Pool owners - what is a no chlorine pool?

[Imp]

I'm intrigued. Didn't know salt water pools existed or had any benefit.

 

[DCal430]

So you all know salt water pools are nothing like swimming in the ocean. The salt they use is a fraction of what you would find in sea water.

 

[glen]

So, they split the salt into Na+ and Cl- ?
Does anyone think that the Cl- in chlorine tablets is worse or different than the Cl- in salt? And, some of you chemistry folks correct me, but isn't the oxegen in ALL bleachign reactions, so when a marketer says uses oxegen instead of bleach, you are tricked?

 

[xSauronx]

Uses salt instead of cholrine.

yeah, my parents have this....its great. i *hate* chlorine pools, and theirs is clean and easy to maintain with the saltwater.

pretty great :thumbsup:

 

[Crusty]

So, they split the salt into Na+ and Cl- ?
Does anyone think that the Cl- in chlorine tablets is worse or different than the Cl- in salt? And, some of you chemistry folks correct me, but isn't the oxegen in ALL bleachign reactions, so when a marketer says uses oxegen instead of bleach, you are tricked?

You are right, but are also missing the fact that the salt water has a completely different chemistry than your normal chemically treated pool. You run a MUCH MUCH lower ppm of Chlorine and also get to cut way back on pH balances.

 

[Numenorean]

My neighbor has a salt system for their pool, I love it. It's a bit more costly than a chlorine system both to install and maintain but it's so much nicer. I can open my eyes underwater and it's not as harsh on the hair and skin.

Odd, opened my eyes all the time in chlorine pools growing up and had no issues.

 

[BoberFett]

Odd, opened my eyes all the time in chlorine pools growing up and had no issues.

Any chlorine pool I've been in it burns the hell out of my eyes. Guess you're more of a man than me.

 

[Numenorean]

Any chlorine pool I've been in it burns the hell out of my eyes. Guess you're more of a man than me.

There was a slight sting but not really much - it would only really be bad after a long long time in there. In a well pH balanced pool it shouldn't be an issue. Perhaps your eyes are just very sensitive to it.

Also, public pools have much more chlorine it seems.

 

[Rubycon]

Our pools are seawater pools. Yep, filled with water from the ocean all around the ship!

That's quite different than salt water pools people are discussing here.

A few things:

Chlorine and Bromine are oxidizing agents used to keep the water from clouding and (generally) keep the microbial count as low as possible. While not common in home pools, public venues will employ oxidation/reduction potential (ORP) as a measure to how "clean" the water is. A reading of +650 millivolts and above is considered "sanitized". As levels fall the amount of dissolved organics and potential microbial activity, increase.

Perspiration, urine, and other bodily fluids will all reduce ORP and increase turbidity (how transparent the water is) over time. As the oxidizers are "consumed" ORP drops and a simple controller can be set to add these chemicals or activate other treatment methods. (oxidizer reactors, ozonators, etc.)

Ozone is an extremely powerful oxidizer, twice as effective as chlorine. It must be noted that using ozone in seawater systems will allow ozone produced oxidants (chiefly bromine) to form which in sufficient concentrations smell (and burn eyes!) just as if the pool were treated with conventional Cl/Br treatments directly.

Oxygen based treatments (H2O2) will significantly raise ORP as well and keep things sparkling clean. Some systems require 35% H2O2 to be added and this in its own is a hazard and requires special training/handling, etc.

pH must be monitored as well - lower pH increases corrosion of wetted metal parts, and can encourage microbial activity. A lower ORP is usually associated with a low pH unless the water balance is really out of control (no alkalinity, for example). Too high of a pH can encourage scaling and film. If the water is properly buffered one should not have to dump in chemicals to raise/lower pH. pH is another metric that is constantly monitored with commercial set ups. Most folks at home use strips, liquid tests or a meter to check it.

 

[alkemyst]

New fad.

 

[Born2bwire]

Yay! Ruby's back!

 

[The Boston Dangler]

So, they split the salt into Na+ and Cl- ?
Does anyone think that the Cl- in chlorine tablets is worse or different than the Cl- in salt? And, some of you chemistry folks correct me, but isn't the oxegen in ALL bleachign reactions, so when a marketer says uses oxegen instead of bleach, you are tricked?

it's oxidation, but the chemicals used can vary.

 

[Poulsonator]

We have a saltwater pool, it's fantastic. Has a cell on it that produces chlorine from the salt, but we add a tablet on occasion. Have to add other chemicals on occasion (salt, acid, etc.), but overall it's super-easy to maintain. Plus we're spoiled with a solar heater. Good stuff.

 

[Fear No Evil]

Sigh.. the misinformation being posted here is sad. Salt water pools use the same chemicals as non-salt water pools.. BLEACH.. Chlorine.. Saying a salt water pool uses less or different chemicals is simply false. Salt water pools use a device which separates the chlorine from salt to sanitize the pool in the EXACT same way as using tablets or liquid chlorine.

