The idea of sanitizing your pool without the chemical residuals of chlorine or bromine is a popular one for a lot of pool owners.
“Saltwater pool systems are energy efficient, give the water a soft feel, don’t irritate skin or eyes, and greatly reduce pool chemical costs,” said Chris Quam, owner of Arizona Pool Guy Inc.
“Unfortunately, we’ve found that a lot of saltwater pool systems don’t really work very well or require a lot of maintenance,” Chris stated. “The electrodes tend to get calcium and mineral buildup, stop producing chlorine, and have to be cleaned often with acid. Not a fun job.”
“We’ve been impressed by a saltwater pool chlorine generating system that is almost entirely self-cleaning, reasonably priced, and we feel confident in recommending it to our customers,” he said. “It has many features other units don’t, and it’s made in the USA by a local company.”
Chris explained how a saltwater pool system works. Initially, you add regular salt to your pool. As the pool water is pumped through the system, electrolytic cells convert the salt to free chlorine. After the chlorine sanitizes the water, it recombines back into salt, and starts the cycle over again. The salt keeps recycling, so very little is used, and rarely needs to be added.
Since salt is a natural product, it is more environmentally friendly, and is a safer alternative to liquid chlorine or tabs. Your pool water will feel softer, and it won’t irritate your skin and eyes, turn your hair green or fade your swimsuit.
The main reason we like this unit is because once it is installed (and it definitely needs to be done by a qualified professional), there is hardly any maintenance. The inline systems have a three-part installation process: the inline flow sensor, the power pack/control center and the cell.
Best of all, the electrolysis cell is in a see-through housing, so you can tell if it is operating or when it has calcium buildup forming and needs to be cleaned. Most systems don’t, so you have to open them up to check. Because the cell reverses polarity every six hours, most calcium buildup is dislodged. “How often it needs to be cleaned will depend on the hardness of your water,” Chris said.
If buildup does occur, you or your pool service tech can turn off the system, and then knock off the scale with the special stick provided. No need to use the acid/water solution required by most other salt systems, which is cumbersome, and can negatively impact the longevity of the cell.
“If you are considering a saltwater system for your pool, give us a call at (480) 699-0607, and we’ll give you all the information,” said Chris.
Arizona Pool Guy Inc., voted the Best Pool Company for Best of Mesa 2014, is licensed, bonded and insured, ROC #243628.