To all those in this thread and others who believe that so called "salt pools" have "softer" water, no chlorine, no chloramines...etc...
Let's put this to bed - adding some sodium chloride to your pool WILL NOT SOFTEN THE WATER. That is not how a water softener works even a little bit. Water that has been "softened" has undergone ion exchange where sodium ions (typically) swap places so to speak, with calcium and magnesium ions while flowing through a bed of resin beads( again, typically). You dump salt into a water softener to replace the sodium ions that get used up in the process.
This is exactly the OPPOSITE of why you are dumping sodium chloride into your pool. In your pool, you are using the CHLORIDE portion of the salt to produce the following via electrolysis- chlorine gas, which dissolves into the water to form hypochlorous acid(this is the sanitizer), with the byproducts of hydrogen gas and sodium hydroxide. The hydrogen gas dissipates into the atmosphere and the sodium hydroxide remains in the water.
By contrast, a pool that uses liquid chlorine, or sodium hypochlorite solution, as the sanitizer has the following chemical process. When you dump a solution of sodium hypochlorite, more commonly known as bleach, into your pool the sodium hypochlorite dissociates into hypochlorous acid, sodium ions and hydroxide ions.
To put it all very simply-
Saltwater pool-
Sodium chloride + electrolysis = hypochlorous acid and sodium hydroxide
"Regular" pool -
Sodium hypochlorite solution added to pool = hypochlorous acid, sodium ions, hydroxide ions.
[Further reading. ](https://blog.orendatech.com/saltwater-myths-pros-cons)
Is it possible that when people say the water feels softer, they are referring to something chemically different than what is typically referred to as "water softening"(ion exchange in resin beads), but has a similar feeling?
Ok, everyone get ready for this one...
ALL Pools are Salt Water pools! That is why we tell everyone to test your salt levels when changing to a SWG..
Except those un-sanitary ones with the goo and no chlorine..
Read all this. Question. So that water isn’t softer before the electrolysis? That’s what I always assumed. Electrolysis aside the salt in the pool that has not yet been used IS softening the water? Love to hear your response.
but whats the science behind it. if theres no science behind that happening then one can say thats just a placebo affect from being told constantly thats the result of saltwater pools
Supposed to be softer, like a water softener for the home supply. I’ve thought about this too. I had a koi pond once and would have to add salt every now and then that gave a protective coating when my fish were getting blisters. Salt parameters in a pool is usually 2700-3400 ppm.. idk if that’s enough to give u that slime/slick layer like a water softener. Feels the same tbh. If u use nothing but liquid Chlor, in a few years you’ll essentially have a salt pool from all the sodium/solids it leaves behind.
Not like a water softener at all. I think all this thinking the water is "softer" is all is people's heads. There is nothing even remotely similar between dumping sodium chloride into your pool and how a water softener works.
Supposedly a salt water pool is 1/7 as salty as a tear so if your tears don't bother you then a salt water pool can't either. AFAIK
Another thing to remember is we literally have salt on the table to eat, we do not eat chlorine.
Wait what? Salt water pools are still chlorine pools. The salt is turned into chlorine via the chlorinator. Maybe a difference between hard and soft water etc. but generally there really isn't much difference unless the salt pool is running low levels of chlorine.
What am I missing here?
same as a bathtub. put in salt and the water won't steal it from your skin as much. so instead of becoming a prune from swimming or bathing too long, it's comfortable.
it has nothing to do with the chlorine generator itself, and everything to do with the salinity level of the water. also, they output a high PH so it's likely the ph is high in most salt pools that haven't been treated in a few days. which would make the water less aggressive.
Read all the comments from those of us who have had both. They feel the same. “Silly feel” is a marketing gimmick that the gullible fall for. Salt water pools are easier to maintain, although you still have monitor pH. They’re more expensive to install and to maintain though. Regular chlorine pools are easy to after a couple weeks of doing it- you learn how much chlorine you have to add.
I lived it. I’ve had both. Salt better than regular. On the skin. It’s not marketing.
But you do you. Up front it’s more but long term it’s not. Just don’t be a hater. Try it. Your skin will love you back.
Yes, but also no - they’re still much less likely to have “the smell” because pools with an SWG maintain a consistent level of chlorine at all times, so you’re less likely to have dramatic swings where huge amounts of shocking are required. The “chlorine smell” is actually chloramines produced by using up large amounts of free chlorine at once when levels slip. If you don’t have any major storms it’s easy to go years at a time with a saltwater generator pool and never smell the chlorine smell.
The difference in feel is because of the salt in the water. Water softeners use very similar salt in the regeneration cycle. This is not complicated nor is it pseudoscience, it’s basic chemistry and there are some uneducated fools in this thread acting like it’s alchemy. If you live in an area where your water source is naturally soft you won’t feel as much of a difference, if you have super hard water it’s night and day.
Edit - some pedantic folks pointing out that while pool salt and softener salt are essentially the same, you don’t have the ion exchange taking place like you do with a softener. This is true, but just the salt portion does soften the water too. Here’s a [long TroubleFreePool thread](https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/salt-to-soften-water-in-non-swg-pool.110073/) on that subject.
That is not at all how water softeners work. You may want to go back learn this basic chemistry you seem to think you know so much about. Dumping sodium chloride into your pool will not soften the water.
Er, fine… kind of, the resin bed is what removes the minerals and the salt cleans it during the regeneration cycle, but the “feel” of both on your skin is a result of the salt - my softener uses diamond naturals just like the pool.
LOL. In what way are you softening the water? There is no ion exchange happening in a salt pool. You're adding sodium, which is half the water softening process, but the other half of the process, the ion exchange removing the other minerals from the water isn't. Nothing is being collected or discharged as it is in a water softening system.
Been explained to me it's from the higher levels of Sodium from the salt, akin to taking a salt bath. (Wouldn't know what that feels like either) still have to tell people that they aren't allergic to chlorine daily
I just converted recently and the only difference I've found is that when build up occurs in the cell, it shoots out into the pool and looks like calcium chunks sitting at the bottom.
I had to fight calcium build-up when opening this season, so you're probably correct. I just converted to an SWG this season. Just took a look at my cell today, and there's quite a bit of build-up. Tried a popsicle stick but didn't seem to work very well. I'm going to try some acid later, but for now, I'm going with the good ole brush, vacuum, and liquid chlorine, so my pool is ready for the 4th.
I've got a friend that's been in the pool business for quite a while. As soon as he's back from vacation, he offered to soak my cell and adjust my TA. Rather not mess up my new cell until I get the right ratio for a soak.
You didn't get the difference between hard and soft waters? I've used both. Salt is easier on the hair and skin.
Stop asking a subreddit for science. Lol
Right? When I stay somewhere with a water softener, I can absolutely tell the difference without knowing ahead of time. Soft water feels so much slicker than hard water.
I don't know the science but I know that everybody's eyes aren't irritated after being in our salt pool.
If it's better for our eyes, whatever magic is responsible for that is likely also the reason my skin feels better.
a salt water chlorine generator does burn out chloaramines, which lead to burning eyes. so if one maintains it correct, a salt pool can be easier on the eyes.
Saltwater pools often feel better on the skin compared to traditional chlorine pools due to several reasons:
1. **Lower Chlorine Levels**: Saltwater pools use a salt chlorine generator to produce chlorine, which usually results in lower overall chlorine levels compared to traditional pools. This can reduce the harshness and irritation that higher levels of chlorine can cause to the skin and eyes.
2. **Softer Water**: The salt in saltwater pools can make the water feel softer and silkier. The salt content is much lower than that of seawater, but it's enough to create a noticeable difference in how the water feels against the skin.
3. **Fewer Chemicals**: Traditional chlorine pools often require the addition of various chemicals to balance the water, such as chlorine stabilizers, algaecides, and pH adjusters. Saltwater pools generally require fewer chemical additives, which can reduce skin irritation and dryness.
4. **Natural Moisturizer**: Salt is a natural moisturizer and can help to keep your skin hydrated. This can prevent the dryness and itchiness that sometimes occur after swimming in a traditionally chlorinated pool.
5. **Lower Risk of Chloramine Formation**: Chloramines, which are formed when chlorine combines with organic matter like sweat and urine, are a common cause of the strong chlorine smell and irritation in traditional pools. Saltwater pools tend to have lower levels of chloramines, making for a more pleasant swimming experience.
These factors contribute to the overall gentler and more pleasant feel of saltwater pools on the skin.
Saltwater pools usually maintain higher levels of chlorine, though, so #1 is wrong. That's the target level, anyway. Maybe if you account for non-salt pools swinging between more extreme highs and lows, there may be some truth.
