltwater pools require far less maintenance than traditional pools and are much less expensive to maintain as pool salt is far cheaper than traditional chlorine. This is a big reason why so many hotels and water parks in the United State have already made the switch. Plus when it comes to initial construction and installation, the additional cost of an electrolytic converter is very small and easily made up in maintenance savings. Even converting an existing chlorine pool to saltwater can be paid off quickly.

Saltwater pools are certainly not new. The technology started in Australia in the 1960s and today over 80 percent of all pools there use this system. In the United States, saltwater pools first began to see use in the 1980s and today have grown exponentially in popularity. According to data published in Pool & Spa News, today there are more than 1.4 million saltwater pools in operation nationwide and an estimated 75 percent of all new in-ground pools are salt water, compared with only 15 percent in 2002.

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