The Similarities and Differences Between Saline and Chlorine Pools, According to Experts

As pool chemistry continues to innovate and advance, many facility managers are faced with a big decision when the time for renovations and updates comes around. Chlorine or saline? 

Classic chlorine chemical pools are still the norm across the country. Meanwhile, saline chlorination has been quietly gaining ground in fitness clubs, aquatic centers and even some colleges — not to mention the more recent innovations of UV and advanced oxidation process (AOP) filtration. To tell fact from fallacy, AB spoke with a few leading aquatic product and chemical companies to understand the pros and cons of each chemical system. Under what conditions does one system work better than the other? How does cost factor in?

 Swimming in similarities

“Let’s start with a simple statement. All commercial swimming pools have some form of salt in the water,” says Robert Kolakowski, director of commercial sales at Fluidra, the parent company of several aquatics brands covering everything from filtration products to pool covers and heaters. Kolakowski has been with Fluidra for four years but has worked in commercial aquatics for decades. After 35 years in the commercial pool market, he knows there’s more than one fallacy floating around about saline pools. 

Kevin Brauer agrees with Kolakowski on this point. As far as the outcomes of different filtration and chemical systems overall, Brauer says, “I don’t think there is [a difference] between saline and chlorine.” 

Brauer is the director of business development at Flow-Tech Systems, the parent company of Clear-Flow Pools. By his own admission, Flow-Tech Systems is a newer kid on the block compared to some of the behemoths of pool chemistry and products. The organization, which started in the oil and gas industry, is dedicated to chemical-free water treatment, transitioning to recreational aquatics just a few years ago. 

Wapelhorst Park is one project that comes to mind for Brauer as he breaks down some of the biggest pool contaminants, namely phosphates and algae, that create cloudy water. “This pool was getting shut down by 1 p.m., and they weren’t able to get that pool to recover by the next day,” he explains, pointing to before and after photos from Flow-Tech projects. Brauer notes that both saline and chlorine pools are susceptible to these types of contaminants, and Wapelhorst, which used a chlorine system at the time, would have needed an updated water treatment process no matter what.

For Brauer, the biggest player as far as what will contaminate either pool type remains the people who use it. “The people who get into the water with all of the stuff that we drag along, whether that’s naturally occurring sweat, or deodorant, sunscreen and makeup — all of that can contribute to water chemistry,” says Brauer.

That’s not to mention other bodily fluids that can contaminate a pool. For many owners and operators with a traditional chlorine system, they know that shocking or burning is their go-to method for quickly remedying the water chemistry. But how does that work with saline chlorination? 

“I think a common fallacy is that people say, ‘I don’t have chlorine, I have salt. I can’t use regular chlorine.’ Yes, you can,” Kolakowski explains. For the most part, all of the ancillary chemicals in a pool are the same, no matter if the operator is working with a traditional chlorine pool or saline chlorination. If bodily fluids contaminate a saline pool, shocking with chlorine is still the best solution. 

Kolakowski points out another key factor in pool wear and tear. “Water,” he says. “Water is the most aggressive thing around swimming pools. It can tear up a lot of things.” No matter if a pool operator is working with a traditional chlorine system or a saline chlorination system, they will all have to come to terms with the stress that simple water will put on their pumps and all other internals, as well as the pool shell and handrails.  

Both a chlorine system and a saline system will adequately remove contaminants to provide swimmers with safe, clean water. However, the ways they go about that cleaning process can vary, as can the prices and daily maintenance practices of each system. 

Diving into differences

One of the biggest differences between a saline pool and a traditional chlorine pool is the price for the mechanical and chemical upkeep. Those on the product side are well versed in these price differences.

“Bottom line is, saline is going to be more expensive to put in. If you’re asking me up front which is less expensive, definitely a traditional system. But what we want to get into is ROI,” Kolakowski says. “A lot of times with saline, you can give your customer a fixed budget, because you’re sizing the unit to meet the demand. Yes, this is more expensive up front, but over a period of time, your ROI is going to come out on top.” 

Kolakowski went on to explain that even though pool operators will have to purchase salt for their saline chlorination systems, the amount needed is set in stone and price is less volatile. Meanwhile, the traditional chlorine system is subject to spiking prices, nitty-gritty fees from delivery services and changes in other industries. “Maybe it’s $20 a month in salt as opposed to $250 per month in chlorine,” he says. 

However, it doesn’t all come down to price. There are qualitative differences for patrons, too, when considering the differences in a chlorine versus a saline system. Kolakowski says they hear back from saline swimmers all the time that, “They can tell the difference. Their skin is not as dry. They love the feel of the water and how it beads off of them a little bit. They say, ‘This makes the water feel a lot better.’ ”

Kolakowski adds that a lot of athletic clubs and fitness facilities use a saline pool as a major feature in their marketing campaigns because they know they have a better water feel than their competitors. 

One such athletic club is Supreme Health and Fitness in Madison, Wis. The facility has operated a saline pool for more than 15 years, offering open lap swim, water fitness classes, traditional swim lessons and log-rolling classes. 

“We’ve had a really good experience with it,” co-owner Howie Grigg says. On the day of his conversation with AB, the Supreme Health and Fitness pool was closed for maintenance. Grigg says that with the saline solution, they need to replace the equipment much more often than previous chemical setups they’ve used at the pool, so routine maintenance is a big part of their pool schedule. 

“The end user is really pleased with it,” Grigg says, “They say it’s better on their skin and swimsuits.” 

Water feel is a compelling argument for many facility owners to make the switch to a saline pool when they can afford it. However, widespread knowledge of the traditional approach, a chlorine pool, still has a pull for many. 

Brauer confirms that while there are similarities between the two types of pool systems, there is also value in considering the risks associated with chemicals on deck and behind closed doors. “The fact of the matter is, chlorine is a chemical, and all the chemicals you add into a pool have to stay balanced,” he says. “There is an inherent safety risk both in the mechanical room and also how they’re being dosed into the water.”

Adds Kolakowski, “When chlorine gets too high, it becomes just as aggressive as anything else.”

A chem-free future

For aquatic facilities looking to be on the cutting edge of sanitization, two other setups are in their infancy but show promising signs of future, widespread adoption. AOP, advanced oxidation process, has come onto the scene in the last five years and very recently earned its NSF certification. Kolakowski describes the AOP process as a strong oxidizer that clears the water very quickly. Whereas chlorine exists constantly in the pool to sanitize the water, an AOP process sanitizes the water as it comes into the pool. It works best in conjunction with a saline chlorination or traditional chlorine system at this time. Holding back AOP from taking the market by storm is a lack of quantitative test results. 

Jacquie Edelman, senior communications manager at Fluidra, says, “We are internally working on testing and getting those proven results. We are working closely with the EPA to categorize some of the results.” 

The other option, UV sanitation, works similarly, cleaning pool water before it flushes into the pool. However, Kolaowski explains that UV adoption has not been widely accepted by the old guard. “When UV came out, they all said ‘Oh that’s just snake oil,’ ” he says.

For pool owners looking to make a change in their chemical setup, the decision comes down to a few key factors: price, maintenance time and swimmer satisfaction. That decision will be unique to each and every facility. Contrary to the fallacies in the marketplace, choosing a saline chlorination system doesn’t equal a maintenance-free pool setup. And, no matter which chemical system the pool uses, it is still important to have chlorine on hand to shock the water in the event of contamination. 

Says Kolakowski, “The fallacies about salt being taken out by the sun is not possible. It’s a mineral. It stays in the water. It can get carried out on the body and things like that, so that can dilute it, but the real problem is dilution and backwash. Then you have to add more salt.”