Creating A More Beautiful Pool Area

When Is Chlorine The Better Choice?

2 June 2018

Adrian Spencer

Much has been made of switching your pool's water treatment system over to salt, and there are big advantages in doing so -- but don't rule out sticking with all-chlorine just yet. Salt, which actually produces some chlorine once it's in the pool water, is good, but there are times when traditional added chlorine is a better choice.

Cost Is the Big One

Maybe the house you just moved into came with a pool, or maybe you had a pool installed when you had more disposable income. In either case, you could be looking at ways to minimize your pool maintenance costs. In that case, stick with chlorine. Salt requires you to not only buy a generator but to run the generator for several hours each day. So you'd be paying for both the machinery and the added utility costs to run that machinery. And then there are the costs to fix the machinery if the generator breaks down.

If the machinery malfunctions and you don't realize it, you could also have to pay for clean-up costs to remove salt stains and corrosion.

It's Not Just the Generator

In addition to adding the generator, you might have to add different features to your pool. The salt in the water and the by-products created when the salt is used to produce chlorine can damage some traditional pool materials. If you wanted to switch to salt, you would have to redo quite a bit of the pool as well, lest you end up with big repair bills a few years down the road.

Misunderstandings

Salt isn't all bad, and for people who want to reduce exposure to harmful by-products of chlorine, salt can be a nice alternative. But it is not a completely natural and harmless alternative, and that can lead to misunderstandings.

Salt is good for people who don't react well to chlorine, but anyone using the pool needs to realize that they will still be exposed to a smaller amount. For people who jump in the pool thinking that the salt means there is no chlorine, that can be an unpleasant surprise. People who also want to reduce their use of harmful substances need to be aware that saltwater systems still produce the same chemicals as a chlorine system.

If you're still undecided what to use in the pool, you would benefit from calling a pool service that offers water treatment options to discuss details. Once you know the costs and requirements for your area and your specific pool, you can make a better decision. For more information, visit sites like http://www.arizonapimachemical.com.

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