A huge advantage that saltwater generators (SWG) have is, there is always a chlorine residual in the pool. In a typical chlorine pool, here is what a week can look like. Your pool professional comes on Tuesday, adds a gallon or two of liquid chlorine and your pool free chlorine level jumps to 14-20 parts per million. By Thursday the sun has burnt off the excess chlorine and your level has dropped to a very healthy 5ppm. On Saturday you have a few family members over for a birthday party and with heavier than normal use your chlorine is used up and you are at close to zero until Tuesday when it gets spiked back up to a high number to try and make it through the next week.
Now that same pool with a salt cell managed by Big Family Pools. On Tuesday your pool professional checks the pool and because the level is at a solid 4 they add the proper amount of muriatic acid to lower the pH and some SC-1000 scaling agent to keep the salt cell clean and operating correctly and they add a little enzyme to fight off all the body oils and suntan lotions on the surface. On Saturday before the party, the chlorine is still at a 4 because the SWG has been doing its job. After the party, the chlorine level drops to a 1 and the next time the pump comes on the chlorine starts to rise again. The pool did not become a potential hazard for two days and the chlorine was ready to go on Sunday again to fight off bacteria and algae and keep your family safe.
You can see the benefits of a salt cell on a Chandler Pool.
FAQs
Q. I want a chlorine-free pool, will a salt cell give me that?
A. No. There is no such thing as a safe chlorine-free pool at this time. The salt cell uses an electric current to turn the salt in the pool into pure liquid chlorine.
Q. I don’t like the taste of salt in my water, won’t it be like the ocean?
A. Not at all. The salt content needed to generate chlorine is about 3000 parts per million. The ocean is about 50,000 parts per million. You won’t even notice it except for how soft the water will feel.
Q. My son’s skin seems to get irritated by chlorine, can this help?
A. Possible yes. As mentioned in the scenario above, regular weekly service requires us to spike your chlorine level to keep it safe for the 10,060 minutes a week we are not there. With a SWG we can dial in your system to maintain the absolute lowest number for your chlorine to be effective, which is determined by your CyA number. If you want to keep an even lower chlorine level we recommend pairing your salt cell with a UV system.
Q. A SWG is low maintenance right?
A. Well, it does make it so you don’t need to add as much chlorine weekly, but it does create more work too. A big mistake people make is they think, I have a salt cell, I don’t really need to check my water chemistry. Then six weeks later their water is turning green with algae and their chlorine level is zero and they are wondering what happened. Salt systems add chlorine, but they also cause issues that will be mitigated when proactively treated every week.
Q. Why does my salt cell need to be cleaned every few weeks?
A. As mentioned in the last question, salt cells can cause issues if not maintained properly. I recently installed a new system on a pool and the owner called me just four weeks later saying they didn’t think the system was working. I tested the water when I arrived and sure enough, the chlorine level was zero, the pH was 8.4, phosphates were through the roof and the water was scaling on the LSI chart. I knew what I was going to see even before I walked over to the equipment pad, a new salt cell caked in calcium buildup. They hired me on the spot to start maintaining their pool and four months later when it was time for me to clean the cell there were just a few very minor calcium nodes to clean.
After only 4 weeks of use. 
Water chemistry matters
Q. Aren’t salt cell units so expensive to replace?
A. Depends on the size and type of the cell. The unit we use most and recommend the most for pools up to 20,000 gallons costs only about $420 to replace. For a large pool, it could go up to about $1150.
Q. I heard cells need to be replaced every 3-4 years, is that true?
A. Well, 3-4 years is the reported expected life cycle of a cell. But there are things we can do that can extend life expectancy. A high-quality trade-grade cell that is well maintained is expected to last roughly 10,000 of operation at 100% output. Well maintained is the key phrase there.
Q. How can you extend the cell life expectancy?
A. While there is no guarantee that the cell is going to last longer, our experience shows a well-maintained cell can last well past the 3-4 years of life expectancy. Which saves the pool owner money. We monitor the chlorine output with exact readings every week. As the water warms up in the summer and uses increases we adjust the cell output up. As the water cools down and there is less use in the off-season we back the output way down from 100%. As we dial it down from 100% we are extending the life of the cell. We also monitor pH and the LSI scale weekly. This helps delay the inevitable calcium buildup on the cell plates. And finally, we use PR-10000 phosphates remover, CV-600 enzymes, and SC-1000 scaling agents which all work to help oxidize so less chlorine is needed to be effective and also helps prevent buildup.
Q. If a cell only lasts 3-5 years is it worth it?
A. Absolutely a salt cell is worth it. A salt cell allows you to have healthier water without spiking the chlorine level every week. And a week later even after heavy use your water will still have a safe level of chlorine and not be dangerously low. Salt cells don’t last forever, but the benefits they provide to the pool owner is huge. When it does come time to replace the cell, a replacement is much cheaper than the original whole unit which included the power center.
Q. Are there any other ways the salt cell will save me money?
A. Yes, when we use a properly sized trade-grade salt cell we usually do not need to use chlorine tabs in your pool. This allows us to go a lot longer without needing to drain the pool. Instead of doing a 1/2 drain every 2 years at $180-$220 average, we can extend that life of the water a lot longer.
If you have any other questions or want an estimate on the system best for your pool, call us at 480-331-5331.