• Saltwater swimming pools require specific kinds of maintenance.boy in swimming-pool image by Marzanna Syncerz from Fotolia.com
  
  Saltwater pool owners report that the water dries skin out less and is more comfortable for swimming. However, maintaining a saltwater pool has specific requirements such as equipment to dispense the salt into the pool and saltwater chlorinators to create chlorine in the pool water.
  
  

Chlorine

• Saltwater pools do have chlorine in the water created by the saltwater chlorinator, but the amount is much lower than a traditional chlorine swimming pool. The saltwater chlorinator uses the salt in the pool to make chlorine, but it is not necessary to add chlorine to the pool water. The odor of chlorine and the drying effect that the chemical has on the skin are reduced in a saltwater swimming pool.
  
  

Low Salt Content

• Saltwater pools can give the illusion of swimming in the ocean, but the level of salt in the water is actually much lower than ocean water. Saltwater pools have a concentration of around 3,200 parts per million compared a concentration to 35,000 parts per million in the ocean.
  
  

Expense

• Manufacturers of saltwater swimming pools and saltwater chlorinators stress the financial savings of operating one of these pools. While the pool owner saves on the cost of chlorine, other chemicals are necessary to keep the pool water sanitary. Muriatic acid is needed to keep the pool clean, which may eliminate the cost savings from lower chlorine usage. Saltwater chlorinators must run constantly to keep the pool clean, which results in higher utility bills. The constant use may also require replacement more often than traditional pool filtering equipment.
  
  

Damaged Pool Equipment

• The salt in the water may damage the liner of the swimming pool along with the cement and lights used in the pool. A saltwater pool does have lower concentrations of salt than the ocean, but the levels are still strong enough to potentially cause damage.