A Peek into the Chemistry of Salt Water Pools

When it comes to a swimming pool, clean and clear water is all that most of us worry about. All that matters is uninterrupted swimming fun in dirt-free water. However, some water-soluble chemicals can cause more trouble than that caused by dust particles and leaves. A simple example is the deposition of calcium scales that ruin the appearance of a pool. These scales are usually formed when the pool water is too hard. “Hard” is a term for water containing a large amount of chemical impurities that are difficult to remove.

Pool water hardness, as a matter of fact, is not the only problem faced by swimming pool owners. Intending to avoid the usual means of adding chlorine to pool water, some people take unusual steps that help generate chlorine in the pool water. For instance, electrolysis of saline water can help synthesis of chlorine. Many people choose saltwater pools so that they can use this reaction to make their own chlorine – in the long run, they are left with a saline water in their pools, that comes with its own bunch of chemical troubles. High-quality products such as those from Rec Warehouse alone unfortunately are not enough for one to deal with these troubles.

The following section explains some of the common problems in saltwater pools and solutions for the same:

Increase in pH

Electrolysis in a saltwater pool yields two products, namely hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. While the former is too acidic, the latter is too alkaline – the two products normally neutralize each other causing minimal or no change in pH. Sometimes, however, agitation of water in the salt cell can result in the release of carbon dioxide which in turn increases the pH of water. While a pool filter cartridge can be highly effective in trapping impurities in pool water, it certainly can't deal with pH problems. This issue can be taken care of by using chlorine tablets which lower the pH of pool water thus bringing it back to normal.

Corrosion of Pool Equipment

While salts have a lot of significance in chemistry, they also happen to be corrosive. Materials like steel and concrete are known to suffer dire consequences because of salt. A saltwater pool normally contains low quantities of salt, mostly below 3500 ppm. However, equipment can get affected by galvanic corrosion even when the salt levels are this low. Furthermore, concrete and porous stones surrounding the pool will eventually become a victim of passive corrosion. Installing pool equipment made from bronze or thermoplastics will eliminate the possibility of corrosion. Otherwise, you can use sacrificial anode to slow down the process. 

With saltwater pools, you will have many other tasks other than pool filter cartridge replacement, such as taking care of above-mentioned problems. Make sure you are prepared for the same if you own one.