Salt water chlorination

[1] While FAC is composed of the free chlorine that is available for disinfecting the water, the CAC includes chloramines, which are formed by the reaction of FAC with amines (introduced into the pool by human perspiration, saliva, mucus, urine, and other biologics, and by insects and other pests).

Very high levels of bromoform—up to 1.3 mg per liter, or 13 times the World Health Organization's guideline values—have been found in some public saltwater swimming pools.

[6] The benefits of salt systems in pools are the convenience and the constant delivery of pure chlorine-based sanitizer.

The reduction of irritating chloramines versus traditional chlorinating methods and the "softening" effect of electrolysis reducing dissolved alkali minerals in the water are also perceived as benefits.

However, as the ideal saline concentration of a salt-chlorinated pool is very low (<3,500ppm, the threshold for human perception of salt by taste; seawater is about ten times this concentration), damage usually occurs due to improperly-maintained pool chemistry or improper maintenance of the electrolytic cell.

Calcium and other alkali precipitate buildup will occur naturally on the cathode plate, and sometimes in the pool itself as "scaling".

Such systems reduce but do not eliminate the need to clean the electrolytic cell and the occurrence of calcium scale in the water.

Many systems with chemistry automation can sense the rising pH and automatically introduce either CO2 or hydrochloric acid in order to bring the pH back to the target level.Automation systems will also manage levels of sanitizer by monitoring the ORP or redox levels of the water.

This extra step is not needed in a sodium chloride system, as chlorine is effective as both a sanitizer and an oxidizer.