We speak with a rather large number of callers who ask, "just how does a salt water pool work?" Some of these pool owners have heard about saving money, easier maintenance, and a better swimming experience. However, they don't necessarily know how salt water pools work or why these claims are true. Let's start from the beginning and explore just how does a salt pool work.
What Makes it a Salt Pool?
Every pool needs circulation and sanitation - so the swimming pool system will have a circulation pump, a filter, and some means of water sanitation - for many that is chlorine tablets or liquid chlorine. A saltwater pool simply means that you use an electronic device called an automatic salt chlorine generator as your source of pool water sanitatio,.
A Salt Pool System’s Automatic Sanitation
Since sanitation is one of the critical pillars of pool care, the automatic sanitation provided by salt chlorine generators is a huge benefit. This is why salt pool systems are the modern, efficient, and preferred method of pool care.
A salt pool system automatically sanitizes the pool because it is designed to run every day in tandem with the circulation system.
A saltwater pool’s chlorine generator is installed as a part of the pool’s circulation system, after the pump and the filter, and has two main components, the chlorine generator salt cell and its control module. Along with these two components, there is of course a very low level of salinity in the pool water. The actual salt level is so low that it is near to what is still technically freshwater, and at less than 10% of the average level in seawater isn’t even comparable to the ocean. In pretty much every other way, a salt pool is outwardly no different from traditional pools.
The chlorine generator’s control module powers the salt cell, controls the system, and has status/warning lights.
When powered by the control module, how does a salt cell work? A salt cell contains within it, a group of titanium plates through which a small electric charge gets applied in order to convert the salt in the pool water into a pure form of chlorine. Through this process, the salt system generates the chlorine the pool needs directly within the pool system, on demand.
The salt pool system automatically sanitizes the pool because it is designed to run every day in tandem with the circulation system. It consistently creates a set amount of chlorine to match your pool’s sanitation needs, so that you can reliably have a blue, clear, swimmable pool without having to regularly buy and add chlorine manually.
How Does A Salt Pool Work? Explaining The Science
Salt, or Sodium Chloride, is a compound comprised of pairs of Sodium (Na) and Chlorine (Cl) atoms. A very low level of salt is added to the swimming pool when the salt chlorine generator gets installed. When a pool's pump circulates the water through the salt chlorinator cell, a mild electric current flows between the titanium plates. Through a process called electrolysis, the electric current breaks the bonds of the dissolved salt and water (H2O) molecules and forms Sodium Hypochlorite and Hypochlorous Acid - pure forms of chlorine.
This pure form of chlorine in the pool provides the necessary sanitation for the pool water.
Because of the consistent operation of the salt system and the intense chlorination occurring inside the salt cell, by-products such as chloramines are eliminated. Absent these byproducts, you have pool water that doesn't irritate eyes and skin or bleach swimwear or discolor hair. On top of that, you eliminate the dreaded "chlorine smell."
This pure form of chlorine in the pool provides the necessary sanitation for the pool water. But, here is where we see the magic of this science as the sodium and chlorine atoms reform into salt. Once reconstituted, the salt becomes available to generate that pure form chlorine again in an ongoing, virtuous cycle.
Optimizing the Circulation of Your Salt Pool
Making The Most of Your Salt Chlorinator
Not only can you upgrade your pool to have automatic sanitation at a much lower cost than conventional chlorination, you can achieve this while lowering your energy costs and maximizing your pool filter effectiveness.
As mentioned, circulation is one of the other critical pillars of pool care. Since the way that salt water pools work goes hand-in-hand with how the pump moves water through the salt cell, an ideal salt pool also has optimized circulation. So not only can you upgrade your pool to have automatic sanitation at a much lower cost than conventional chlorination, you can achieve this while lowering your energy costs and maximizing your pool filter effectiveness.
Compare how a salt pool works, generating chlorine and adding a steady amount to the pool water. A reliable, steady dose of chlorine released throughout the daily circulation/filtration of the water provides a stable chlorine level in the water - not too low, not too high, staying predictably in range.
In contrast, owners of traditionally chlorinated pools manually add chlorine to their pool typically 1-3 times a week. So, as you might expect, the chlorine levels easily go back and forth between levels that are well-above and well-below the target level.
That being the case, the longer a salt chlorinator's operating time, the steadier your chlorine level will be and the more effective your pool sanitation: your pool’s “shields” are always up. Teaming the salt system with a Variable Speed Pump (VSP) makes a serious difference in your salt water chlorination, as well as dramatically reducing your pool’s energy usage, and providing optimal circulation.
If you're not familiar with VSPs, their permanent-magnet brushless motors and programmable-speed capabilities give them the ability to use up to 85% less energy* than old single-speed pumps. In fact, their power savings can translate into paying for themselves in as little as 1-2 years. Making use of the VSP's lower speeds and a longer runtime gives you more effective filtration. Not only can you ensure that a sufficient amount of water is getting circulated through your filter, but the VSP’s flow rates allow the filter to capture more and finer particulate.
Variable speed pumps are so energy effective, you can even run a VSP 24 hours a day and still save dramatically on your power bill. Including a variable speed pump as a part of your salt pool upgrade is win-win all around: get improved salt chlorination, get improved filtration, all while lowering your energy usage!
Since VSPs are programmable, they can eliminate the need for an external timer or any other form of automation controls. So the simple combination of a salt chlorine generator with a Variable Speed Pump gives you a pool that can comparatively save money, reduce maintenance time, provide reliable automatic operation, eliminate chlorine handling, improve the swimming experience, enhance filtration, and give you safe, sparkling, clear water.
Conclusion
To recap, the answer to “how does a saltwater swimming pool work” is by employing electrolysis to steadily and automatically convert salt and water into a pure form of chlorine that sanitizes pool water without resorting to harsh chemical chlorine. The optimal combination of a saltwater system with a Variable Speed Pump provides the best possible pool upgrade - giving you an even more stable chlorine level, enhanced filtration, and ongoing savings in operating costs.
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Advantages of a Salt Chlorinator Choose The Right Salt Chlorinator*Savings based on Energy Star savings calculator with 2.0THP variable-speed pump compared to a 1.5HP single-speed pump running US average run times and energy costs on a 20,000 gallon pool as of 2023. Actual savings may vary based on local utility rates, pool size, pump run time, pump horsepower, pump RPM, plumbing size and length, pump model, service factor and/or other local or hydraulic factors.
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