How Chlorine Generators Work to Keep Your Pool Clean & Safe

Summer is quickly approaching and that means that warmer weather is well on its way. A popular activity on the days where the heat is sweltering is to cool off by taking a refreshing dip in a swimming pool.

Maintaining a safe and sanitary state of your pool can be a difficult and expensive task. With a chlorine water pool, the sun beats down on the water, and the chemicals that keep the water free of bacteria and germs are constantly evaporating. This can lead to you having to purchase and pour in chemicals every other day or so to maintain proper levels. A great investment you can make in your pool is to purchase a chlorine generator.

What does it do?

With a salt water pool system, the pool water passes through a pump that creates chlorine from salt. As it passes through the pump, salt water is turned into hypochlorous acid. The acid is the exact same component that is produced if you were to add chlorine tablets, powder or liquid to your pool. The pump works to produce chlorine constantly. When the water comes out of the generator, the newly produced chlorine will enter the pool and work to prevent algae, bacteria and other micro-organisms. An important thing to note about chlorine generators is that in order to get results you must maintain a proper pH level. As long as you do this, the chlorine pump will work perfectly!

Types of Chlorine Generators

There are two different types of generators that are commonly used in pools. The most popular, and recommended, is a salt chlorine generator. With this generator, it is required that salt be added to the water to get the best results. The other type of chlorine generator is a brine unit. This type does not require that the pool have salt added to it. Instead, the tank or chamber has a predetermined amount of salt in it, which allows the generator to inject chlorine in to the pool circulation system.

What are the benefits?

Besides saving you time and money that you would normal spend on manually adding chlorine to your pool, chlorine generators have many additional benefits. For one, generators precisely maintain chlorine levels that are consistent, eliminating issues due to levels that are either too high or too low. When it comes to pool chemicals, many people experience irritation, dried out skin or burning eyes. Salt water pools reduce or completely eliminate these irritations and will also prevent bleached-out swimsuits and hair. If the smell of traditional chlorine pool water bothers you, with salt chlorine generators, that smell is significantly less noticeable since the water has salt in it. While the cost of purchasing and installing these devices may be high, you will benefit ten times that with all of the work the generator does.

As you start to plan your summer around your pool, consider buying a chlorine generator to keep your pool safe and clean while saving yourself significant money in the long run. Shop through our selection of chlorine generators and other supplies to satisfy all of your pool needs!

If you have any questions or would like an experienced representative to assist you in choosing the best chlorine generator for your pool and needs, please visit us at www.thepoolguystore.com.

How to Convert Your Hot Tub to a Saltwater Hot Tub

For thousands of years, humans have used hot tubs for both recreational and restorative purposes. While freshwater hot tubs have been the norm for centuries, today we know hot tubs that use salt water actually provide more impactful benefits than freshwater tubs, such as extended tension relief, reduced swelling and improved skin appearance. Additionally, salt water systems are easier to maintain, and the purification systems produce all the sanitizer you need - all from natural salt!

Interested in converting your traditional hot tub to a saltwater hot tub? You can! Convert your freshwater hot tub to a saltwater hot tub in 6 easy steps!

1. Ensure Your Hot Tub Can Handle Saltwater – Not all hot tubs are made equally. Before you start the conversion process, you need to ensure you hot tub is salt water compatible. Check your manual or contact your supplier to ensure there are no metal or plastic parts that will corrode or be damaged by saltwater.
2. Get a Salt Chlorine Generator – The first real step in converting your hot tub to a salt water spa is obtaining a salt chlorine generator that is rated for the size of your hot tub. You should also search for generators that have a salt concentration readout, so you don’t have to test the salt concentration separately.
3. Drain Your Tub – In order to create a pure hot tub salt water system, you first need to drain all the chemically treated water from your hot tub. Most hot tubs can be drained via a bottom drain spout, however you can also use a simple garden hose as a syphoning hose. If you have trouble draining your hot tub, contact a professional for help before proceeding.
4. Add New Water & Salt – Once your tub has been drained and cleaned, add fresh new water and run the hot tub for a minute to dilute any remaining chemicals. Finally, you’re ready to add salt. Remember to purchase salt that is suitable for hot tubs (i.e. no table salt)! You should add about 2.5lbs for every 100 gallons of water your hot tub holds. Tip: Pour the salt away from water intakes, so granules don’t enter the circulation system.
5. Install the Salt Chlorine Generator – In many cases, installing a salt chlorine generator can easily be done. If your generator installation requires piping however, you may want to contact a professional who can install it correctly.
6. Enjoy Your Salt Water Hot Tub – And you’re done! Now you can run your hot tub as you normally would, while enjoying a more eco and health friendly at-home spa experience.

If you’re interested in a hot tub salt water system, know you don’t have to purchase a completely new hot tub. Most hot tubs can handle salt water, so most hot tubs can be converted. To find salt chlorine generators, high-quality salt cells that are suitable for hot tubs, and even more hot tub accessories, visit us at www.thepoolguystore.com today.