CliniPool / Understand your water
Salt and electrolysis: chlorine made automatically
- Salt isn't a sanitiser: the salt cell turns the dissolved salt into chlorine, continuously.
- Usual salt level: often around 3 to 5 g/L depending on the unit (follow the salt system's manual).
- Upsides: steady production, no tablets to store, no stabiliser added by the sanitiser.
- Watch points: the pH rises structurally, and the cell scales up — two maintenance items to track.
“Saltwater pool”: the phrase keeps alive the most stubborn of misunderstandings. A saltwater pool is a chlorine pool — simply, the chlorine doesn’t arrive as tablets but is made continuously by a salt cell from the salt dissolved in the water. Salt isn’t the sanitiser: it’s the raw material. The real advantages are convenience (steady production, no jugs or tablets, no stabiliser added by the sanitiser); the real watch points are the pH that rises structurally and the cell that scales up. The CliniPool app handles salt as a chlorination mode: it watches the pH closely and alerts you about the cell.
How it really works
You add salt to the water (a special pool salt), to a given level — often around 3 to 5 g/L depending on your unit. The salty water passes through the salt cell, which splits the salt and produces active chlorine, which sanitises then recombines into salt: a near-closed loop. As long as the cell runs and the salt level is right, the pool gets a steady chlorine output, without the peaks and troughs of tablets. It’s the convenience that wins people over: you “forget” handling products.
But “forgetting the handling” doesn’t mean “forgetting the water” — and that’s where many get caught out.
The two watch points that decide everything
The pH rises, structurally. Electrolysis pushes the pH up, permanently. It’s not a bug: it’s chemistry. The practical consequence: a saltwater pool needs even more regular pH monitoring than a classic chlorine pool, and more frequent corrections. A pH left to climb is chlorine produced but ineffective — and water that can turn green “even though the salt system is running”.
The cell scales up. A white limescale deposit forms on the cell’s plates and throttles production: less chlorine made, with no obvious warning. Depending on the model, the cell self-cleans (polarity reversal) or is descaled by hand. A scaled cell that no longer produces enough is one of the most frequent causes of a saltwater pool gone green (the matching real-life case, “See also”, tells exactly this scenario).
And a third, silent one: the salt level. Too low, the cell simply can’t produce, even when clean. To check a few times a season, especially after big water top-ups (which dilute the salt) or rain.
Salt day to day
Maintaining a saltwater pool comes down to two gestures on top of classic chlorine: watch the pH closely (photo test twice a week, the app tracks the trend and warns when it drifts) and keep an eye on the cell and the salt level (monthly check). In exchange, no more tablets to buy, store and dose. It’s real convenience — provided you don’t confuse “automatic” with “unsupervised”.
In one sentence
Salt automates the production of chlorine, not the maintenance of the water: the chemistry is still chlorine’s, with a pH to watch more closely and a cell to maintain. The app treats the saltwater pool as such — targets, top-up doses and alerts included.
Frequently asked questions
Is a saltwater pool chlorine-free?
No, that's the classic misunderstanding. The salt cell makes chlorine from the salt: the chemistry is still chlorine's. The real benefits are convenience (steady production, no tablet handling), not the absence of chlorine.
What salt level for a pool?
It depends on the salt system: often around 3 to 5 g/L, to check in the unit's manual. A level too low stops the cell producing; too high, it can damage equipment. The app keeps your target value on record.
Why does the pH always rise on a saltwater pool?
Electrolysis naturally pushes the pH up: it's structural, not a flaw. A saltwater pool therefore needs even more regular pH monitoring and more frequent corrections than a classic chlorine pool.
How do you maintain a salt cell?
Watch for scaling: a white limescale deposit throttles production. Depending on the model, the cell self-cleans or is descaled by hand. A scaled cell producing poorly is a frequent cause of a saltwater pool turning green.