Do Salt Systems Eliminate The Need For Chlorine Or Bromine?

This is a question I am asked regularly. In this day and age many pool and spa users are looking for alternative sanitizing methods for pools and spas. Salt systems DO NOT eliminate chlorine or bromine from the equation. In this article I will explain what a salt system is and how it works. This article relates to both pools and spas.

A device called a cell is plumbed in the circulation system of a pool or spa. Salt is poured directly into either the spa or pool. Use a pool broom or for a spa turn on the jets to help dissolve the salt. When pool water passes over the cell an electrolytic process takes place where the salt is converted into chlorine/bromine.

If  sodium chloride (no iodine) is used chlorine will be produced. If sodium bromide (the kissing cousin to table salt) is used bromine is produced.

Here is an example of how the Watermaid Chlorinator is installed made by our friends in Australia!

Production levels are adjusted a couple of different ways.
1. Every salt system has a dial or up/down buttons to increase or decrease the power output of the cell which produces more or less sanitizer.
2. Increasing or decreasing the filter cycles. This determines how much time the water flows over the salt cell. More time will allow more sanitizer production. Less time will yield less production.

The spa or pool water needs to be tested just as you normally would with one exception. You will need to test the salt levels of the pool or spa by either using a salt test strip or reagent kits.
Evaporation has no effect on the salt levels but, water loss does. Splash out, carry out, adding water and leaking will have definite effects on the salt level.

Benefits for converting to a salt system are that bathers experience a softer feel to the water with less or no irritation to the eyes. A salt system destroys odorous and irritating chloramines/bromamines. This means no more shocking the water.

Salt levels are very low essentially you are bathing in saline solution. The levels are about 2500-3500 ppm. These are very low in comparison to the ocean which are anywhere from 25,000-35,000 ppm.

Like any product there is a right way and a wrong way to install. If a salt system is installed correctly and the water is cared for correctly the systems are awesome. The overall soak is much more enjoyable. I have installed a lot of salt systems from commercial  pools and spas to small residential pools and spas. The results are all the same the bather enjoyment is much greater than that of a conventional chlorine or bromine pool/spa. If there are any questions please comment and I will get back to you. Thanks for reading.

Jeff