How does a SWCG work?

houstonnewb

Silver Supporter
Feb 1, 2022
49
Houston, TX
Pool Size
19500
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite Pro (T-15)
This may be a dumb question but it has been bugging me. This is probably incorrect but I am imagining a SWG pulling the chlorine from the salt which would leave sodium as a byproduct. If that's the case how does the salt reconstitute itself for reuse in the cycle?
 
Interesting read, thank you. Quick follow up, why doesn't the chlorine in a SWG pool burn off like in a traditional chlorine pool? Maybe I'm missing something but from what I read with a SWG you don't need to replace salt unless additional water is added (i.e. rain).
 
why doesn't the chlorine in a SWG pool burn off like in a traditional chlorine pool?
It does. The SWCG generates chlorine based on the parameters you set it up at. The chlorine, when expended, turns back into salt. So the salt is never 'used up'.
 
And to
It does. The SWCG generates chlorine based on the parameters you set it up at. The chlorine, when expended, turns back into salt. So the salt is never 'used up'.

And to anticipate the question that I know I had when I was first learning about it, when you add liquid chlorine (which is made industrially using a similar electrolysis process on a salt water solution), and that chlorine is expended, it also turns into salt. Thus, the salt level of a non-SWCG pool will increase over time by the amount of salt used to generate whatever chlorine you buy.

When converting it's important to test the existing salt level before adding -- mine was already at 2400ppm from years of liquid chlorine, so I only had to add a few bags.
 
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