Saltwater pools: everything you need to know about the pros and cons

In France, the saltwater pool is attracting more and more homeowners who want to combine swimming comfort, practicality, and environmental friendliness. Long reserved for high-end pools, this solution is becoming more widely available thanks to more accessible and efficient water treatment systems that are more accessible and efficient.

But before opting for this type of installation, an essential question arises: what are the realadvantages and disadvantages of salt treatment? Between comfort, costs, and maintenance, Aboral Piscines offers you a complete overview to help you make the right choice.

How does a saltwater pool work?

Contrary to popular belief, a saltwater pool is not a "chlorine-free" pool. It is based on a well-known principle: salt electrolysis.

Concretely, a small amount of salt is added to the pool water (generally between 2.5 and 4 grams per liter, or about 9 times less than in seawater). This salt is thentransformed by electrolysis: thanks toelectric currentsapplied in the salt electrolyzer, the ions contained in the water are transformed into natural chlorine.

This process allows forautomatic chlorine production, continuously, which ensures effective disinfection without regular chemical additions. Once its disinfecting role is complete, the chlorine transforms back into salt present in the water, and the cycle begins again.

This is therefore aclosed-loop water treatment system, which limits manual interventions and ensures better regularity of water quality.

The advantages of a salt pool

1. Swimming comfort

The firstadvantage of a salt water poollies in the comfort felt when swimming. And for good reason,salt wateris gentler on the skin and eyes because it does not contain excess chemical stabilizer. It prevents skin irritation and allergies sometimes caused by chlorine.

In addition, the characteristic smell of chlorine disappears, making the experience much more pleasant.

This makes it an ideal solution for families, especially if children swim regularly.

2. A more natural and environmentally friendly solution

Withsalt treatment, the use of chemical products is significantly reduced. Salt being naturally present on Earth, it is a simple, non-toxic, and recyclable element.

Furthermore, unlike a pool treated solely withliquid or tablet chlorine, asaltwater poolproduces its own disinfectant through electrolysis. This operation limits environmental impact and reduces the user's handling of chemical products.

3. Long-term savings

Even if theinitial investmentis higher, asaltwater poolbecomes interesting in the long term. And this, for several reasons:

• Salt costs much less than conventional chemicals.
• The transformation cycle (salt → chlorine → salt) means that the amount of salt to be added is small and only needs to be replenished rarely.
• The automatic treatment system reduces the consumption of chemical correctors, provided that a good pH regulator to stabilize the pH level.

Over several years, owners have noticed a significant decrease in maintenance costs.

4. Simplified maintenance

Asaltwater pooloffers simpler maintenance than a traditional pool:

• Thesalt chlorinatorhandles chlorine production without manual intervention.
• The filtration system and electrolysis ensure that the water is continuously disinfected.
• It is enough toregularly checkthe salt level in the water, the pH level, and to verify that the cell is functioning correctly.

To optimize the lifespan of the equipment, it is necessary toregularly cleanthe electrolyzer cell, but this operation remains less demanding compared to the frequent handling of a conventional chlorine treatment.

Salt treatment for swimming pools: the disadvantages you should be aware of

1. Higher installation costs

The main disadvantage of salt treatment is its initial investment.

• The purchase and installation of a salt chlorinator represents an additional expense.
• Some equipment such aspH regulatorsor hydrolysis systems may be necessary to ensure balanced water.

Thus, asaltwater poolcosts more upfront than a traditional chlorine pool.

2. Risks of corrosion

Saltwatercan present disadvantages for certain materials:

• Risk of corrosion of metal parts (ladder, screws, spotlights).
• Weakening of certain liners if the salt level is not properly controlled.

However, proper installation and maintenance can limit this risk.

How much does a saltwater pool cost?

Theprice of a saltwater poolvaries depending on several factors:

• Price of thesalt chlorinator: between €800 and €2,000 depending on power.
• Cost of apH regulator: between €400 and €1,000.
• Labor for installation.

Over a period of 5 to 10 years, the savings achieved thanks to the low cost of salt and the reduction in chlorine purchases more than offset the initial investment.

Saltwater pool or chlorine pool: which to choose?

To help you make an informed choice, here is a comparison of the two treatment systems:

In summary:

• If you are looking forsimplicity and bathing comfort, a saltwater pool is an excellent choice.
• If you prioritize areduced short-term budget, chlorine remains more accessible.

The opinion of Aboral Piscines, manufacturer of polyester shell pools

AtAboral Piscines, we have been assisting our clients for over 30 years in the design and installation offiberglass shell poolstailored to their desires. Our models arecompatible with saltwater treatmentand we advise each future owner to choose the solution best suited to their lifestyle.

We particularly recommend salt treatment for families looking for optimal swimming comfort and simplified long-term management. Our teams will also assist you in choosing the treatment system, pH regulator, and filtration system configuration.

Request acustom quoteand discover ourfiberglass pool modelsdesigned to last.