[jimbo2012]

Yes those were the good old way to do it.

Thirty years ago the pool companies found a way to market chlorine as salt

Salt water chlorination is a process that uses dissolved salt (2,500–6,000 ppm) as a store for the chlorination system.[1] The chlorine generator (also known as salt cell, salt generator, salt chlorinator) uses electrolysis in the presence of dissolved salt (NaCl) to produce hypochlorous acid (HCIO) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), which are the sanitizing agents already commonly used in swimming pools. As such, a saltwater pool is not actually chlorine-free; it simply utilizes a chlorine generator instead of direct addition of chlorine.

Scientific research has shown that since saltwater pools still use chlorine sanitization, they generate the same unhealthy disinfection byproducts (DBPs) that are present in traditional pools. Of highest concern are haloketones and trihalomethanes (THMs). Among these, bromoform has been found in swimming pools at up to 13-fold higher than maximum levels set by the World Health Organization.[4]

Many people consider saltwater chlorine generators to be a new item. However, manufacturers have been producing salt chlorine generators in the United States since the early 1980s, and they first appeared commercially in New Zealand in the early 1970's (the Aquatech IG4500).[5] The use of saltwater chlorine generators has however grown greatly since the early 2000s. Many hotels and water parks have converted to saltwater systems.


In your pool they add about $700-$1000 to the cost of equip