Pool chlorine

Chlorination has been the traditional method of pool sanitation for decades—almost by default, since there were no alternatives for this crucial aspect of owning a swimming pool. However, for many pool owners, chlorination is an old and outdated pool sanitation method they’ve discarded in favor of maintaining a salt water pool.

Chlorine

So what’s the problem with chlorine, anyway? It does exactly what it needs to—kills algae and bacteria, keeping the pool attractive and more importantly, a safe and sanitary place to swim. A pool that doesn’t get regular chlorine treatments will quickly become clogged with thick green algae. Depending on where you live, and especially in a warm climate like Florida, an untreated pool can become a green, sludgy nightmare inside of a week—the chlorine is definitely important.

If you maintain a chlorinated pool, however, it’s not enough to dump chlorine in periodically and let the pool fend for itself. There are other chemicals to add too, as well as regular testing to keep an eye on water quality. For example, you must make sure there is enough free available chlorine (meaning chlorine that is active) in the water to keep up with sanitizing the water. This is usually done with the use of weekly chlorine tablets.

Another important aspect of this maintenance is PH levels—the acidity or alkalinity of the water. If the PH gets too high, the chlorine in the pool isn’t able to work as efficiently. However, if the PH drops too low, the water quickly becomes too acidic to swim in comfortably. Keeping the PH at the right level is somewhat difficult, because the range at which it’s ‘just right’ is very narrow and many factors, including rain, affect this.

Chlorine is important for sanitation, but for many people it’s also a source of irritation. The harsh chemicals that are added to pre-packaged pool chlorine irritate the skin and eyes, making swimming a highly unpleasant experience. It is important to note that it’s not the chlorine that’s the problem—in most cases it’s the chemicals which are added to the pre-packaged mix.

Salt Water

The main advantage of a salt water pool isn’t that it doesn’t use chlorine. In fact, a salt water pool does use chlorine to keep the water clean. The advantage is that the pool owner doesn’t add chlorine to the pool—that means no pre-packaged chlorine, and less irritation for people who are sensitive to the added chemicals. Salt water tends to be much softer than chlorinated water, so it’s much more pleasurable to swim in, and is much less harsh on your skin. In addition, a salt water pool usually has a much lower concentration of chlorine than a chlorinated pool.