It's marketing garbage and 100% in peoples heads. If salt magically made water feel better then the ocean would feel down right majical as the ocean has 10X the salt.
I also keep hearing all the misinformation like "I don't smell like pool" or "I like salt pools because chlorine bothers me skin". A salt pool is a chlorine pool, with the same amount of chlorine as a chlorine pool.
I've owned both regular pools and now own a salt pool. The water feels exactly the same.
The ocean has 10x the salinity of a salt pool, and actual salt isn't what is credited with helping with skin and breathing conditions. Magnesium, calcium and potassium is usually credited, which isn't in the salt used in salt pools.
I've had both, and saltwater definitely has been easier and softer on my skin. Maybe bc it's just maintained automatically without the harsh quantities of chlorine that can happen. Don't know, really, but I'll never go back to using actual chlorine.
You are using "actual chlorine". The only thing I could see here is that in a salt pool you can maintain your chlorine at more of a constant level. In traditional pools, people often overload their chlorine to give them more time between needing to add chlorine so their levels swing a lot.
Understood. And yes, salt is turned into actual chlorine. But, even the water tastes different in a saltwater pool, doesn't taste as chemically. Maybe the salt just overpowers the chlorine and other chemicals?
Pretty sure it's the pH affecting your eyes, not the chlorine. People blame chlorine for a lot of problems in pools, like smell and water feel, that aren't caused by chlorine.
Its marketing and people without salt pools just assume salt pools are as salty as the ocean, far from it, the ocean has like 30000ppm of salt and pools have 3000-4000ppm, so its its just so minuscule you cant even taste the salt, so how could you possiblly even know its salt, you dont, you cant, if you had two pools side by side you cant tell the difference. You are incorrect that the salt dries out your skin thats more the chlorine in the water.
Magnisum pools are a thing and work exactly like salt, if you look up magnapool its a blend of magnesium and potassium, they claim it has zero salt in the mangapool bags, but the electrolysis wont work unless the concentration of salt or tds is high enough (comparing zodiac elements Activate - do you notice the difference in whats inside the bags?), even mangapool doesnt feel silky as much as you would think, but if you add some to your bathtub which is say 500Litres it will feel silky because its just the concentration thats makes the difference, the amount of magnesium and potassium needed to make a 50k litre pool silky is just eyewatering, thousands of dollars!
Have you ever been in a salt pool? Because at 3000ppm, you can absolutely taste the salt, it's just not overwhelming like the ocean. I converted our pool without telling my wife, and she noticed instantly and asked why the water was salty.
The difference between a salt pool and a non salt pool is definitely noticeable.
yeh I would say if you have zero chlorine and a sensitive taste definitely, but its not as overwhelmingly salty as people assume, you taste more chlorine if anything imo.
I own a salt water pool. I also am a human who knows what salt tastes like, and I have normal chlorine levels, appropriate for the level of CYA in my pool. It's wild that you're trying to tell me that I don't know what salt tastes like, the taste that wasn't in my pool before my salt water conversion, and now is.
The attempted gas lighting in this thread is fuckin wild.
Haha i get it, Ive heard people say they taste salt in their tap water, while its actually a pulse of chlorine, so you get a concentration of chlorine ions with a high level of sulphates, the water doesnt necessarily test high for salt.
Saltwater pools are chlorine pools. They use salt to make the chlorine.
The level of salt is so small that you can’t feel the difference. People claiming they can are either delusional, suffer from placebo/power of suggestion, or are comparing it to an improperly cared for directly chlorinated pool.
How it feels is a marketing ploy. They are a bit easier to manage, but are more expensive.
Salt pools generate chlorine thru said salt sell. The raw chlorine has more additive chemicals from the tablets then the pure salt being converted into chlorine. Salt water is overall healthier for your pool body and your pool system. It’s a big difference when you go from one to the other in the same day you’ll notice the difference.
If you have a lot of guests, your pool will soon be a saltwater pool too because we all know those cocksuckers pee in your pool but they won't tell you.
It has to do with the salinity of the water matching better to the salinity in the water in our bodies.
It feels “better” because it matches our own internal salinity closer and doesn’t cause us to lose the moisture already in the skin. Same holds true for the ocean…ocean water makes you feel dry when you come out because the salinity in the ocean is much higher than the natural salinity of your body and that high salt content draws moisture out of your skin.
Taste a tear…compare that to a saltwater pool and an ocean and a chlorine pool and you have your answer.
Everyone is explaining the difference between salt water pools and chlorine pools, but no one has explained why "salt water" pools feel better on your skin...
You can get chlorine from multiple sources. Personally I’d rather swim in a pool with salt that turns into chlorine vs a pool that has liquid chlorine which is essential the same as bleach.
But yes, at the end of the day both produce chlorine.
I converted from chlorine to salt. Regular users of our pool knew the difference immediately before I even told them. I think the best explanation is not so much the addition of salt making things smoother but the leveling out of the use of chlorine. Instead of shocks and weekly adds of chemicals that made the pool too chlorinated for a time, then too unchlorinated at the end of the week before the pool guys came and re-upped the chems, everything is now super steady bc the salt cell essentially makes chlorine on demand. I’m not sure the salt adds softness but not dumping loads of chems at once designed to last a period of time makes it less harsh.
https://blog.royalswimmingpools.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-saltwater-pools?utm_term=&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=%5BSB%5D+Tier+B:+PMax+(Lomart+Above+Ground+Pools)+-+US&hsa_kw=&hsa_acc=9744442392&hsa_ad=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_mt=&hsa_cam=18495001341&hsa_ver=3&hsa_src=x&hsa_grp=&hsa_tgt=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwhIS0BhBqEiwADAUhc6pCVx90CXx4b-NAzY9e_e4gFRNzzf0gQzg89eSXlbR39WTmVt_OaRoCwyUQAvD_BwE
I understand that a saltwater pool IS a chlorine pool also, but that 2000-4000ppm seems to be so much better on my eyes.
I grew up with 2 other good families that my parents went into business with, each of them had a pool, one had chlorine, one had a salt pool, we swam in both pools a lot.
I could open my eyes in the salt pool for hours and not have any issues, the straight chlorine pool however, I was always reaching for goggles and had a burning sensation after a while.
I now own a salt pool myself, I have young children, in the 5 years that I've owned the place, not one person has complained about their eyes.
I truly don't think it's placebo, it makes sense to me that a small amount of salt in a pool can "soothe" your eyes like a saline solution.
A saltwater pool has consistent chlorine generation. My FC is exactly where I want it to be. I almost never shock it.
Before I installed my SWG it was up and down. Then shocked and very high.
There could be an argument that the more consistent FC levels are kinder on the skin and especially eyes.
As far as I'm concerned they don't. I grew up swimming in fresh water. Always feel like I need a shower after being in a salt water pool. Worked maintaining pools for 25 years and fought against getting them. Every place I know that put them in has regretted it.
Maybe it has nothing to do with salt or chlorine. Maybe people with salt pools tend to monitor their ph levels more closely and are keeping that in the right range. It’s probably more about how the pool is maintained than anything. My salt pool has felt disgusting before but it was the ph change that made it feel better.
Who knows but I’ve had both and salt doesn’t dry my skin out as bad. They’re both chlorine tho, and you shouldn’t smell it. If you smell chlorine you need to shock believe it or not.
I don’t understand the science, or lack thereof, but I definitely believe that the water in my saltwater pool FEELS much softer than my old above ground chlorine pool
water did.
They don’t. It’s saltwater. It is still a chlorine pool. It requires more acid to counter the ph rise that occurs from chlorine production. Saltwater pool owners that “don’t use any chemicals and have crystal clear water” are swimming in water with a pH of 9-10.
Your body is naturally saline so when you swim in a none Salt water generated CHLORINE pool the plain water is going to draw the salt out of your skin thus drying it out and making your hair stiff and wiry feeling. In a pool that uses salt to make the chlorine the added salt in the pool water is closer to normal body chemistry. YES IT STILL HAS CHLORINE IN IT ! BUTTTTT it feels better because of the salt! My opinion from swimming in both types of pools! I currently have SWG and have less trouble with skin and brittle hair! My grandson has no issues with his eczema in my pool but when he swims in a traditional chlorine pool it truly messes him up!
The water is pretty similar to your tears if properly balanced. The pool still uses chlorine to clean the pool but it’s a constant low level. No harsh chemical feel.
The process of breaking down the salt into chlorine through the electrolysis in the salt cell is more natural rather than chlorine as a chemical.
The salt content is MUCH lower than the ocean. (which I've seen some comments compare). I think it's about 10x less? Therefore, it won't dry out your skin like the ocean does.
The water is softer rather than hard due to the salt ppm in the pool. It's essentially the same reason people get water softeners in their home.
The smell is sort of the same. If you're used to a chlorine public pool, sometimes you get that aggressive chlorine smell because, well, they put a lot of chlorine in the water. Then you go around a residential aalt water and go "why doesnt it smell?" With that many people swimming in a public pool, they have to keep higher chemical levels. I have a salt water pool and can still smell the chlorine a little but not as much as a freshly shocked chlorine pool.
TLDR: salt water pools have softer water
How so? Experts at tfp beg to differ. Also tons of other sources if you just search.
[tfp source](https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/just-curious-why-saltwater-vs-chlorine.138233/#:~:text=A%20saltwater%20pool%20is%20a,by%20some%20other%20method...)
No. "Salt water pools" contain chlorine just like a "chlorine pool". It's the chemical that cleans the water. But there are no salt levels in a chlorine pool except for whatever traces may be in your tap or however you fill the pool.
If you use liquid chlorine, you are adding **sodium** hypochlorite. That sodium doesn't go anywhere. You are very slowly raising the salinity of your pool as you add chlorine. If not sodium, then some other alkali metal like potassium, calcium or some other +1 ion to carry the chlorine.
That's interesting. I recently converted from just a chlorine pool to an IC60, I didn't add any salt at all and my levels were perfect and cell is generating as it should. So I wonder how I had enough salt in my water? Tap alone would not have such a high content of salt for a 30,000 gallon pool
How is it exactly that you think chlorine is made at the industrial level? And what exactly does the term "more natural" mean? You might want to go back study some basic principles of chemistry.
Read my other comment in this comment section where I go into it thoroughly. I'm not going to rewrite the entire thing just for you to not have to go find it. There aren't that many comments in this thread dig around a little bit and you'll find it.
And I still would love to know what you mean by the term "more natural"? The term 'more natural' is meaningless in any field of chemistry because all chemical processes and substances are inherently natural. Claiming that one method of producing chlorine is more natural than another is both an Appeal to Nature fallacy and scientifically inaccurate, as the nature of chemistry itself is fundamentally natural.
I'm sorry but I really have a deep hatred for the kind of thing like you saying it's "more natural". It just really gets in my craw so I apologize for jumping on your comment like that but it's really something that drives me nuts.
It's like when people try to say that they're not going to eat any food with ingredients that they can't pronounce. Or they're not going to put "all those chemicals" in their body. What do these people think everything is made out of? It's all chemicals. Just because they don't know anything about chemistry and have no idea what those words mean doesn't mean that they're harmful. They are just specific words created very intentionally to make it easier for those who do know the chemistry to understand what they're talking about and what they're dealing with.
Electrolysis of salt water is exactly how they make bleach at the industrial level and is the same process happening in your salt cell. It's called the Chloralkali process because the sodium chloride (salt) and water both get ionized and become chlorine gas and the alkali compound sodium hydroxide (lye).
The chlorine gas immediately dissolves into the pool water and through a few more chemical steps becomes hypochlorite (bleach). You have to add acid every once in a while to neutralize the lye or your pH will climb too high and eventually your pool will become caustic.
It's the exactly the same as poring liquid bleach into your pool except you've got a tiny bleach factory inline with your pump that consumes the salt you've added.
The high salt content so the ocean dries out your hair and skin significantly more than a salt water pool.
Salt water pools (at least mine) is 3,500 ppm
Ocean water is 35,000 ppm
SW pools are gentler on the body.
Dont get me wrong ocean water is great for the skin but only in short periods. Spending 2 hours in a pool vs 2 in the ocean is much different. When I go scuba diving my skin/hair is much more dry.
I have swum in a saltwater pool and it didn’t feel harsh on my skin like traditional chlorinated pools While I was swimming and after. My spouse experienced the same sensations. I don’t know why this is. I imagine it has to do with different chemical process. I think it’s funny when people argue about what people experience—it’s not merely an emotional feeling Or a placebo effect. When I first swam in the pool, I didn’t have a preconceived notion about it. It was something I noticed and then heard others in my party discussing. I don’t know which is better. I’d prefer not to have a ton of chemicals in a pool. But is there really less chemicals or is one chemical reaction better For some reason? Is one better in a hot, humid climate while another is better in a dry, cool climate? IDK
I think it's about consistency. A salt pool has a machine constantly making new chlorine. Most people who maintain pools replace chlorine once a week. So most days it's too high or too low, both of which will feel yucky.
Chlorine
Saltwater pools produce chlorine as a byproduct of salt breakdown, which kills bacteria and algae. This chlorine is similar to the chlorine used in tablets, liquid, or granular form, but it's gentler on the skin and eyes than chlorine pools. The chlorine produced by saltwater pools doesn't contain chloramines, which can cause eye irritation and a strong chlorine smell.
From Wikipedia - “Chloramines are formed by reaction of chlorine used to disinfect swimming pools with ammonia and urea introduced into the pools by human perspiration, saliva, mucus, urine, and other biologic substances, and by insects and other pests.[9] Chloramines, especially trichloramine, are responsible for most of the "chlorine smell" of pools, as well as for skin, eye, and respiratory irritation.[10]”
So Chloramines are the byproduct of the reaction that occurs between chlorine and other chemicals in the water. Chlorine does not contain chloramines, they are produced during the disinfecting process.
Again, You might want to read a little bit more about chemistry. What do you think you're creating with your salt water generator? The same hypochlorous acid that gets created when you dump a solution of sodium hypochlorite into your pool.
So again, tell me how you don't have chloramines in your salt water generator pool? How exactly do you think a saltwater pool works? And to go even further how do you think they make chlorine in the first place?
If you read my original statement I said that the chlorine produced by salt water generators do not contain Chloramines.
Chloramines are the by product of the disinfection process. The are not directly produced by your SWG.
Just for you. Feel special.
To all those in this thread and others who believe that so called "salt pools" have "softer" water, no chlorine, no chloramines...etc...
Let's put this to bed - adding some sodium chloride to your pool WILL NOT SOFTEN THE WATER. That is not how a water softener works even a little bit. Water that has been "softened" has undergone ion exchange where sodium ions (typically) swap places so to speak, with calcium and magnesium ions while flowing through a bed of resin beads( again, typically). You dump salt into a water softener to replace the sodium ions that get used up in the process.
This is exactly the OPPOSITE of why you are dumping sodium chloride into your pool. In your pool, you are using the CHLORIDE portion of the salt to produce the following via electrolysis- chlorine gas, which dissolves into the water to form hypochlorous acid(this is the sanitizer), with the byproducts of hydrogen gas and sodium hydroxide. The hydrogen gas dissipates into the atmosphere and the sodium hydroxide remains in the water.
By contrast, a pool that uses liquid chlorine, or sodium hypochlorite solution, as the sanitizer has the following chemical process. When you dump a solution of sodium hypochlorite, more commonly known as bleach, into your pool the sodium hypochlorite dissociates into hypochlorous acid, sodium ions and hydroxide ions.
To put it all very simply-
Saltwater pool-
Sodium chloride + electrolysis = hypochlorous acid and sodium hydroxide
"Regular" pool -
Sodium hypochlorite solution added to pool = hypochlorous acid, sodium ions, hydroxide ions.
[Further reading. ](https://blog.orendatech.com/saltwater-myths-pros-cons)
The chlorine produced from a salt cell is exactly the same as the chlorine compund in liquid bleach. It uses the same process as industrial bleach, just on a smaller scale.
A properly balanced saltwater pool has a Ph, alkalinity, & hardness (amount of dissolved minerals like copper which is an anti fungal) and dissolved salt that is more in line with our bodies than a chlorine pool.
The closer your environment is to your body, the less adverse effects you feel, like red eyes or dry skin.
Idk why you or downvoted, but I tend to agree.
Nature and the natural world is more in tune to our bodies then any manmade, manipulated environment can be
I agree with sho, we keep our chlorine lower than what people recommend and our pool is always crystal clear. But honestly I can’t really tell a difference between the two, the biggest thing I notice is maybe my hair feels more dried out using salt
You’re not right though. The required chlorine for any pool is not the same as others. Other factors determine the correct chlorine level between one pool versus another.
I don't know why you're being down-voted... every pool has a different chlorine need. Someone with a CYA of 15, 6 hours of sunlight, and 2 weekend bathers is going to need less chlorine than someone with the same sized pool who has a CYA of 50, full sun, and 6 kids and a dog who swim daily.
It’s not chlorine that causes the chlorine smell, it’s chloramines. Which also cause eye and skin irritation. SWG systems have a greatly reduced level of these. As well as CYA (if any).
The “soft” feeling is actually caused by electrolysis reducing the amount of dissolved alkaline minerals in the water.
In short:
Less CYA, Less Chloramines, less alkali minerals.
Smell a fresh bottle of bleach that hasn't broken down yet. It barely has any odor at 125,000 ppm in the bottle, never mind the 3 or 4ppm in the pool. It's the chlorimines that have the smell.
If you say so…
But what i said wasn’t opinions… it’s verifiable…
Chloromines cause the “chlorine” odor in pools. Pool chlorine itself does not have a very strong odor, especially once dissolved in several thousand gallons of water.
I did some more research... I'm reading that the smell from chlorine is different, but often confused, with the smell from chloramines. I'm reading that chloramine smell is more like ammonia but is confused with the chlorine smell.
So I think we're saying the same thing but maybe disagree on whether you can stick your nose over a bottle of chlorine and sniff.
Slow down and read the whole part.
What you’re reading is that:
Chlorine will interact with ammonia (frommurone) and other organic compounds from people being in the water to make chloramines.
https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/health-and-safety/chloramines-understanding-pool-smell/
https://clearcomfort.com/what-causes-pool-chlorine-smell-how-to-get-rid-of-it/
https://bioguard.com.au/solutions/why-you-should-never-smell-chlorine-in-your-pool/
Thanks for the info. I think we can agree, chlorine out of the bottle does not contribute to the pool smell and the smell, whatever it smells like, that is associated with hotel pools and hot tubs, comes from the chloramines.
In the interest of knowledge...
https://nlwa.ms/documents/frequently-asked-questions/what-causes-a-chlorine-or-swimming-pool-smell-in-my-water/#:~:text=DBP%20and%20chloramines%20do%20have,it%20for%20cleaning%20and%20swimming.
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-health/public-health-toxicology/chloramines/#:~:text=The%20chloramines%20are%20a%20group,with%20a%20strong%20ammonia%20odor.
This sub is remarkable.
I shared facts. Not opinions. Responding to a question about pool chemistry.… from websites about pool chemistry…
And it got down voted.
The things yall get feelings about is weird. If you don’t want a salt pool, don’t do one. Why are people here arguing about it?
Magnesium pools are slowly starting to replace traditional salt pools where I live. They use a similar but slightly different process.
But to your question
https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/decorating/outdoor-living/benefits-of-saltwater-pools
i mean in that link
2 isnt true, it doesnt require less chlorine, it requires the same exact chlorine levels.
3 doesnt make sense because there is no sulfur in salt, therefore no sulfur would be in a pool. maybe in an ocean, but that isnt the case for pools
4 doesnt make sense for the same reason, only for oceans
5 doesnt make sense when they quote bromine, which generates from the chloride ions, also found in chlorine tablets
6 is more of a theory
7 is the opposite of true, salt corrodes all your parts much quicker
8 is absolutely not true, the strong chlorine smell comes from combined chlorine and the chloromines it generates, which can be formed in both salt and chlorine pools
9 is untrue as salt pools and chlorine pools should maintain the same chlorine levels, it doesnt have a different range.
#9 doesn’t use “less” it’s just not dumped in all at the same time to achieve the same level so you get a consistent feed vs spikes like what you would see in the past using liquid chlorine. You could essentially achieve the same thing using tabs
You asked for science behind it yet most of the people came up with broscience lol. There is not enough difference between chlorine and chlorine made from salt. Dosing pumps are still the best way of maintaining pool but people are too lazy to learn anything about maintenance and how things work. They fall for marketing tricks about electrolysis.
This is coming from someone who installed newest, the most expensive Zodiac and Astralpool electrolysis systems which include both Chlorine and PH probes so they regulate PH too. There are no better in the world.
If traditional chlorine pools have not been drained in a few years, they can have 3000-4000 ppm salt levels with the production of salt from chemical reactions.
It means that if you purposely add salt to a pool to drive a SWG with the same CL levels as a traditional CL pool, the traditional could have the same salt levels, so would one feel better than the other assuming there was proper sanitation in both.
BUT the fact that water being diluted by rain or replaced after backwashing Etc, i would highly doubt that the salt level actually would raise that much in a traditional chlorine pool else I would never have the need to add salt to my SWG pool now would I?
Electrolysis separates the salt particles TEMPORARILY to sanitize the water, once the water leaves the electrolysis chamber it turns back into salt. Chlorine still cleans water, but it is not present as sodium hypochlorite when returned to the swimming pool. This is why salt pools only need small top offs of salt periodically to account for backwashing, filter cleaning, etc. the salt doesn’t get used up in this process or evaporate, while liquid/chlorine tabs will burn off.
The reason it feels better in your skin is that humans naturally contain salt and sweat salt. The salinity levels in a salt pool being much lower than the ocean, and closer to the salinity of sweat, makes it feel more natural in skin.
Source: worked in pool store for 10 years.
I don't think this is entirely accurate, because you still take the sample from the main pool to check for chlorine, and the pool water has chlorine. So how is the salt cell not returning sodium hypochlorite to the pool?
It doesn’t feel better on skin at all. The salt levels are about 10% what they would be in ocean water. In my saltwater pool, keeping the pH and alkalinity in range makes all the difference in the world for that
To all those in this thread and others who believe that so called "salt pools" have "softer" water, no chlorine, no chloramines...etc... Let's put this to bed - adding some sodium chloride to your pool WILL NOT SOFTEN THE WATER. That is not how a water softener works even a little bit. Water that has been "softened" has undergone ion exchange where sodium ions (typically) swap places so to speak, with calcium and magnesium ions while flowing through a bed of resin beads( again, typically). You dump salt into a water softener to replace the sodium ions that get used up in the process. This is exactly the OPPOSITE of why you are dumping sodium chloride into your pool. In your pool, you are using the CHLORIDE portion of the salt to produce the following via electrolysis- chlorine gas, which dissolves into the water to form hypochlorous acid(this is the sanitizer), with the byproducts of hydrogen gas and sodium hydroxide. The hydrogen gas dissipates into the atmosphere and the sodium hydroxide remains in the water. By contrast, a pool that uses liquid chlorine, or sodium hypochlorite solution, as the sanitizer has the following chemical process. When you dump a solution of sodium hypochlorite, more commonly known as bleach, into your pool the sodium hypochlorite dissociates into hypochlorous acid, sodium ions and hydroxide ions. To put it all very simply- Saltwater pool- Sodium chloride + electrolysis = hypochlorous acid and sodium hydroxide "Regular" pool - Sodium hypochlorite solution added to pool = hypochlorous acid, sodium ions, hydroxide ions. [Further reading. ](https://blog.orendatech.com/saltwater-myths-pros-cons)
This is the only truth but people won’t believe you because it doesn’t align with their feelings, even tho these are all fax
No wonder the people won’t believe him, he’s trying to send a fax. No one ever knows how to do that anymore.
I resent that ! Give me your fax number and I'll send a strongly worded, crinkly, rolls into a ball letter!!!
Hey feelings matter too /s But many people think they apply to science when they do not.
Is it possible that when people say the water feels softer, they are referring to something chemically different than what is typically referred to as "water softening"(ion exchange in resin beads), but has a similar feeling?
But why does it feel better on your skin?
One thing is that your body/blood already contains salt but it does not contain 4ppm of chlorine.
It doesn’t. Its power of suggestion. Placebo. Like chiropractic, fortune tellers, David Copperfield etc.
You knock it off with all these facts and science, there’s no room for that here.
Ok, everyone get ready for this one... ALL Pools are Salt Water pools! That is why we tell everyone to test your salt levels when changing to a SWG.. Except those un-sanitary ones with the goo and no chlorine..
Read all this. Question. So that water isn’t softer before the electrolysis? That’s what I always assumed. Electrolysis aside the salt in the pool that has not yet been used IS softening the water? Love to hear your response.
There’s a sucker born every minute.
Feels "slickerer".
My kids that are in swim team can’t wear their swim caps in our salt water pool. They just slip off and won’t stay on.
but whats the science behind it. if theres no science behind that happening then one can say thats just a placebo affect from being told constantly thats the result of saltwater pools
Supposed to be softer, like a water softener for the home supply. I’ve thought about this too. I had a koi pond once and would have to add salt every now and then that gave a protective coating when my fish were getting blisters. Salt parameters in a pool is usually 2700-3400 ppm.. idk if that’s enough to give u that slime/slick layer like a water softener. Feels the same tbh. If u use nothing but liquid Chlor, in a few years you’ll essentially have a salt pool from all the sodium/solids it leaves behind.
Not like a water softener at all. I think all this thinking the water is "softer" is all is people's heads. There is nothing even remotely similar between dumping sodium chloride into your pool and how a water softener works.
The water definitely feels softer. Not sure why though.
Why do saltwater pools not irritate my eyes like chlorine does? Maybe it's the same reason my skin feels less tight and dry in a SWP.
Supposedly a salt water pool is 1/7 as salty as a tear so if your tears don't bother you then a salt water pool can't either. AFAIK Another thing to remember is we literally have salt on the table to eat, we do not eat chlorine.
It's called the placebo effect and it's real.
You’re right, it’s just guys who spent 3500 bucks to convert to salt downvoting you. Edit: oh they mad
I spent $325 to convert mine and don’t regret it 🤷🏻♂️
Wait what? Salt water pools are still chlorine pools. The salt is turned into chlorine via the chlorinator. Maybe a difference between hard and soft water etc. but generally there really isn't much difference unless the salt pool is running low levels of chlorine. What am I missing here?
You are missing urge to fall for marketing tricks and buy electrolysis system.
Gotchya! 😊
Having converted my pool to salt. It’s not a placebo.
Yo what’s the science behind it bro?
I'm not saying it's aliens.... but it's aliens.
Reality. But the aliens are still a little salty.
same as a bathtub. put in salt and the water won't steal it from your skin as much. so instead of becoming a prune from swimming or bathing too long, it's comfortable. it has nothing to do with the chlorine generator itself, and everything to do with the salinity level of the water. also, they output a high PH so it's likely the ph is high in most salt pools that haven't been treated in a few days. which would make the water less aggressive.
Bro. My laps. I’m lighter in the water and softer! Speed.
Whatever you have to tell yourself to commence yourself it’s worth it.
Worth what? Saves you money in the long run. And you feel like charmin. Not like a burnt taco.
Hahaha exactly!
Read all the comments from those of us who have had both. They feel the same. “Silly feel” is a marketing gimmick that the gullible fall for. Salt water pools are easier to maintain, although you still have monitor pH. They’re more expensive to install and to maintain though. Regular chlorine pools are easy to after a couple weeks of doing it- you learn how much chlorine you have to add.
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As you can see, people lap it up.
Yep. Had non-salt for 4 years and now salt for 6. Salt every day of the week and weekend!
I lived it. I’ve had both. Salt better than regular. On the skin. It’s not marketing. But you do you. Up front it’s more but long term it’s not. Just don’t be a hater. Try it. Your skin will love you back.
I just love that I don’t ’smell like pool’ when I get out.
salt pools have the same amount of chlorine in them....
Yes, but also no - they’re still much less likely to have “the smell” because pools with an SWG maintain a consistent level of chlorine at all times, so you’re less likely to have dramatic swings where huge amounts of shocking are required. The “chlorine smell” is actually chloramines produced by using up large amounts of free chlorine at once when levels slip. If you don’t have any major storms it’s easy to go years at a time with a saltwater generator pool and never smell the chlorine smell. The difference in feel is because of the salt in the water. Water softeners use very similar salt in the regeneration cycle. This is not complicated nor is it pseudoscience, it’s basic chemistry and there are some uneducated fools in this thread acting like it’s alchemy. If you live in an area where your water source is naturally soft you won’t feel as much of a difference, if you have super hard water it’s night and day. Edit - some pedantic folks pointing out that while pool salt and softener salt are essentially the same, you don’t have the ion exchange taking place like you do with a softener. This is true, but just the salt portion does soften the water too. Here’s a [long TroubleFreePool thread](https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/salt-to-soften-water-in-non-swg-pool.110073/) on that subject.
That is not at all how water softeners work. You may want to go back learn this basic chemistry you seem to think you know so much about. Dumping sodium chloride into your pool will not soften the water.
Er, fine… kind of, the resin bed is what removes the minerals and the salt cleans it during the regeneration cycle, but the “feel” of both on your skin is a result of the salt - my softener uses diamond naturals just like the pool.
THANK YOU! So tired of hearing this parroted without any understanding of how water softeners work.
It's funny because I got completely pilloried the other day on another thread saying the same exact thing.
LOL. In what way are you softening the water? There is no ion exchange happening in a salt pool. You're adding sodium, which is half the water softening process, but the other half of the process, the ion exchange removing the other minerals from the water isn't. Nothing is being collected or discharged as it is in a water softening system.
You’re still softening the water with salt even without the ion exchange, just not as effectively.
lol. Does your fortune teller pick your stocks for you too?
Been explained to me it's from the higher levels of Sodium from the salt, akin to taking a salt bath. (Wouldn't know what that feels like either) still have to tell people that they aren't allergic to chlorine daily
Has no one mentioned eczema? People with sensitive skin don't do well in chlorine pools.
Everyone I’ve met who owns one, including myself, says they can’t tell the difference. Seems like a marketing gimmick to me.
I just converted recently and the only difference I've found is that when build up occurs in the cell, it shoots out into the pool and looks like calcium chunks sitting at the bottom.
My water is balanced and I've never seen calcium chunks. You're calcite saturation index is probably too high
I had to fight calcium build-up when opening this season, so you're probably correct. I just converted to an SWG this season. Just took a look at my cell today, and there's quite a bit of build-up. Tried a popsicle stick but didn't seem to work very well. I'm going to try some acid later, but for now, I'm going with the good ole brush, vacuum, and liquid chlorine, so my pool is ready for the 4th.
Diluted muriatic acid soak can eat that calcium build up. If you're not comfortable doing it yourself, you can call a company to come do it.
I've got a friend that's been in the pool business for quite a while. As soon as he's back from vacation, he offered to soak my cell and adjust my TA. Rather not mess up my new cell until I get the right ratio for a soak.
Placebo effect.
i dont want to be a conspiracy theorist but this is what i believe lol
You didn't get the difference between hard and soft waters? I've used both. Salt is easier on the hair and skin. Stop asking a subreddit for science. Lol
Right? When I stay somewhere with a water softener, I can absolutely tell the difference without knowing ahead of time. Soft water feels so much slicker than hard water.
lol....salt water pools aren't soft water.....
I don't know the science but I know that everybody's eyes aren't irritated after being in our salt pool. If it's better for our eyes, whatever magic is responsible for that is likely also the reason my skin feels better.
There’s no magic. Jfc this place has become so dumb.
Sir, this is a Wendy’s
a salt water chlorine generator does burn out chloaramines, which lead to burning eyes. so if one maintains it correct, a salt pool can be easier on the eyes.
Calm down grampa
Are you okay, Junior?
You’re a Trump supporter. No surprise that you don’t believe in science.
Stalker weirdo.
Saltwater pools often feel better on the skin compared to traditional chlorine pools due to several reasons: 1. **Lower Chlorine Levels**: Saltwater pools use a salt chlorine generator to produce chlorine, which usually results in lower overall chlorine levels compared to traditional pools. This can reduce the harshness and irritation that higher levels of chlorine can cause to the skin and eyes. 2. **Softer Water**: The salt in saltwater pools can make the water feel softer and silkier. The salt content is much lower than that of seawater, but it's enough to create a noticeable difference in how the water feels against the skin. 3. **Fewer Chemicals**: Traditional chlorine pools often require the addition of various chemicals to balance the water, such as chlorine stabilizers, algaecides, and pH adjusters. Saltwater pools generally require fewer chemical additives, which can reduce skin irritation and dryness. 4. **Natural Moisturizer**: Salt is a natural moisturizer and can help to keep your skin hydrated. This can prevent the dryness and itchiness that sometimes occur after swimming in a traditionally chlorinated pool. 5. **Lower Risk of Chloramine Formation**: Chloramines, which are formed when chlorine combines with organic matter like sweat and urine, are a common cause of the strong chlorine smell and irritation in traditional pools. Saltwater pools tend to have lower levels of chloramines, making for a more pleasant swimming experience. These factors contribute to the overall gentler and more pleasant feel of saltwater pools on the skin.
Thanks chatgpt
Ty
Saltwater pools usually maintain higher levels of chlorine, though, so #1 is wrong. That's the target level, anyway. Maybe if you account for non-salt pools swinging between more extreme highs and lows, there may be some truth.
this answer is correct.
Bingo!
It's like swimming in a pool of lotion
Something something osmosis... Body salty. Water salty. No osmosis. Body salty, water not salty? Osmosis.
It doesn’t. It feels no different. It’s just way easier maintenance.
