Apr
11

Pros and Cons of Converting to a Saltwater Pool

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Pool owners have many positive and negative aspects they should consider before they convert their pools to salt systems. While swimming in salt water is considered more enjoyable than swimming in traditionally chlorinated pools, the costs of initial installation and keeping up repairs can be off-putting to some homeowners. Here are some of the pros and cons of converting to a saline pool system.

Maintenance
Maintaining your saline pool is easier than maintaining a chlorinated pool. Because your salt system converts the salt to the needed chlorine, you are not having to constantly add more chlorine to your pool. This makes maintenance much easier. You still have to check your pool’s water for the appropriate chemical levels, but you do not have to be constantly pouring in buckets of chemicals to keep your pool safe.

Softer Water
Although saltwater pools do still contain chlorine, their water is much milder than in traditional systems. They are also not nearly as salty as you might imagine, having a salt content that is more like that in human tears than ocean water. This makes for a much more pleasant experience with swimming because opening your eyes underwater will not sting or burn the way it would if you opened your eyes in a conventional pool system.

Chemical Costs
One of the huge advantages saline systems have over traditional chlorine systems is that the chemicals necessary to keep the water safe are substantially cheaper. Salt does not evaporate in the same way as chlorine, so you are not faced with the frequent expense of replacing evaporated chlorine-instead, you have to pay the minimal cost of adding salt only a couple of times a season (at worst).

Initial Cost
One of the major cons that homeowners face when they are considering converting their system to a saltwater pool is the initial cost. Most pool owners find this cost to be manageable, but it is a minimum of several hundred dollars to purchase and have the chlorine generator installed. Your pool may also have other specific needs before it is converted, so you should be certain you know all of the costs involved before you commit to converting. Your pool repair and installation contractor will be able to give you a full estimate before you begin switching your system.

Repair Costs
It’s one of the facts of chemistry that salt is a corrosive substance. Because of this, the metal in your saltwater pool is going to undergo more corrosion than it might in a chlorine-only pool. Since many parts of your pool do rely on metal pieces, you may need to replace various parts of your pool more frequently than you might have to with a chlorinated pool. Some experts suggest that some of this corrosion comes from improperly maintained chlorine levels, but the presence of salt does contribute as well.

Whether you opt to convert your pool to a salt system or choose to stay with the chlorine pool you already have, be sure to contact a pool maintenance company to keep your pool running at its best. A qualified pool maintenance company can make your conversion to a saline pool a breeze, and they can also make the regular chemical balancing of a chlorine only system easy too.

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=G._Stephens

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Categories : Salt Water Pools

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