Salt Water Pool Chlorination

The Process of Salt Water Chlorination

The paper aims to present a technical description of the process of salt water chlorination. The targeted audience is the homeowners who are searching for the cost-effective method of pool sanitization. The principal objective of presenting the description in this format is that most homeowners prefer the option of the system of saltwater chlorination for the swimming pool, thus the need to explain how salt water produces water for the pool.

Misunderstandings about Salt Water Chlorination

Saltwater chlorination is perhaps the most misunderstood notion in the pool maintenance industry. To set things right, salt water chlorination is a method which utilizes dissolved salt as a store for the system of chlorination (Porat 541). The primary distinction between the salt water chlorination and the standard chlorine system is how the pool is sanitized (Palmer and Stuart 162). In the presence of dissolved salt, the chlorine generator, also known as a salt generator or salt chlorinator, utilizes electrolysis to generate sodium hypochlorite and hypochlorous acid, which are disinfecting agents mostly used in swimming pools (Chen et al. 849). Thus, it is clear salt water pool is not free from chlorine, it merely uses a chlorine generator and salt rather than direct use of chlorine.

Purpose of Salt Water Chlorination

Similar to other systems of sanitation, the use of salt water chlorination is to decrease the microorganisms’ level to safe levels. Some disinfecting products have an ancillary purpose, which is oxidation of organic contaminants such as sunscreen, body oil, urine, and sweat. Oxidation is a process of burning up organic pollutants (Chen et al. 849). Unfortunately, saltwater chlorination does not have the potential to oxidize contaminants, instead serves on sanitation purpose (Chen et al. 849). However, one of the principal advantages of this process is the reduced process of chloramines. Chloramines are the end-product of oxidation and are the primary cause of eye irritation (Palmer and Stuart 162). The other advantages influencing homeowners to switch from traditional chlorine pools to saltwater pools include healthy for the skin, minimal maintenance, lower upkeep cost, and fewer chemicals (Palmer and Stuart 162).

How Salt Water Produces Chlorine for the Pool

Conferring to figure1 below, sanitization of the salt water pool works slightly different from the traditional process. Rather than utilizing shock and tablets, it makes use of a chlorine generator. Also, instead of other substances, chlorinators of salt water utilize table salt as well as harmless and small electric current to disinfect pool water (Deloche et al. 498). The other distinction is that in the standard-chlorination process, chlorine is manually and continuously poured to dissolve in the water, while, in a saltwater chlorination, a re-generative method produces chlorine (Deloche et al. 498). Moreover, it is crucial to note that, the salt water generator fundamentally consists of a salt cell and a control box. The salt cell is made up of metal plates which are connected to the control box. The principal function of the control box is to send an electric charge to the metal plates that create chlorine in a process known as electrolysis (Von Broembsen and Michael Podolak 158). Furthermore, a control box consists of down and up arrow buttons which can easily be accessed and depending on homeowners’ preference, one can decrease or increase the production of salt (Deloche et al. 498). Most of the control boxes also have boost mode, which allows a homeowner to run the system at 100% production, and is equivalent to shocking a pool manually.

Figure 1: How Saltwater Produces Chlorine for the Pool

First, as shown in figure 1 above, the pool water is converted to salt water, thus, creating a solution that is mild saline. It’s worth noting, the salt used in the process is standard sodium chloride, which is the same substance utilized as salt shaker at home (Deloche et al. 498). However, a highly concentrated salt need not be poured into the skimmer since it might cause to blow in the salt cell as a result of over-conductivity. The appropriate method of salt addition is to pour it on the pool floor and then brush it in until it is fully dissolved (Porat 541)

Next, as shown in figure 1 above, a salt chlorinator is added to the filtration system of the pool, which water passage device as it flows during the day. Chlorination happens at this particular stage. When table salt is dissolved in the pool water and later exposed to electrolysis in the metal plates, the chloride segment of the salt is converted into a sanitizer, which can oxidize algae, virus, bacteria, and other contaminants that would probably develop in the pool water (Von Broembsen and Michael Podolak 158). In other words, when the salt water is subjected to the electric current, the table salt is changed to chloride ions and later chloride gas that allows pure chlorine to be spread throughout the pool water. The salt chlorinator uses table salt to generate a chlorine-gas which dissolves into the pool water, and is the by-product which maintains the cleanliness of the water (Shalon and Christopher 897). Besides, it is a reversible process; thus, it does not consume the table salt, which is recycled over and over again. However, if the homeowner fails to clean the chlorine generators’ cells, those corroded and calcified cells will generate little chlorine (Porat 541).

Conclusion

In conclusion, saltwater chlorination is a very cost-effective, healthy, and simple method, but it is not a chlorine-free process since the table salt is converted to pure chlorine. Therefore, it might not be a preference for individuals allergic to chlorine.

References

Chen, Patrick, et al. “Systems and methods for controlling chlorinators.” U.S. Patent Application No. 15/889,849.

Palmer, Ross Leslie, and Stuart Bruce Anderson. ”Method for water treatment.” U.S. Patent No. 9,551,162. 24 Jan. 2017.

Porat, Joseph. ”Electrochemical chlorine generator assembly for use in pool cleaner.” U.S. Patent No. 9,353,541. 31 May 2016.

Shalon, Tadmor, and Christopher Loew. ”Water test and treatment system.” U.S. Patent Application No. 29/579,897.

Von Broembsen, David, Chris Warwick, and Michael Podolak. ”System and method for chlorine generation and distribution.” U.S. Patent No. 8,940,158. 27 Jan. 2015.

Deloche, Remi, et al. ”Systems and methods of properly orienting pool and spa equipment.” U.S. Patent Application No. 15/813,498.