The most important factor to take into account when buying a saltwater chlorinator is the output of chlorine for the size of the swimming pool.
To work out the literage of your swimming pool.
Length x width x depth
We would suggest to always go bigger when choosing your unit, especially if in doubt, as you can turn the chlorinator down if too much chlorine is being produced or if necessary, turn the running time of the pump down. If you live in an extremely hot area, it is highly recommended that you buy a bigger unit.
For every one degree hotter the swimming pool water gets, you would need four times more chlorine.
We have found that with the recent water restrictions that we have gone through, more swimming pools have covers/bubble blankets on them. This makes the water temperatures much higher than they were previously, another important factor to consider.
Every swimming pool has a completely different chlorine demand. Your next-door neighbour’s swimming pool might be on a different position on his property and have totally different factors which will influence the amount of chlorine your swimming pool will need.
Swimming pools which are rarely used do not require a lot of chlorine. If you have any animals that enjoy taking a dip in the pool, the bacteria build up will be extremely high and we again suggest that rather a bigger unit gets installed to be able to cope with the extra output of chlorine needed.
Another suggestion would be that if you are having a big function or a lot of people through the swimming pool on a particular day you let the system run longer the day before and the day after. Filtration is an important part of the swimming pool system and goes hand in hand with the saltwater chlorinator. If the unit is not big enough it will not produce enough chlorine, rendering the investment ineffective.
A saltwater chlorinator produces chlorine by the saltwater running over the titanium plated electrode causing electrolysis. It will produce a white dust (gas) which you will be able to see through the housing of the electrode. Another important factor is that if the swimming pool pump does not run the saltwater chlorinator is not working/not producing chlorine.
Installing a saltwater chlorinator is the easiest way to keep your swimming pool crystal clear and hassle free. Owning a swimming pool should be a pleasure.
If the swimming pool gets more sun during the day, this also needs to be considered. If a swimming pool is covered the temperature of the swimming pool water is higher and bigger contents of chlorine will be needed to keep bacteria away. You would need to run the swimming pool pump longer to enable the chlorinator to produce more chlorine. When choosing the make of the chlorinator, it is extremely important check the quality of the electrode. The titanium plating on the electrode is the important factor. If this is not the correct material, the electrode will die (need to be replace) within a short time spam and will cost a great deal of money to replace. No locally produced (SA produced) chlorinator electrode will be made with a good quality plating. Only imported electrodes have the correct quality plating. This might seem like a very minor factor when deciding but when you need to spend another R3500 to R7000 within 18 months of the big investment it will definitely be a sore point. You would ultimately like the investment to be self-sufficient for at least four to five years.