For most people who like swimming, they probably don’t spend much time thinking about what goes into the pool they’re paddling around in. Most people tend not to ask ahead of time how a pool is sanitized, right? It’s just not something we think about.
For others – pool owners included – you might be interested to learn more about what options exist to sanitize it beyond regular pools that use chemical chlorine.
Enter, the saltwater pool, with potential benefits to be had to both swimmers and pool owners.
Let’s take a look at features, benefits and pain points that can potentially be had with a saltwater pool.
Saltwater pool features, benefits and pain points solved
| Features | Benefits | Pain Points Solved |
|---|---|---|
| Uses salt to produce chlorine to sanitize water | More gentle on skin and eyes than traditional chlorine pools | Reduced irritation and dryness of skin and eyes |
| Automatic chlorine generation | Less maintenance required compared to traditional chlorine pools | Reduced need for manual chlorine dosing and testing |
| Different chlorine results | Less odor and taste compared to traditional chlorine pools | Reduced harsh chemical smell and taste |
| Softer water feel | More comfortable to swim in than traditional chlorine pools | Reduced skin and hair damage due to hard water |
| Consistent chlorine levels | The chlorinator produces a slow, steady level of chlorine rather than dumping large amounts of chemical chlorine and spiking the level, like with traditional chlorinated pools | Reduced need to store chlorine in large amounts and having to regularly add it to the water |
Saltwater pool benefits in reality
These benefits are the ones that are usually trumpeted by companies promoting saltwater pool equipment but are they realistic?
In reality, the most likely benefits you will likely notice from a saltwater pool include:
- Saltwater is easier on the eyes and skin (swimmer benefit). This tends to be true if the water is balanced properly.
- Saltwater pools are generally easier to maintain than chemically chlorinated pools (pool owner benefit). In my experience, a good chlorinator can keep water balanced so you have to dump fewer chemicals in to adjust various levels.
- You will probably only need to manually add chemical chlorine at several points each pool season i.e. pool opening and pool closing and perhaps during a period of very sunny weather and heavy pool use during the season (pool owner benefit).