Why add Ozone to Your Salt Chlorinator

With the increase of salt chlorine systems in residential swimming pools on the rise, we thought it would be a good idea to go over a common question that we get a lot regarding adding an ozonator to your salt system. A ozonator (like the salt chlorinator) is a great way to steer away from harsh chemicals and use a more natural cleaning system.

Ozonators work by converting oxygen molecules into ozone molecules (click here to learn more about how this works), causing them to oxidize contaminants such as body oils, hair products, etc. This alone is not enough to completely sanitize the pool water so you still need to use a form of chlorine; this is where the salt chlorinator comes into play. The salt chlorinator will generate the chlorine that will kill the remaining bacteria and contaminants, resulting in a pool that feel soft and silky on the skin while polishing and making the water sparkle more.

If you have a salt chlorine system the benefits of a ozonator go beyond the look and feel of the water because it actually assists your salt chlorinator. Ozone oxidizes metals such as calcium, magnesium and iron, which keeps your salt cell plates cleaner and working more efficiently. The ozone also reduces the load on the salt cell to oxidize contaminants making it not have to work as hard, increases the longevity and life of the actual cell.

The downside to this setup is that the salt cell needs to be replaced every 3 – 5 years, if you have an over sized cell and/or properly balanced water it could last longer. The ozonator has about the same life expectancy, but both items are easily replaced.

If you having trouble figuring out where the ozonator is placed in your pool equipment, we’ve included a diagram: