Making the Choice Between Using Salt or Chemicals in Your Pool
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by: Poolguysupply
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In the US you will find that the vast majority of home swimming pool owners are still using tons of chlorine as their chemical of choice to keep the water sanitized and safe to swim in. But, you have to ask yourself, how safe is using a bleaching agent to swim in? If you look in many other countries, you will not find the use of chlorine as a sanitizing agent in public and private swimming pools. Instead what you are going to find is that most of them switched over to using salt systems years ago.
While salt systems may have been popular in other countries for a long time, they are only now beginning to gain momentum here in the US. Depending on who you talk to you are likely to be given different reason for this newfound popularity. Some will tell you that the salt makes the water feel soft or silky just like the water you get in your house if you have a water softener installed.
One of the more popular reasons given is the chlorine in the water can be very irritating to a swimmers eyes and it can get really bad if the pH of the water is not exactly where it should be. Then if you have to shock the water with a big shot of chlorine, you may have to close the pool until it stabilizes again. Salt water does not irritate your eyes like conventional chlorinated pool water and is generally safer to swallow for those who have kids still learning to swim without drinking half the pool.
Then there is the simple fact that salt is a perfectly natural and environmentally safe way to treat your pool water, whereas there is absolutely nothing environmentally safe about chlorine. However you should note that while you are not going to be adding chlorine directly to your pool, this does not mean that it is going to be chlorine free. Salt systems are comprised of a chlorine generator known as a salt cell, a power center, as well as a safety mechanism known as a flow switch.
As the water circulates from your pool and through your filtration system, it will also pass through a chlorine generator that combines the chloride from the salt with the hydrogen in the water to form hypochlorus acid. This acid takes the place of the chlorine and does a great job of keeping your pool free of algae and bacteria. Since you do not have to add any chlorine to your pool, you will not have to worry about storing this highly toxic chemical around your home.
Some would have you believe that a saltwater pool is basically maintenance free as you never have to worry about adding chlorine to it. Just because there is no need to add chlorine to your pool does not make it maintenance free, you are still going to have to check and maintain a proper pH level in order for it to be safe. To do this you are still going to have to add certain chemicals and test your water on a regular basis, just as you have always done.
Cost is a factor that must be taken into consideration if you are thinking about installing a salt system. You are going to find that the initial cost can be significantly higher than that of installing a chlorine system. However, once you have paid for your system, you will find that the cost of running it is almost negligible. You can run your salt cell by keeping the water filled with inexpensive salt similar to what you may already be using in your house water softener. In a pinch, you can even use table salt right out of your kitchen cabinet!
If you would like to learn more about installing and maintaining a saltwater system for your pool, you need to visit the Pool Guy Supply Superstore. We have plenty of experience with these systems and our database can help answer the majority of your questions on installing them and keeping them running smoothly so that your pool has fresh, clean and environmentally safe water for you and your family all season long. Our expert advice can also help you with any of the routine maintenance issues that may occur during your summer season.
About the Author
Pool Guy Supply: offering highest quality of Pool Salt Systems, Filter Cartridges, Flow Switch, Salt Chlorine Generator, T-Cell-15, Pentair Whisperflo and Variable Speed Pumps.
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