Hotel, campsite and spa pool owners: why not make your own chlorine?

It is not always easy to manage the handling, storage and supply of chlorine in pools open to the public. But solution exists to solve these problems – make your own chlorine by electrolyzing salt. In a webinar called “Create your own chlorine in total safety” during Piscine Connect 2021, Nicolas Ferran, Technical Advisor to SYCLOPE ELECTRONIQUE told us the benefits of salt chlorination.

See the webinar on YouTube (French only)

Chlorine management can be a problem

Although alternatives exist, chlorine is the most commonly used pool water disinfectant. But it has several drawbacks, particularly liquid chlorine. Nicolas Ferran pointed out that chlorine handling and storage can be dangerous for technicians, in particular when pouring liquid chlorine and if chlorine and acid quantities are accidentally inverted.

A second problem frequently encountered in summer is chlorine supply. In high season, when the pool is used most, strong demand can extend chlorine delivery deadlines which could lead to pool closure for sanitary reasons – something clients find it difficult to accept!

So make your own chlorine locally! 

Electrolyzing salt generates sodium hypochlorite, a chemical compound found, for example, in bleach. To do salt chlorination — or salt electrolysis — you need:

• Soft water
• Extremely pure refined salt
• Low-voltage electricity (from 12 to 44V) with high Amperage (up to 200A per electrolysis cell).

Result: a product concentration of 0.6% (6 gr/L) vs. 150 gr/L for a liquid chlorine in a can. After production, the sodium hypochlorite is stored in a tank and injected into the pool through a proportioning pump. 

Learn more about salt chlorination

Salt chlorination, an investment with nothing but advantages

Thanks to salt electrolysis, risks related to chlorine delivery and handling (release of vapors, pouring errors, product inversions…) disappear as do those related to the storage of hazardous substances (no need for tanks or cans). Only the salt is stored.

Water quality improves, which your clients appreciate immediately. With this process, you do away with unpleasant chlorine smells and irritations! Disinfectant concentration is constant and the chlorine produced has a lower pH than that on sale (between 8.5 and 9 vs. 14 for the lowest grade chlorines). And at a stroke you do away with injection nozzle clogging and crystallization.

If you are looking for a way to make your installations more profitable, salt chlorination can be a long-term solution. Maintenance is facilitated as only some parts need to be replaced every two years. Salt is relatively cheap, you use less acid and the return on investment (ROI) taking all parameters into account is around 5 years on average.

To finish, Nicolas Ferran evoked the much more interesting carbon footprint as salt chlorination uses fewer products and requires fewer deliveries, cutting down on transport gases.

By making your own chlorine by electrolyzing salt, you protect your workers. Do you have questions about alternatives to chlorine for treating your pool? Ask them at Piscine Global Europe 2022 and meet the sector’s suppliers and manufacturers.

Visit Piscine Global Europe 2022

© Photo credit: Sagittarius_13 / Adobe Stock