Are you building a pool in your backyard? Are you tired of the many downsides of a traditional chlorinated pool? It could be that a salt water pool is exactly what you have been looking for, but maybe you just haven’t known it. To explore that possibility, we’ll take a look at what makes a salt water pool different from a freshwater chlorinated pool and some of the pro’s and con’s.
Many pool owners find that the maintenance requirements of salt water pools to be far less demanding than those of chlorinated pools. With chlorinated pools, you must be continually monitoring algae growth and the pH of the water. On the other hand, with a salt water pool, all that is needed is the correct amount of salt and a stabilizer added to help keep that salt level steady. Fewer chemicals are needed to be monitored and added. This takes a load off both your time and your budget.
One small downside associated with salt water pools is salt crystallization in the pool pump. This is similar to the buildup that occurs with sand and diatomaceous earth type pool filters for chlorinated pools. To deal with buildup of any type in a pool pump, you must backwash the pump every few weeks to months, depending on what the manual says for that particular pump.
Health reasons are a major factor that pool owners cite when they make the switch to salt water or build a pool to be salt water from the beginning. The salt is much better for the skin and eyes than all the algaecides (algae does not grow easily in salt water) and chlorine that must be added to freshwater pools. Many pool owners are uncomfortable with the potential of their small children or pets accidentally poisoning themselves with these chemicals.
As long as you’re willing to perform the limited maintenance involved, a salt water pool can be a fine alternative, in terms of money, safety, and health, to a conventional chlorinated pool.
