Electrolytic chlorine generators (ECGs), also known as salt chlorine generators, surged in popularity about 15 years ago and continue to grow in use across Canada and the United States — mainly because pool owners love them. However, as many in the industry know, some pool owners mistakenly believe that once a salt chlorine generator is installed, no further water maintenance is needed.
In the short term, relying solely on an ECG system can result in clear water. But when other water treatment products and/or applications are neglected for weeks or months at a time, problems begin to surface. Without regular monitoring and adjustment of water balance parameters, and without sufficient oxidation, various water quality complications will occur. This is where borates become a pool pro’s best friend.
Side Effects of Salt Chlorine Generators
Pool professionals are well aware that salt chlorine generators produce side effects that can adversely affect the successful operation and appearance of a pool — namely corrosion and scale. Fortunately, borates offer a simple solution to many of these issues and are administered to the pool one time, typically a once-a-year application. Borates — which are an extracted Earth mineral that possesses several benefits to recreational water — are unique in that they remain in the water and are only lost through water removal (like a splash out or backwashing). Adding borates during pool start-up is ideal, as they serve as an additional buffering system for the water.
How Borates Help Pools with Salt Chlorine Generators
One of the main reasons borates have gained popularity among pool service professionals is their ability to help control corrosion in saltwater pool environments. Available in both powder and slurries, borates should be added directly to the pool.
Borates act as a buffer, helping the water maintain a more stable, neutral pH for longer periods. This stability allows chlorine to work more efficiently and effectively as a sanitizer.
Corrosion Prevention
As mentioned earlier, the electrolysis that occurs in ECGs can lead to de-plating of handrails, light niches, and other metal components. Borates create another buffering system for the water that eliminates these effects.
Many pool professionals see borates as the ideal companion product to salt chlorine generators because they help simplify water maintenance. ECGs are sold to make sanitizing pool water easier; therefore, the last thing a pool professional wants is for this equipment to cause additional maintenance issues.
Borates add a layer of anti-corrosion protection, helping to prevent rust on equipment, accessories, and fixtures around the pool. Customers who use borates don’t come into stores with rusted ladders — even the vinyl liners seem to last longer. The extra investment in borates pays off.
Calcium Scale Prevention
High calcium levels can lead to scale buildup and cloudy water. Scale forms when calcium and carbonates crystallize, especially along waterlines and on surfaces. High pH worsens this issue. Borates keep pH from creeping upwards to help prevent scaling.
As ECG installations have increased, borates have become more important. Scale buildup can reduce the lifespan of salt cell plates in the salt chlorine generator. By maintaining borate levels at 50 ppm in pools equipped with salt chlorine generating systems, it helps extend the life of salt cells significantly.
Pool professionals note that salt conversion cells on chlorine generators in pools where borates are used can easily last a decade. This is a real selling point, as even customers who ensure their pool water is balanced typically only get five to six years out of an equivalent cell.
Salt cells tend to last longer when borates are used because borates bi-chelate (or bonds) with calcium present in the water, allowing the cell to remain cleaner because less scale forms. When scale does form, it’s typically much softer and easier to remove. Since less acid is needed to clean the cell plates, there’s also less risk of damaging the cell plates.
Due to the high pH at the surface of the cathode plates within the ECG, scale formation is highly likely. In fact, it’s important to note scale formation will occur inside the salt chlorine generator even if the pool water is properly balanced.
Service professionals around the country now start up pools with approximately 30 to 50 ppm of borates in the water, which normally lasts between one and two years. After about 18 months, they test the water and usually need to add a little more borate to get the level back up into that range.
Additional Benefits of Borates
Borate-based products also inhibit the ability of algae to reproduce. Pool professionals report that consumers who use borates rarely have problems with green water. And pool professionals in many parts of Texas and Florida agree that after it rains once or twice in the summer, and the temperatures get up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius), pools without borates turn green. However, pool professionals report their customers that use borates never experience green pools again.
Although borates are mainly a tool for pH and algae control, pool owners also like the way it makes the water look and feel. This product actually increases the refractory index of the water so more light is reflected which gives the pool more ‘sparkle.’
Finally, borates help to improve the overall bather experience. All borates can be considered derivatives of boric acid B(OH)3 — the active ingredient in eye drops — and this soothing ability translates into pools and spas treated with borate. In addition, because borates are a mineral salt, they help make bathers’ skin feel softer and help reduce ‘red eye’ from swimming.
With so many pools using ECGs, there is a definite case for using borates. Adding them once a year can make all the difference to a pool owner who chose a salt chlorine generator to simplify their pool water maintenance. Now is the time to get all those pools with all those salt chlorine generators ready for the season. Beautiful pool water is virtually guaranteed if you start the season off with borates!
About the author: John Bereza is the Great Lakes regional sales manager for Haviland Pool and Spa Products, a manufacturer of water treatment products in Grand Rapids, Mich. He works to promote the company’s pool and spa/hot tub product lines to its network of national distributors and dealers. Bereza has worked at Haviland since 2003 in various roles, including decorative coatings.