The reason to get a saltwater pool or make a change to a freshwater swimming pool is a personal one for every family who makes the decision. People who own saltwater pools swear it provides a host of benefits is more than worth the money spent. People who own freshwaer pools believe the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. Traditional chlorine-cleaned swimming pool owners are still trying to decide which is best and if it’s worth the investment to transform their pool into a saltwater pool.
Is It Time To Get A Saltwater Swimming Pool?
Ask anyone who’s swum in a saltwater pool and they will tout the benefits of how silky smooth their skin feels. The other benefits they tout are that saltwater pools mean you’re not using chlorine — a strong chemical — to clean the pool water. That isn’t necessarily 100% the case.
In a saltwater pool there are no chlorine tablets or liquid chlorine used, but that doesn’t mean saltwater pools are completely chlorine-free.
Saltwater pools do contain chlorine. The levels of chlorine in a saltwater pool are much, much lower than those in traditional chlorine cleaned pools. In a saltwater pool, chlorine is extracted from the salt system in the pool’s water by the salt chlorine generator through a process called electrolysis. This is what sanitizes te water.
Saltwater swimming pool benefits
- It’s gentler on the eyes and skin. Because saltwater pools contain lower levels of chlorine they don’t cause skin and eye irritation.
- The salt in the pool water won’t sting your eyes since the amount of salt here is only a fraction compared to what you find in sea water.
- Health benefits include salt serves as a natural exfoliant and draws toxins out from your skin cells. At the same time, it encourages your skin cells to regenerate and retain moisture. It’s said that swimming in saltwater can improve blood circulation and boost your immune system.
- Easier to maintain. A saltwater pool is considered easier to maintain. The reason is because the saltwater system goes into automatic pilot once it’s installed. The saltwater passes through the chlorine generator, the generator breaks down just enough salt to produce the amount of chlorine needed to disinfect and clean the pool meaning there is a steady supply of clean water.
- Rain is the enemy of a traditionally cleaned pool as rainwater can cause the chemicals to get out of balance. Rainwater, especially that in regions near bodies of saltwater helps provide the trace amounts of added salt.
Saltwater pool drawbacks
With all of the benefits of a saltwater pool, it’s easy to see why they are popular. We want to give you both sides of the story through and here are some of the drawbacks to be aware of.
- They’re not cheap. The building materials and construction process can be more costly.
- Saltwater pools save you from buying chlorine, but you may pay more in your utility bills to run the chlorine generation system.
- Saltwater can be more hazardous to the environment. Saltwater that leaks into the soil can impact the salinity at alarming raes and negatively impact plants and animals and even ground water used for drinking.
Personal choice
A saltwater pool has benefits and drawbacks and it’s a very personal choice as to which of those will help you make a decision on what kind of pool to own.
There is no true “winner.”
At the end of the day, you need to weigh all the information and make an informed decision on which pool you want for your family and for your unique lifestyle.