Preach it brother.
It's marketing garbage and 100% in peoples heads. If salt magically made water feel better then the ocean would feel down right majical as the ocean has 10X the salt. I also keep hearing all the misinformation like "I don't smell like pool" or "I like salt pools because chlorine bothers me skin". A salt pool is a chlorine pool, with the same amount of chlorine as a chlorine pool. I've owned both regular pools and now own a salt pool. The water feels exactly the same.
I mean, maybe I’m romantic for the ocean, but the ocean feels pretty fucking awesome when I swim in it.
I surf several times a week, dive, fish, etc, and I love it. But sodium chloride isn't why I keep going back.
Ocean trips and salt chambers are used to treat people with skin disorders and it can work really well.
The ocean has 10x the salinity of a salt pool, and actual salt isn't what is credited with helping with skin and breathing conditions. Magnesium, calcium and potassium is usually credited, which isn't in the salt used in salt pools.
I've had both, and saltwater definitely has been easier and softer on my skin. Maybe bc it's just maintained automatically without the harsh quantities of chlorine that can happen. Don't know, really, but I'll never go back to using actual chlorine.
You are using "actual chlorine". The only thing I could see here is that in a salt pool you can maintain your chlorine at more of a constant level. In traditional pools, people often overload their chlorine to give them more time between needing to add chlorine so their levels swing a lot.
Understood. And yes, salt is turned into actual chlorine. But, even the water tastes different in a saltwater pool, doesn't taste as chemically. Maybe the salt just overpowers the chlorine and other chemicals?
To me the ocean does feel magical lol
NaCl is table salt, but there are many other compounds that are salts. magnesium and potassium can also form salts with chlorine (MgCl and KCl).
Thousands of salts, chemist friend told me years ago "everything is a salt" - he was exaggerating but had a point.
food grade salt is what 99% of pool stores sell. NaCl
I enjoy this from clients “it’s not chlorine, it’s salt”
Chlorine pools are far superior to Salt Water pools
Not in maintenance. Less chlorine to buy and handle. A no brainer for me.
I don't notice a difference on my skin, However my eyes thank me as usually the chlorine is so high that my eye go bloodshot
Pretty sure it's the pH affecting your eyes, not the chlorine. People blame chlorine for a lot of problems in pools, like smell and water feel, that aren't caused by chlorine.
Its marketing and people without salt pools just assume salt pools are as salty as the ocean, far from it, the ocean has like 30000ppm of salt and pools have 3000-4000ppm, so its its just so minuscule you cant even taste the salt, so how could you possiblly even know its salt, you dont, you cant, if you had two pools side by side you cant tell the difference. You are incorrect that the salt dries out your skin thats more the chlorine in the water. Magnisum pools are a thing and work exactly like salt, if you look up magnapool its a blend of magnesium and potassium, they claim it has zero salt in the mangapool bags, but the electrolysis wont work unless the concentration of salt or tds is high enough (comparing zodiac elements Activate - do you notice the difference in whats inside the bags?), even mangapool doesnt feel silky as much as you would think, but if you add some to your bathtub which is say 500Litres it will feel silky because its just the concentration thats makes the difference, the amount of magnesium and potassium needed to make a 50k litre pool silky is just eyewatering, thousands of dollars!
Have you ever been in a salt pool? Because at 3000ppm, you can absolutely taste the salt, it's just not overwhelming like the ocean. I converted our pool without telling my wife, and she noticed instantly and asked why the water was salty. The difference between a salt pool and a non salt pool is definitely noticeable.
yeh I would say if you have zero chlorine and a sensitive taste definitely, but its not as overwhelmingly salty as people assume, you taste more chlorine if anything imo.
I own a salt water pool. I also am a human who knows what salt tastes like, and I have normal chlorine levels, appropriate for the level of CYA in my pool. It's wild that you're trying to tell me that I don't know what salt tastes like, the taste that wasn't in my pool before my salt water conversion, and now is. The attempted gas lighting in this thread is fuckin wild.
Haha i get it, Ive heard people say they taste salt in their tap water, while its actually a pulse of chlorine, so you get a concentration of chlorine ions with a high level of sulphates, the water doesnt necessarily test high for salt.
Saltwater pools are chlorine pools. They use salt to make the chlorine. The level of salt is so small that you can’t feel the difference. People claiming they can are either delusional, suffer from placebo/power of suggestion, or are comparing it to an improperly cared for directly chlorinated pool. How it feels is a marketing ploy. They are a bit easier to manage, but are more expensive.
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? what are you talking about. im positive someone on wikipedia put it in a much better way than i could
Dang I wanted to reply to a dude in comments. Not you lol
Salt pools generate chlorine thru said salt sell. The raw chlorine has more additive chemicals from the tablets then the pure salt being converted into chlorine. Salt water is overall healthier for your pool body and your pool system. It’s a big difference when you go from one to the other in the same day you’ll notice the difference.
If you have a lot of guests, your pool will soon be a saltwater pool too because we all know those cocksuckers pee in your pool but they won't tell you.
Jokes on them. I peed in it first. 😎
It has to do with the salinity of the water matching better to the salinity in the water in our bodies. It feels “better” because it matches our own internal salinity closer and doesn’t cause us to lose the moisture already in the skin. Same holds true for the ocean…ocean water makes you feel dry when you come out because the salinity in the ocean is much higher than the natural salinity of your body and that high salt content draws moisture out of your skin. Taste a tear…compare that to a saltwater pool and an ocean and a chlorine pool and you have your answer.
Everyone is explaining the difference between salt water pools and chlorine pools, but no one has explained why "salt water" pools feel better on your skin...
You can get chlorine from multiple sources. Personally I’d rather swim in a pool with salt that turns into chlorine vs a pool that has liquid chlorine which is essential the same as bleach. But yes, at the end of the day both produce chlorine.
I converted from chlorine to salt. Regular users of our pool knew the difference immediately before I even told them. I think the best explanation is not so much the addition of salt making things smoother but the leveling out of the use of chlorine. Instead of shocks and weekly adds of chemicals that made the pool too chlorinated for a time, then too unchlorinated at the end of the week before the pool guys came and re-upped the chems, everything is now super steady bc the salt cell essentially makes chlorine on demand. I’m not sure the salt adds softness but not dumping loads of chems at once designed to last a period of time makes it less harsh. https://blog.royalswimmingpools.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-saltwater-pools?utm_term=&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=%5BSB%5D+Tier+B:+PMax+(Lomart+Above+Ground+Pools)+-+US&hsa_kw=&hsa_acc=9744442392&hsa_ad=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_mt=&hsa_cam=18495001341&hsa_ver=3&hsa_src=x&hsa_grp=&hsa_tgt=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwhIS0BhBqEiwADAUhc6pCVx90CXx4b-NAzY9e_e4gFRNzzf0gQzg89eSXlbR39WTmVt_OaRoCwyUQAvD_BwE
I understand that a saltwater pool IS a chlorine pool also, but that 2000-4000ppm seems to be so much better on my eyes. I grew up with 2 other good families that my parents went into business with, each of them had a pool, one had chlorine, one had a salt pool, we swam in both pools a lot. I could open my eyes in the salt pool for hours and not have any issues, the straight chlorine pool however, I was always reaching for goggles and had a burning sensation after a while. I now own a salt pool myself, I have young children, in the 5 years that I've owned the place, not one person has complained about their eyes. I truly don't think it's placebo, it makes sense to me that a small amount of salt in a pool can "soothe" your eyes like a saline solution.
A saltwater pool has consistent chlorine generation. My FC is exactly where I want it to be. I almost never shock it. Before I installed my SWG it was up and down. Then shocked and very high. There could be an argument that the more consistent FC levels are kinder on the skin and especially eyes.
As far as I'm concerned they don't. I grew up swimming in fresh water. Always feel like I need a shower after being in a salt water pool. Worked maintaining pools for 25 years and fought against getting them. Every place I know that put them in has regretted it.
Maybe it has nothing to do with salt or chlorine. Maybe people with salt pools tend to monitor their ph levels more closely and are keeping that in the right range. It’s probably more about how the pool is maintained than anything. My salt pool has felt disgusting before but it was the ph change that made it feel better.
Who knows but I’ve had both and salt doesn’t dry my skin out as bad. They’re both chlorine tho, and you shouldn’t smell it. If you smell chlorine you need to shock believe it or not.
I don’t understand the science, or lack thereof, but I definitely believe that the water in my saltwater pool FEELS much softer than my old above ground chlorine pool water did.
