When people say chlorine is chlorine, think of this visual for a minute: pouring a cup of salt on your skin, then pouring a cup of liquid bleach on your skin. No comparison.
THE SALTWATER (SALINE) CHLORINATION PROCESS:
- What is saline conversion chlorination? Saline chlorination is a term used for the process of converting the salt dissolved in water into active liquid chlorine, known as hypochlorite, for the sanitation of swimming pool & spa water.
- How does saline conversion chlorination work?
1. A specific quantity of pure, non-iodized, fine grain table salt is added to the pool water to create a saltwater (saline) concentration of 0.3% (3000 parts per million). This salinity concentration is slightly less than the salinity level found in most human tears, thus it is very gentle to the swimmer's eyes and skin.
2. Liquid chlorine (hypochlorite) is created through a process called electrolysis. As the water pump passes the saline through the chlorinator cell a low voltage DC current is applied to the saline. This applied energy current changes the salt dissolved in the water into liquid chlorine (hypochlorite). The liquid chlorine immediately mixes with the water leaving the chlorinator cell and flows into the swimming pool as clean, chlorinated water.
The continuous introduction of liquid chlorine will ensure the continuous sanitation of the pool's water and will not allow the growth of algae. When the liquid chlorine has destroyed the bacteria in the pool, it reverts to salt. This means that the salt is continually regenerated in the process and the only loss of salt is due to back-washing, splash-out and overflows. It may be necessary to add salt to the pool water to bring the concentration back to the desired level of 3,000 parts per million.
