Fewer Chemicals

• Chlorine is used to kill bacteria, algae and viruses in a pool. A saltwater chlorinator system is a way to treat a pool using one third of the chemicals used in traditionally treated pools. It just requires a small amount of salt to be added one to three times a year. A look at how a saltwater chlorination system works reveals why it is considered environmentally friendly.
  
  

Popularity

• Though saltwater chlorinators are quite popular in Australia, pool owners in the United States generally depend on adding chlorine manually. In years past, in fact, the only way to add chlorine to a pool was with a tablet or liquid. While this continues to be the most popular method of chlorination in the United States, saltwater chlorination systems are growing in popularity. It only requires a salt water chlorinator and salt.
  
  

Add Salt

• Pure, natural salt is added to the pool water to achieve a saturation of 3,200 ppm (parts per million), about half of the salt in a tear. This is still considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to be fresh water, as it is less than 11 percent the salinity of the ocean. Keeping in mind the chemical composition of salt is sodium chloride (NaCL), you can easily understand the process by which the chlorinator works.
  
  

Electrolysis

• The saltwater chlorinator has an entry through which the salt water is drawn. There, the dissolved salt is electrolyzed--simply put, an electrical current is passed through it. This releases chlorine in the form of gas. This then leaves the chlorinator and is mixed with water to form liquid chlorine which circulates into the pool. Conditioners must also be used in the pool to prevent the chlorine from burning off before it does its job, but no additional chlorine need be added. Additional benefits of using a saltwater chlorinator is less chlorine smell, little drying effect on swimmers' skin and less fading of swimsuits.