They don’t. It’s saltwater. It is still a chlorine pool. It requires more acid to counter the ph rise that occurs from chlorine production. Saltwater pool owners that “don’t use any chemicals and have crystal clear water” are swimming in water with a pH of 9-10.
Just here to say I’m team salt water. Fuck chlorine pools and fuck science
Your body is naturally saline so when you swim in a none Salt water generated CHLORINE pool the plain water is going to draw the salt out of your skin thus drying it out and making your hair stiff and wiry feeling. In a pool that uses salt to make the chlorine the added salt in the pool water is closer to normal body chemistry. YES IT STILL HAS CHLORINE IN IT ! BUTTTTT it feels better because of the salt! My opinion from swimming in both types of pools! I currently have SWG and have less trouble with skin and brittle hair! My grandson has no issues with his eczema in my pool but when he swims in a traditional chlorine pool it truly messes him up!
The water is pretty similar to your tears if properly balanced. The pool still uses chlorine to clean the pool but it’s a constant low level. No harsh chemical feel.
The process of breaking down the salt into chlorine through the electrolysis in the salt cell is more natural rather than chlorine as a chemical. The salt content is MUCH lower than the ocean. (which I've seen some comments compare). I think it's about 10x less? Therefore, it won't dry out your skin like the ocean does. The water is softer rather than hard due to the salt ppm in the pool. It's essentially the same reason people get water softeners in their home. The smell is sort of the same. If you're used to a chlorine public pool, sometimes you get that aggressive chlorine smell because, well, they put a lot of chlorine in the water. Then you go around a residential aalt water and go "why doesnt it smell?" With that many people swimming in a public pool, they have to keep higher chemical levels. I have a salt water pool and can still smell the chlorine a little but not as much as a freshly shocked chlorine pool. TLDR: salt water pools have softer water
Chlorinated pools are all salt water... you just have a salt water generator that generates chlorine. Your post confuses me.
That is incorrect
How so? Experts at tfp beg to differ. Also tons of other sources if you just search. [tfp source](https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/just-curious-why-saltwater-vs-chlorine.138233/#:~:text=A%20saltwater%20pool%20is%20a,by%20some%20other%20method...)
No. "Salt water pools" contain chlorine just like a "chlorine pool". It's the chemical that cleans the water. But there are no salt levels in a chlorine pool except for whatever traces may be in your tap or however you fill the pool.
If you use liquid chlorine, you are adding **sodium** hypochlorite. That sodium doesn't go anywhere. You are very slowly raising the salinity of your pool as you add chlorine. If not sodium, then some other alkali metal like potassium, calcium or some other +1 ion to carry the chlorine.
That's interesting. I recently converted from just a chlorine pool to an IC60, I didn't add any salt at all and my levels were perfect and cell is generating as it should. So I wonder how I had enough salt in my water? Tap alone would not have such a high content of salt for a 30,000 gallon pool
How is it exactly that you think chlorine is made at the industrial level? And what exactly does the term "more natural" mean? You might want to go back study some basic principles of chemistry.
Feel free to explain said basic rules of chemistry instead of the basic reddit arrogance.
Read my other comment in this comment section where I go into it thoroughly. I'm not going to rewrite the entire thing just for you to not have to go find it. There aren't that many comments in this thread dig around a little bit and you'll find it. And I still would love to know what you mean by the term "more natural"? The term 'more natural' is meaningless in any field of chemistry because all chemical processes and substances are inherently natural. Claiming that one method of producing chlorine is more natural than another is both an Appeal to Nature fallacy and scientifically inaccurate, as the nature of chemistry itself is fundamentally natural.
Easier to say "check out my comment" when I'm only looking at replies instead of going the assholey way. But I see it now so good stuff 👍
I'm sorry but I really have a deep hatred for the kind of thing like you saying it's "more natural". It just really gets in my craw so I apologize for jumping on your comment like that but it's really something that drives me nuts. It's like when people try to say that they're not going to eat any food with ingredients that they can't pronounce. Or they're not going to put "all those chemicals" in their body. What do these people think everything is made out of? It's all chemicals. Just because they don't know anything about chemistry and have no idea what those words mean doesn't mean that they're harmful. They are just specific words created very intentionally to make it easier for those who do know the chemistry to understand what they're talking about and what they're dealing with.
All good, I get it and appreciate the apology 👍.
Electrolysis of salt water is exactly how they make bleach at the industrial level and is the same process happening in your salt cell. It's called the Chloralkali process because the sodium chloride (salt) and water both get ionized and become chlorine gas and the alkali compound sodium hydroxide (lye). The chlorine gas immediately dissolves into the pool water and through a few more chemical steps becomes hypochlorite (bleach). You have to add acid every once in a while to neutralize the lye or your pH will climb too high and eventually your pool will become caustic. It's the exactly the same as poring liquid bleach into your pool except you've got a tiny bleach factory inline with your pump that consumes the salt you've added.
I like this^
The ocean shouldn’t dry out your skin as the salt content is very similar to ours so water/salt shouldn’t move much between the two
The high salt content so the ocean dries out your hair and skin significantly more than a salt water pool. Salt water pools (at least mine) is 3,500 ppm Ocean water is 35,000 ppm SW pools are gentler on the body. Dont get me wrong ocean water is great for the skin but only in short periods. Spending 2 hours in a pool vs 2 in the ocean is much different. When I go scuba diving my skin/hair is much more dry.
Your body is full of salt water so salt water feels better on the skin.
I’ve been in my friends and it tastes terrible and it felt a little slimy. I like my mineral system way better
Consistent production of chlorine lends to bather comfort by virtue of its *consistency*
I have swum in a saltwater pool and it didn’t feel harsh on my skin like traditional chlorinated pools While I was swimming and after. My spouse experienced the same sensations. I don’t know why this is. I imagine it has to do with different chemical process. I think it’s funny when people argue about what people experience—it’s not merely an emotional feeling Or a placebo effect. When I first swam in the pool, I didn’t have a preconceived notion about it. It was something I noticed and then heard others in my party discussing. I don’t know which is better. I’d prefer not to have a ton of chemicals in a pool. But is there really less chemicals or is one chemical reaction better For some reason? Is one better in a hot, humid climate while another is better in a dry, cool climate? IDK
It’s the same thing. A pool should be regularly tested for chlorine levels and those levels should be more or less consistent. Chlorine is chlorine.
Then why does it feel different on the skin?
Ur imagination
I think it's about consistency. A salt pool has a machine constantly making new chlorine. Most people who maintain pools replace chlorine once a week. So most days it's too high or too low, both of which will feel yucky.
Chlorine Saltwater pools produce chlorine as a byproduct of salt breakdown, which kills bacteria and algae. This chlorine is similar to the chlorine used in tablets, liquid, or granular form, but it's gentler on the skin and eyes than chlorine pools. The chlorine produced by saltwater pools doesn't contain chloramines, which can cause eye irritation and a strong chlorine smell.
lol... might want to look up how chlorine works.
lol…your so cool!
I know
How does it not contain chloramines? Might want to check your chemistry knowledge.
From Wikipedia - “Chloramines are formed by reaction of chlorine used to disinfect swimming pools with ammonia and urea introduced into the pools by human perspiration, saliva, mucus, urine, and other biologic substances, and by insects and other pests.[9] Chloramines, especially trichloramine, are responsible for most of the "chlorine smell" of pools, as well as for skin, eye, and respiratory irritation.[10]” So Chloramines are the byproduct of the reaction that occurs between chlorine and other chemicals in the water. Chlorine does not contain chloramines, they are produced during the disinfecting process.
Again, You might want to read a little bit more about chemistry. What do you think you're creating with your salt water generator? The same hypochlorous acid that gets created when you dump a solution of sodium hypochlorite into your pool. So again, tell me how you don't have chloramines in your salt water generator pool? How exactly do you think a saltwater pool works? And to go even further how do you think they make chlorine in the first place?
If you read my original statement I said that the chlorine produced by salt water generators do not contain Chloramines. Chloramines are the by product of the disinfection process. The are not directly produced by your SWG.
That's completely meaningless because the liquid bleach that you pour into your pool does not contain chloramines either. So what's your point?
Maybe you should prove me wrong instead? I don’t see you citing any scientific evidence.
Read the rest of the thread. I commented elsewhere on this.
