for New Equipment Installation - Residential homeowners within service area
Ask About
Energy-Saving Variable Speed Pool Pumps
Pool Owner’s Guide · Your Water
Salt: The Gentle Source of a Salt Pool’s Chlorine
by Spectrum Pool Care
A salt pool isn’t a chlorine-free pool; it’s a pool that makes its own chlorine from a gentle amount of salt. Here’s how that works, and the level to aim for.
In a salt pool, water flows through a salt cell on the equipment pad. A low electrical current passing through the cell turns some of the dissolved salt into chlorine, which sanitizes the pool just as chlorine does in any other pool. As the chlorine does its work, it reforms into salt, ready to pass through the cell again. The salt is recycled rather than used up.
Most salt systems are designed for about 2,700 – 3,400 ppm, often with an ideal near 3,200 ppm. The exact target is printed on your cell or in its manual.
For Perspective
How Salty Is a Salt Pool?
The ocean
About 35,000 ppm. A salt pool is roughly a tenth as salty as the sea.
Human tears
About 9,000 ppm. A salt pool is about a third as salty as tears, which is part of why it feels soft.
A salt pool
About 3,200 ppm. Most people can barely taste it, and many describe the water as silky.
The salt itself
Pool salt is simply high-purity sodium chloride, the same compound as table salt, without additives.
Keeping It Steady
What Moves the Salt Level
Water leaving the pool. Splash-out, backwashing, draining and overflow from heavy rain carry salt away; fresh water then dilutes what remains.
Evaporation. Water evaporates but salt doesn’t, so salt stays behind until fresh water is added to top off.
Adding salt. When the level runs low, pool-grade salt is added and brushed around until it dissolves.
The cell’s comfort zone. Too little salt and the cell produces less chlorine; well above the range and many systems will signal a warning.
The other numbers still matter. Salt pools tend to push pH upward, and calcium can collect on the cell plates, so pH, alkalinity and calcium are kept in range too.
From our routes: on salt pools we test the salt level along with the rest of the water chemistry. Salt cells also need an occasional cleaning or service. If something catches our eye, we’ll let you know, and if your system shows a warning light, give us a call.