That being said, there are some advantages to a salt water pool.. the water generally 'feels' better to people and it takes less effort to maintain because you don't need to add salt nearly as often as you would have to add liquid chlorine or tablets.

They also have disadvantages.. they use electricity to separate the Na and Cl, which means higher electric bills. They also cost $$$ to install and maintain and can wear out and need to be replaced.

The other type of popular oxidizer is Baquacil. Which is marketed under many different names. Some people find it less irritating than chlorine but its also very expensive and requires you to purchase their expensive 'fixes' when having issues.

I strongly recommend people interested in more information go to:

http://www.troublefreepool.com/

Check out their 'Pool School' section. It will tell you everything you need to know about maintaining your pool. There are other options as some have said here such as Ozone or UV, and Bromine, but they are really not viable for most home outdoor pools.

 

[dmcowen674]

Our pools are seawater pools. Yep, filled with water from the ocean all around the ship!

Which Cruise line are you at?

 

[dmcowen674]

Uses salt instead of cholrine.

Stay away from this gimick.

Algae is hard to control, nothing worse than getting in a slimy pool.

 

[LookBehindYou]

The only downfall to a salt water pool is the taste. If you accidently get water in your mouth, you'll immediately think that somethings not right and someone may have peed in the pool. It takes a while to sink in that its a saltwater pool.

I prefer chlorine. Nothing says swimming on a hot summer day like the burning in your eyes after a day in the pool.

 

[slag]

Sigh.. the misinformation being posted here is sad. Salt water pools use the same chemicals as non-salt water pools.. BLEACH.. Chlorine.. Saying a salt water pool uses less or different chemicals is simply false. Salt water pools use a device which separates the chlorine from salt to sanitize the pool in the EXACT same way as using tablets or liquid chlorine.

That being said, there are some advantages to a salt water pool.. the water generally 'feels' better to people and it takes less effort to maintain because you don't need to add salt nearly as often as you would have to add liquid chlorine or tablets.

They also have disadvantages.. they use electricity to separate the Na and Cl, which means higher electric bills. They also cost $$$ to install and maintain and can wear out and need to be replaced.

The other type of popular oxidizer is Baquacil. Which is marketed under many different names. Some people find it less irritating than chlorine but its also very expensive and requires you to purchase their expensive 'fixes' when having issues.

I strongly recommend people interested in more information go to:

http://www.troublefreepool.com/

Check out their 'Pool School' section. It will tell you everything you need to know about maintaining your pool. There are other options as some have said here such as Ozone or UV, and Bromine, but they are really not viable for most home outdoor pools.

x1000

I was just coming here to post much of the same. Saltwater pools /= no chlorine. There is a chlorine generator that uses the salt to make chlorine still, it is just much gentler and the ph is more stable. I have a saltwater setup in my pool and it doesn't smell like chlorine and it is much gentler on the skin and eyes. We really like it.

 

[alkemyst]

A properly balanced pool shouldn't smell like cholorine. What happens is like anything, when someone is looking at a new product, they tend to pay more attention to the procedures and maintenance in the beginning.

I think a lot of you are used to community pools which do run a bit high on chemicals much of the time.

 

[ajskydiver]

I installed my own salt system and it's about as difficult as measuring, cutting, and gluing PVC together. You also have to mount the computer/box that controls the salt/chlorine process to a wall close enough to run a cord to the module. If you can handle that, you can install your own.

It's very, very low maintenance. I add salt only when it rains so much that it dilutes the salt level after draining...even in FL it takes a long time to dilute the salt too much to where it can't produce chlorine.

Pros: less chlorine overall, no burning eyes, no ruining clothes or equipment, almost zero maintenance (salt rarely, acid as usual), easy to install

Cons: Initial cost...

It's a great system and I'll never go back to a non-salt pool ever.

PM if you have any specific questions.

 

[seepy83]

Like a couple of people mentioned, Ultraviolet was the first thing that came to my mind. I first heard about these a couple of years ago. But I have no clue how many people actually have this type of system or how expensive it is.

 

[soulcougher73]

It is what it sounds like?

 

[Wyndru]

Salt similar to the ocean? That would suck, I hate the way my skin feels when I get out of the ocean.

 

[ajskydiver]

Salt similar to the ocean? That would suck, I hate the way my skin feels when I get out of the ocean.

Not at all. It's 2500-3500 ppm. You can't smell or taste the salt at all.

 

[Mark R]

There are several non-chlorine pool sanitation and cleaning systems.

The most popular are:
UV light. The water is pumped past some high-intensity deep UV lights, which kill the bacteria

Ozone (sometimes called oxygen, because people don't know what ozone is). Ozone is generated in an generator unit (usually by high-intensity UV lamps) - the ozone is then released into the water by a bubbler unit. Ozone is an extremely potent disinfectant, even more potent than chlorine, but rapidly degrades into pure oxygen, leaving no chlorine smell.

In both these cases, these systems have the advantage that they don't need topping up with chlorine/disinfectant, as they are electrically powered. Occasional maintenance (once every year or two), for lamp replacement, etc. is needed though, and there are energy costs to the systems.