Salt Systems 101
What does a Salt
System do?
Simply put, a salt system is a chlorine generator. It is essentially a chlorine factory
installed at your pool equipment.
How does a Salt
System work?
Salt (NaCl) is added to the swimming pool to increase the
salinity to approximately 4,000ppm (depending on the specific system). As a side note, the salinity of the ocean is
approximately 35,000 ppm – or almost 10 times as salty as a pool with a salt
system. The system itself is comprised
of two components:
- Salt Cell
- Control Panel
The Salt Cell is plumbed in-line with the pool equipment and
given an electric charge. As the water passes through the cell the charged
blades split the NaCl into two separate elements through electrolysis – Na and
Cl. Thus making chlorine.
How much does a Salt
System Cost?
As with most things, there are two costs to consider when
determining if a salt system is right for you. You must consider initial cost versus
ongoing costs. Depending on the system you
purchase a quality salt system will cost you between $1,200 - $1,600. Stay away from inexpensive salt systems.
Replacement cells will cost you between $700-$900.
How long will the
salt cell last?
Salt cells are a lot like brake pads in that in doing the
very thing they are designed to do, they wear out and require replacement. There are a number of factors that will
impact how long a salt cell will last including, run time of the cell, quality
of the cell, bather load in the pool, amount of landscaping and organic
material that gets into the pool, additional sanitizers on the pool and
more. As a general rule, a good salt
cell on the average pool will last approximately 3-4 years. After 3-4 years you will need to purchase a
replacement cell.
What are the benefits
of a salt system?
A salt system provides comfortable “soft” water to swim
in. Much like a water softener “softens”
water (through the use of salt in most cases), a salt system will do the same
for your pool water. You also will not
need to purchase chlorine from your local retailer.
Are there any drawbacks to installing a Salt System?
Yes. The following are a few of the inherent
problems with salt systems:
- Cost – By the time you purchase the salt system
and replace a few cells you have spent thousands of dollars. Make no mistake; a salt system does not pay
for itself, no matter what anyone tells you.
It is simply not true. Install a
salt system because you like the performance and feel, not to save money.
- Impact on pH– The chlorine produced by a salt
cell is very high in pH (11.0-13.0). You
are trying to keep your pool water around 7.2-7.6 – slightly alkaline – and
installing a salt system will make it very difficult to keep your pH under 8.0. This will result in scaling at the waterline.
- Maintenance – From time to time you will need to
remove the salt cell and soak it in an acid/water mixture to remove the calcium
and build up from the cell. Be very
careful to follow the manufacturers specifications for doing so as using too
strong a solution will greatly shorten the life of the cell.
- Corrosive – Salt is a very corrosive
product. It is used in the Midwest to
melt the ice on the roads and we have all seen the devastating affect this has
on both the roads (potholes, etc.) and the cars (rust, etc.). Introducing this product to your swimming
pool is hard on your deck, equipment and interior finish.
Salt systems have been around for over 2 decades now for use
on residential swimming pools. Their use
has risen and fallen over this period for a number of reasons. Bottom line is this, there are other – less
corrosive – means by which you can sanitize your swimming pool and minimize the
use of chlorine tablets or liquid chlorine.
A few examples are as follows:
1.
Ozone System
2.
UV System
3.
Mineral System
4.
Combination of any of the above
A.G.
