Saltwater generators are also known as salt chlorinators, salt chlorine generators, or saltwater chlorinators.

These generators convert salt into chlorine, gradually keeping the water soft and clean, but it doesn’t mean you regularly clean your pool.

If you are looking for an alternative to going salty, this is the way to go.

A saltwater pool is not free from chlorine, as it contains lower levels of chlorine than a typical pool. You can’t have a pool that is completely chlorine-free.

How Does it Work?

A saltwater generator uses electrolysis to convert saltwater to chlorinated water. It takes sodium chloride (NaCl), known as table salt, and turns it into hypochlorous acid (HCLO).

The dissolved salt in your pool passes through the generator cell and over the charged plates when it’s running. This initiates chlorine generation.

The generator has a control board that controls the amount of electricity that runs through the system, regulating the amount of chlorine production. It’s also where you switch the entire system on and off.

Chlorine production is essential for keeping the saltwater pool clean, bacteria-free, and safe for swimming.

What’s The Cost?

Saltwater generators don’t come cheap, and they cost more than traditional chlorine systems. Anywhere from $1,400 to $3,000 will get you a saltwater generator installed in your pool.

The initial price is relatively high, but you can expect to spend about a third less on chemicals annually. Although, within five years, a chlorine versus a saltwater pool spends roughly the same amount in operating costs.

Adding this system to your pool is majorly for your comfort and not because you will be saving on chlorine cost or as a pool maintenance replacement.

You will still have to check the water pH, as sometimes the saltwater generator might raise the pH levels of the pool.

Longevity

The saltwater generator is an electronic device; just like other electronic devices, it needs to be replaced after a while. The good news is that this system has a long life span of 3 to 7 years; the higher-priced generators last even longer.

Make sure that you are using the suitable salt for your generator and maintain it properly to avoid system malfunctioning.

With this in mind, always buy the best quality of salt that doesn’t have anti-clumping agents and that is 99 percent pure, as this is healthy for you and also prolongs the life of the pool saltwater cells.

Ease Of Maintenance

When it comes to maintenance, saltwater generators are easy to maintain. This might surprise you, but it’s true; this is because you are not going to be handling harsh chemicals.

What you will be doing instead is putting salt into your pool and allowing the salt generator cell to convert that salt to chlorine.

This is an easy task to deal with; just ensure you check your chemicals once a week and adjust the settings on the system cell up or down for chlorine production.

Clean your filtering cells often depending on the amount of salt you add to your pool, and don’t forget to check whether your pool is balanced; add acid to lower pH and bicarbonate to raise the pH.

Also, remember to add salt to your pool at regular intervals because pools need salt to maintain the chlorine levels.

Will The Salt Hurt My Eyes?

Are you wondering whether the salt in the pool will hurt your eyes, skin, or your swimsuit? The answer is no. The amount of salt in your pool is relatively low compared to ocean water.

The water is softer to the eyes; this means you can open your eyes underwater without goggles for as long as you’d like, even children.

Your skin and hair won’t feel dry after swimming in a saltwater pool either. If you are allergic to chlorine, the levels of chlorine in this water are low.

Therefore, you will have lower irritation on your skin and eyes compared to when you add chlorine manually without the saltwater system.

Benefits Of A Salt Water Generator

Owning a saltwater generator has some benefits; the initial cost of purchasing the generator is undoubtedly high, but this minimizes your work of adding salt to your pool once annually.

With this plan, it becomes cheaper to own a saltwater generator in the long run.

Secondly, you will be protecting the environment from harmful chemicals by using natural salt, which is not detrimental to your body, and you will be preserving Mother Nature while at it.

The natural salt in the water will not discolor your swimsuit either.

In addition to this, it is comfortable to swim in this type of pool compared to chlorinated water, as this water is softer on the eyes, so no more red eyes.

Not to mention, if you have a skin infection like psoriasis, eczema, or you have sensitive skin, the water is easier on the skin and the level of irritability is low.

The saltwater generator will save you some money. It’s cheaper to maintain the generator, and you will also say bye-bye to buying chlorine products.

The lack of chlorine smell on the pool water makes the air around the pool favorable to people who have asthma as well.

Conclusion

If you want to buy a saltwater generator, make sure you do your research thoroughly on this system, as it has a lot of benefits and so that you can get the right value for your money.

If you want soft water for your skin, then a saltwater generator will be a great purchase to help you achieve this for your pool.

Remember that buying a saltwater generator is not an option to stop cleaning your pool regularly or checking its balance often.

This is because some saltwater generators increase the alkalinity of the water if not properly maintained. Also, ensure your generator cells are properly serviced regularly.