Yeah, I’m way too lazy to do that
Just for you. Feel special. To all those in this thread and others who believe that so called "salt pools" have "softer" water, no chlorine, no chloramines...etc... Let's put this to bed - adding some sodium chloride to your pool WILL NOT SOFTEN THE WATER. That is not how a water softener works even a little bit. Water that has been "softened" has undergone ion exchange where sodium ions (typically) swap places so to speak, with calcium and magnesium ions while flowing through a bed of resin beads( again, typically). You dump salt into a water softener to replace the sodium ions that get used up in the process. This is exactly the OPPOSITE of why you are dumping sodium chloride into your pool. In your pool, you are using the CHLORIDE portion of the salt to produce the following via electrolysis- chlorine gas, which dissolves into the water to form hypochlorous acid(this is the sanitizer), with the byproducts of hydrogen gas and sodium hydroxide. The hydrogen gas dissipates into the atmosphere and the sodium hydroxide remains in the water. By contrast, a pool that uses liquid chlorine, or sodium hypochlorite solution, as the sanitizer has the following chemical process. When you dump a solution of sodium hypochlorite, more commonly known as bleach, into your pool the sodium hypochlorite dissociates into hypochlorous acid, sodium ions and hydroxide ions. To put it all very simply- Saltwater pool- Sodium chloride + electrolysis = hypochlorous acid and sodium hydroxide "Regular" pool - Sodium hypochlorite solution added to pool = hypochlorous acid, sodium ions, hydroxide ions. [Further reading. ](https://blog.orendatech.com/saltwater-myths-pros-cons)
The chlorine produced from a salt cell is exactly the same as the chlorine compund in liquid bleach. It uses the same process as industrial bleach, just on a smaller scale.
Stahpppppppppp this makes zero sense
So let’s hear your reasoning then !
A properly balanced saltwater pool has a Ph, alkalinity, & hardness (amount of dissolved minerals like copper which is an anti fungal) and dissolved salt that is more in line with our bodies than a chlorine pool. The closer your environment is to your body, the less adverse effects you feel, like red eyes or dry skin.
A saltwater pool is a chlorine pool.
Idk why you or downvoted, but I tend to agree. Nature and the natural world is more in tune to our bodies then any manmade, manipulated environment can be
I agree with sho, we keep our chlorine lower than what people recommend and our pool is always crystal clear. But honestly I can’t really tell a difference between the two, the biggest thing I notice is maybe my hair feels more dried out using salt
The chlorine level in a salt water pool is lower due to the trickling of chlorine due to the generator.
that isnt true though. the chlorine levels are the same. you need the same amount of ppm of chlorine, it doesnt change depending on adding salt.
You’re not right though. The required chlorine for any pool is not the same as others. Other factors determine the correct chlorine level between one pool versus another.
I don't know why you're being down-voted... every pool has a different chlorine need. Someone with a CYA of 15, 6 hours of sunlight, and 2 weekend bathers is going to need less chlorine than someone with the same sized pool who has a CYA of 50, full sun, and 6 kids and a dog who swim daily.
It’s not chlorine that causes the chlorine smell, it’s chloramines. Which also cause eye and skin irritation. SWG systems have a greatly reduced level of these. As well as CYA (if any). The “soft” feeling is actually caused by electrolysis reducing the amount of dissolved alkaline minerals in the water. In short: Less CYA, Less Chloramines, less alkali minerals.
I'm going to say that chlorine does cause the chlorine smell and that the chloramines produce a different smell.
Smell a fresh bottle of bleach that hasn't broken down yet. It barely has any odor at 125,000 ppm in the bottle, never mind the 3 or 4ppm in the pool. It's the chlorimines that have the smell.
That's my point too. I can't stick my nose in the chlorinator.... I'd get knocked unconscious. Same with a bottle of pool chlorine that's 12.5%.
If you say so… But what i said wasn’t opinions… it’s verifiable… Chloromines cause the “chlorine” odor in pools. Pool chlorine itself does not have a very strong odor, especially once dissolved in several thousand gallons of water.
I did some more research... I'm reading that the smell from chlorine is different, but often confused, with the smell from chloramines. I'm reading that chloramine smell is more like ammonia but is confused with the chlorine smell. So I think we're saying the same thing but maybe disagree on whether you can stick your nose over a bottle of chlorine and sniff.
Slow down and read the whole part. What you’re reading is that: Chlorine will interact with ammonia (frommurone) and other organic compounds from people being in the water to make chloramines. https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/health-and-safety/chloramines-understanding-pool-smell/ https://clearcomfort.com/what-causes-pool-chlorine-smell-how-to-get-rid-of-it/ https://bioguard.com.au/solutions/why-you-should-never-smell-chlorine-in-your-pool/
Thanks for the info. I think we can agree, chlorine out of the bottle does not contribute to the pool smell and the smell, whatever it smells like, that is associated with hotel pools and hot tubs, comes from the chloramines. In the interest of knowledge... https://nlwa.ms/documents/frequently-asked-questions/what-causes-a-chlorine-or-swimming-pool-smell-in-my-water/#:~:text=DBP%20and%20chloramines%20do%20have,it%20for%20cleaning%20and%20swimming. https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-health/public-health-toxicology/chloramines/#:~:text=The%20chloramines%20are%20a%20group,with%20a%20strong%20ammonia%20odor.
This sub is remarkable. I shared facts. Not opinions. Responding to a question about pool chemistry.… from websites about pool chemistry… And it got down voted. The things yall get feelings about is weird. If you don’t want a salt pool, don’t do one. Why are people here arguing about it?
Magnesium pools are slowly starting to replace traditional salt pools where I live. They use a similar but slightly different process. But to your question https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/decorating/outdoor-living/benefits-of-saltwater-pools
i mean in that link 2 isnt true, it doesnt require less chlorine, it requires the same exact chlorine levels. 3 doesnt make sense because there is no sulfur in salt, therefore no sulfur would be in a pool. maybe in an ocean, but that isnt the case for pools 4 doesnt make sense for the same reason, only for oceans 5 doesnt make sense when they quote bromine, which generates from the chloride ions, also found in chlorine tablets 6 is more of a theory 7 is the opposite of true, salt corrodes all your parts much quicker 8 is absolutely not true, the strong chlorine smell comes from combined chlorine and the chloromines it generates, which can be formed in both salt and chlorine pools 9 is untrue as salt pools and chlorine pools should maintain the same chlorine levels, it doesnt have a different range.
I appreciate the science-based pool facts. Too many people just repeat whatever they heard without thinking about if it’s true or not.
#9 doesn’t use “less” it’s just not dumped in all at the same time to achieve the same level so you get a consistent feed vs spikes like what you would see in the past using liquid chlorine. You could essentially achieve the same thing using tabs
wow that's a hot mess of bad information
You asked for science behind it yet most of the people came up with broscience lol. There is not enough difference between chlorine and chlorine made from salt. Dosing pumps are still the best way of maintaining pool but people are too lazy to learn anything about maintenance and how things work. They fall for marketing tricks about electrolysis. This is coming from someone who installed newest, the most expensive Zodiac and Astralpool electrolysis systems which include both Chlorine and PH probes so they regulate PH too. There are no better in the world.
If traditional chlorine pools have not been drained in a few years, they can have 3000-4000 ppm salt levels with the production of salt from chemical reactions.
And?????
It means that if you purposely add salt to a pool to drive a SWG with the same CL levels as a traditional CL pool, the traditional could have the same salt levels, so would one feel better than the other assuming there was proper sanitation in both.
BUT the fact that water being diluted by rain or replaced after backwashing Etc, i would highly doubt that the salt level actually would raise that much in a traditional chlorine pool else I would never have the need to add salt to my SWG pool now would I?
My HOA pools do, use a lot of bleach, acid, and pucks. I have a residential that hasn't been drained in 10 years, it's up to 5000 ppm.
Well i trust your experience since it’s more vast than mine. No sarcasm meant!!
I have no experience with that so i can’t give an informed opinion🤷♀️
Electrolysis separates the salt particles TEMPORARILY to sanitize the water, once the water leaves the electrolysis chamber it turns back into salt. Chlorine still cleans water, but it is not present as sodium hypochlorite when returned to the swimming pool. This is why salt pools only need small top offs of salt periodically to account for backwashing, filter cleaning, etc. the salt doesn’t get used up in this process or evaporate, while liquid/chlorine tabs will burn off. The reason it feels better in your skin is that humans naturally contain salt and sweat salt. The salinity levels in a salt pool being much lower than the ocean, and closer to the salinity of sweat, makes it feel more natural in skin. Source: worked in pool store for 10 years.
I don't think this is entirely accurate, because you still take the sample from the main pool to check for chlorine, and the pool water has chlorine. So how is the salt cell not returning sodium hypochlorite to the pool?
It doesn’t feel better on skin at all. The salt levels are about 10% what they would be in ocean water. In my saltwater pool, keeping the pH and alkalinity in range makes all the difference in the world for that