Salt solutions? New technological advances may make saline chlorination worth another look.(Saline chlorination systems)

Though facilities have used it for years, saline chlorination, otherwise known as on-site sodium hypochlorite generation or simply chlorine generation, is a little-used technology in the U.S. commercial pool market. However, the process has been used successfully for more than 30 years in countries such as Australia and South Africa.

One reason for the success is the bather comfort that saline chlorination provides. In essence, it converts the pool water into mineral spa water, thus reducing skin, ear and eye irritation.

In the U.S. pool market, the technology has predominantly been used in residential pools, where salt is added directly to the water and chlorine is generated through an electrolytic cell. This form of chlorination has become so popular that statistics show more than 70 percent of newly constructed residential pools opted for saline chlorinators last year.

Until recently, the technology has not been widely adopted for large commercial pools and aquatics facilities in this country. This is a result of two primary factors: the significant investment required for initial equipment purchase (anywhere from $2,000 to $25,000, depending on the pool size) and the unfamiliarity of saline chlorination in the U.S. commercial pool industry.

In addition, because commercial pools require more chlorine than a residential pool, manufacturers, designers and builders have been limited by how much water they could treat.

Now new technology allows the treatment of virtually any size commercial pool--some can even chlorinate larger water bodies such as waterparks. Also, leasing options have made the equipment much more affordable.

In an on-site saline chlorination system, regular salt is converted into sodium hypochlorite through the process known as electrolysis, by applying power to the electrodes of an electrolytic cell. Because chlorine is produced within the system, handling and storage issues are reduced. Salt can either be physically thrown in the pool or automatically put in the water with a salt-saturated feeder.