Do salt water chlorine generators soften water

[Johnl]

I'm tiring of the issues with the chlorine pucks, like raising the stabilizer levels so I am considering a SWG. Do you know if SWG also soften the water? We have hard water (325+ Calcium Hardness), so that would be an added benefit if it helps with the hardness levels.

 

[JohnT]

No, they don't soften the water. The water feels "softer" on the skin and eyes due to the salt, but calcium levels aren't affected.

 

[dmanb2b]

The SWG will not reduce your CH, but the water will have a softer feel to it with the addition of salt to the water (Don't need the swg to get the same effect, but the swg will automate the addition of sanitizer to you pool ). You can also get an addt'l softening effect from adding borates as well

 

[Johnl]

Thanks for the quick response. Love the forum. Thanks again.

 

[Guest]

Some further clarification. Water softeners soften water by using an ion exchange resin that grabs the calcium, magnesium, and other metal in the water and replacing them with sodium ions (which is why sodium chloride or salt is used to regenerate the resin.) The salt used does not, in itself, soften the water. Since SWGs obviously do not involve an ion exchange resin they do not soften the water. They produce chlorine by electrolysis of salt (electrically 'breaking' the salt into sodium and chlorine).