by Rainier Wong

Created on: September 22, 2008   Last Updated: September 25, 2008

Saltwater swimming pools or salt water pools are swimming pools with added salt. The salt is used to generate chlorine.

This is how a salt water pool works. The salt in the salt water pool enables electricity to be passed between two plates in the generator to produce

chlorine. This means you do not have to add chlorine in a salt water pool as you do with a traditional chlorine pool.

Saltwater pools have some advantages over traditional chlorine pools in terms of maintenance and health. In terms of maintenance, saltwater pools have the following advantages:

1. A saltwater pool is less expensive to maintain than a traditional chlorine pool as you do not have to periodically transport and add chlorine to the pool. All you need is salt which is cheaper to be used by a generator to generate chlorine.

2. You can save money on a saltwater pool as you do not need sanitizing agents for such pools.

3. You spend half the among of money on a saltwater pool as you would on a chlorine pool.

4. You do not really have to clean a saltwater pool as it virtually cleans itself.

In terms of health, a saltwater pool have the following advantages:

1. A saltwater pool is better for your health as they will not cause red eyes as the chlorine is evenly distributed in a saltwater pool.

2. Swimming in a saltwater pool is beneficial to swimmers who are suffering from asthma and allergy as the chloramines found in a traditional chlorine pool can be harmful to them.

3. The chloramines can also cause some forms of cancer, reduce fertility, and cause abnormalities in a person's immune system. Since a saltwater pool does not have chloramines, it is a safer option.

4. Water in a saltwater pool is gentle to a swimmer's skin as it does not cause skin irritation as with a traditional chlorine pool.

Unfortunately, a saltwater pool also has its own share of disadvantages.The disadvantages of saltwater swimming pool systems are:

1. It is more expensive to build a pool with salt than to build a traditional chlorine pool.

2. Scaling can occur in a pool with salt as the excess calcium attracted to the titanium plates can cause a buildup on the surface of the pool.

3. As salt is a corrosive substance, corrosion can occur in a pool with salt with can caused the surface of the pool to deteriorate.

4. The generator used to produce chlorine in a pool with salt must be up and running at all times.

Learn more about this author, Rainier Wong.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.