Swimming Pool Salt Chlorinator

Keeping your pool or spa water cleaner and softer than ever before

How does a salt chlorinator works? Salt Chlorinator makes use of dissolved salt (NaCl) and electrolysis to produce chlorine for sanitizing swimming pool.

A salt water pool is not using salt to sanitize and it is not chlorine-free. Free chlorine is produced by the salt chlorinator instead of direct dozing of chlorine. The Salt Chlorinator is also known as Salt Chlorine Generator, Electronic Chlorine Generator, Salt Water Chlorinator and Electrolytic Chlorine Generator.

2NaCl + 2H2O → electrolysis → 2NaOH + H2 + Cl2

Salt + Water → electrolysis → sodium hydroxide + Hydrogen + Chlorine

Salt water chlorination will produces by-product – Sodium Hydroxide which makes the pool alkaline. Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) is required to neutralize the alkalinity and convert sodium hydroxide back into sodium chloride (Salt). The whole process repeats again.

Requirements for Salt Chlorinator to operate:

1. Salt level to maintain 3500 ppm to 5000ppm. Some model only required 2500 ppm
2. Pool water chemistry has to be maintained balance
3. Stabilizer (Cyanuric acid) 20 to 30 ppm to help prevent the chlorine in the pool from disappearing. The UV rays from the sun break down the chlorine.

Sulphuric acid is not recommended to neutralize pool water alkalinity as it will produce sulphate ions. Sulphate ions will also conduct electricity at the electrode but will not produce any chlorine. The only solution to remove sulphate ions is to drain away the pool water and sulphate ions.

Some of the common brands: AIS, Auto Pilot, Hayward, Pentair, Zodiac.