Chlorine is a necessary agent to maintain a safe swimming pool environment. Chlorine not only disinfects water, it reacts to kill disease-causing organisms such as bacteria, algae, ammonia and other organic matter that can be introduced into a pool system over time. Traditionally, liquid chlorine has been used to introduce necessary chlorine agent into a pool system. While liquid chlorine works well functionally, it can lead to many negative side effects on hair, skin, eyes and clothing which are not ideal. Today, pools equipped with a salt chlorine generator system or automatic sanitizer system ( a.k.a. salt water pools), can perform the same function but without the negative effects.
When pool salt (NaCl) is dissolved in a salt water pool, the salt chlorine generator system or automatic sanitizer system electrolyzes the salt and transforms the chloride (Cl) portion of the salt into chlorine. This chlorine dissolves in the water to perform the same functions as conventional liquid chlorine used in pool maintenance. However, unlike traditional liquid chlorine used in pool maintenance, salt chlorinator systems generate “free” chlorine as water passes through the electrolytic cell which destroys chloramines responsible for “chlorine odor”, red/irritated eyes, bleached/green hair and damaged bathing suits.