Do Chlorine Generators Recycle Salt?

[RobRM]

Recently I found an article on an autopilot site. The quote reads this:

[FONT=&quot]"The main benefit a salt chlorine generator offers is its ability to recycle salt. During the process of electrolysis, as used in a salt chlorine generator to produce chlorine, the chlorine breaks down further into hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite ions, which are sanitizers. After the hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite ions neutralize the contaminants in swimming pool water, they revert to salt, again, only to be broken down into chlorine for another cycle."

I've never heard anything like this before. Is this true, partially true, misleading, etc.? If it recycles the salt then why would you ever need to add salt again. Simply bring it up to 3500ppm and you're set.

Like some clarification on this one.

Thanks[/FONT]

 

[pabeader]

In normal practice, this is exactly right. You never have to add any salt if you never have any water exchange. But, as most pools have some form of fresh water introduced, there is a need to top off the salt level from time to time.

 

[abycat]

my swg pool and tub only need salt when I drain and fill or replace water from splashout. When evaporation occurs the salt doesnt come out. When my pool had an underground leak the salt level went down indicating a problem.

 

[GaryT58]

Will repeat from above. Will only lose salt from runoff- be it overflow, backwash, splash out, ... Not from evaporation. So rather than purchasing chlorine, you have up front cost of salt water chlorine generator (SWG) and salt. Then electricity. And eventually replacing the cell.

 

[JamesW]

The chlorine atoms basically gain and lose electrons. With 8 electrons in the outer shell, the chlorine atom is a chloride ion. As the chloride goes through the cell, it loses an electron to become chlorine. As chlorine oxidizes something, it gains electrons and becomes chloride again.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I have never had to add salt to my SWG pool since starting it up years ago.

Municipal water contains chloride (mine is 160ppm). Also, any chlorine source be it solid chlorine (trichlor, dichlor or cal-hypo) as well as liquid chlorine eventually adds salt because chlorine is converted to chloride once it reacts with something.

Muriatic acid also adds chloride to your pool as it is hydrogen chloride.

All pools are salt water pools...

 

[Griswald]

...

All pools are salt water pools...

But not all pools are SWG pools...YET!!!

 

[AUSpool]

I have never had to add salt to my SWG pool since starting it up years ago...

With lots of rain we're the exact opposite, been through truck loads of the stuff. The world almost ended when supplies ran out after our last big flood.

 

[Divin Dave]

This is pretty much right. the salt in the water goes through the SWG plates and an electrolysis reaction and chlorine is generated and sent to the pool. Just as James described it. Once the chlorine does it's job, it turns into salt again.

You only have to replenish the salt occasionaly. The salt level will drop due to splash out, overflow from heavy rains, backwashing the filter, etc.

It sure is nice not to have to put chlorine into the pool every day or use chlorine pucks which also add other unwated chemicals to the water, or worry about it if you go away from home for a few days. The SWG will keep on doing it's thing and keep the pool chlorinated.

As an added benefit, the bit of salt in the water feels nice on the skin. The feel of salt water has been described and I would agree, as a little bit 'silky'.

Recently I found an article on an autopilot site. The quote reads this:

[FONT="]"The main benefit a salt chlorine generator offers is its ability to recycle salt. During the process of electrolysis, as used in a salt chlorine generator to produce chlorine, the chlorine breaks down further into hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite ions, which are sanitizers. After the hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite ions neutralize the contaminants in swimming pool water, they revert to salt, again, only to be broken down into chlorine for another cycle."

I've never heard anything like this before. Is this true, partially true, misleading, etc.? If it recycles the salt then why would you ever need to add salt again. Simply bring it up to 3500ppm and you're set.

Like some clarification on this one.

Thanks[/FONT]