My condo just switched one of our three pools from chlorine to salt. Firtunately, it was the lap pool.
Got to swim in it last night.
Over the past year or two, I was always coming out of the pool congested and sometime with a headache. Yesterday was the first time I swam over 2,000 yard, got out and felt good. Slept like a baby with no congestion and not needing to take an allergy pill.
One other benefit, no chlorine residual smell.
Absolutely loved it!
You know salt is sodium chloride, right? And, furthermore, you do know its not the sodium part that is sanitizing the water?
I love salt water pools.
You are correct the salt products result in some chlorine production.
Our system uses a very large ultra-violet sanitizing system as it’s primary sanitizing system along with the salt. The result according to the engineer who takes care of the pool is a chlorine level of less than 0.5 ppm or about the same as chlorinated drinking water.
I remember readings somewhere that the Beijing Olympic pools used UV system.
Interesting stuff and definitely made a difference for me.
Ah, the answer to the question I posted on another thread. Thanks!
If you use that logic I’m eating chlorine with my eggs every morning
Jodi
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Yes, and iodine, since you are probably sprinkling “iodized salt” on those eggs…
And, like posted earlier, you’re drinking chlorine frequently when you have water from a municipal system.
That’s what gives it that nice city water taste!
Jodi
ugh, I’m tired of dry skin that smells like chlorine
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Chloride is not the same as chlorine. Typical chlorine is derived from Calcium hypochlorite. Which breaks down in calcium carbonate, chlorine gas, and oxygen. But along with typical pool chlorine are many stabilizers that can cause irritation along with the calcium carbonate. Sodium chloride breaks down into sodium ions and chloride ions. Neither is irritating to the skin because both are found naturally in the body. Also, no stabilizers are need to keep salt from breaking down. If you ever worked with pool chlorine you would be hard pressed to believe it is safe for you to swim in.
People have been swimming in chlorinated pools for decades. Its a proven sanitizer, and in pool water, extremely safe. It is dangerous when handled improperly (by , you know, the 17 year old lifeguards at your pool). I have built and maintained swimming pools as my occupation in the past. I am hesitant to swim in any pool that does not use chlorine as a sanitizer…
What? You mean like this?
http://www.slowtwitch.com/Lifestyle/The_pool_of_Conrad_Stoltz_1614.html
Seriously. You’d have to be fricken nuts. Even if you survived it that day, the next morning you’re likely to find snakes and whatnot in the water.
I am weird, but I love the smell of chlorine, especially when taking a hot shower a workout or two out from the swim…
Jodi
Yup…we have an indoor salt water pool at my office. It’s the best type of pool for your skin, hair, and bathing suits. In most salt water pools, approximately 1% is chlorine which is needed to kill bacteria.
Salt water pools are also more difficult to maintain from what I see from our maintainance crew.
I’m like you, sort of. Chlorine just smells clean to me.
I have built many vinyl liner pools in my day…just not quite like that.
Interesting… the salt water pool I swim in has just as much chlorine (3ppm) as any other pool and is just as harsh on my skin and hair… It must be because they jack the chlorine because of all the aquarobics classes
That is awesome! The chlorine levels at my local gym (Gold’s…) are terrible. It’s ridiculous that chlorinated pools still exist.
I found the same thing when we moved out West and started swimming in the base pool here in 29 Palms. The water “tasted” a little odd, but I did not have the congestion issues with every other pool I had used. Now only if they had managed to keep the pool open all winter even one time while I was working there …
Chad
I swam at a new pool the other day and noticed that the water tasted salty. Asked the lifeguard if this was a salt water pool. He informed it was nit and that I was likely just tasting the sweat from the masters swim class. Disgusting!
You know splenda has chlorine on it. Be cool if there was a Splenda pool. Would taste better!