If you have or are considering building a high-end swimming pool for your home, you’ve likely considered a salt-water pool. In the past eight years, 100% of the pools built by Haven Pools have salt-water sanitizing systems.
It’s easy to see why. Salt-water pools provide the best possible swimming environment. A well-maintained pool will have salt levels around 3,200-3600ppm, approximately the same as your body saline. This makes it more comfortable on the skin, eyes, and hair. Salt-water pools also lack the distinctive chlorine smell normally associated with most swimming pools.
But before you take the dive toward your own salt-water pool, you should consider these three things.
It still uses chlorine. The biggest mistake many homeowners make is thinking that a salt-water pool is chlorine-free. Salt-water pools manufacture chlorine from a salt solution, NaCl, splitting the sodium and chlorine ions, creating your own free chlorine in solution, which is why it does not feel or smell like pools chlorinated from traditional tablets.
It will not save you money. Some pool builders will tell you that a salt-water pool will save you money over time, but that’s not necessarily true. The seasonal cost of salt for your pool will undoubtedly be lower than the seasonal cost of chlorine tablets. But that’s where the savings end. The initial investment will be much greater, as will long-term maintenance and part replacements.
It still requires maintenance. When you add water to a salt-water pool you are diluting the salt level. Pools need additional water to make up for loss through evaporation, splash out, backwashing, etc. Even rain will dilute the salt level so the salt will need to be adjusted fairly regularly. So don’t be “shocked” if you see the pool company adding salt or some liquid chlorine to your salt-water pool. Annual maintenance recommends cleaning the salt cell and long term maintenance requires cell replacement.
“If you’ve ever swam in a salt-water pool you know there’s no comparison,” said Craig Bonawandt, co-owner of Haven Pools. “The swimming experience alone more than makes up for the cost.”
About the Author: Christian Bonawandt is a freelance writer and journalist who spent summers working at Haven Pools. He is glad to finally have found a professional use for all that experience. He lives in Syosset with his wife and two kids, but, unfortunately, no pool.