Micblau Piscines
Salt chlorination

Salt chlorination: the water makes the chlorine, not you

It is the service we are asked for most, and it makes sense: with a slight salinity, the pool generates its own disinfectant inside the circuit. No buying chlorine, no carrying it, no storing it. We advise you, size the unit, install it and maintain it.

−80%
less packaged chemical*
4-6 g/L
salinity: 7 times less than the sea
1-2×
salt top-ups a year

* Saving on packaged disinfectant for a private outdoor pool with automatic pH control, compared with the same basin dosed with hypochlorite. The real figure depends on volume, bather load and hours of sun.

The chlorine doesn't disappear — it is made where and when it is needed

Salt chlorination is not a «chlorine-free» pool: it is a pool that makes its own chlorine at the exact moment it needs it. The cell passes lightly salted water (4-6 g/L, seven times less than the sea) across a set of electrodes, and that salt becomes the disinfectant — which turns back into salt once it has done its job. The cycle closes on itself, which is why the salt is only topped up once or twice a year.

What changes for you is everything that disappears. No drums to buy, no corner of the garden that smells. No chlorine spikes after a manual dose, and no gap on the days you are away. And the water feels different — none of the chloramine sting, and far gentler on skin and eyes, because the salinity is close to that of saline solution.

That said, a salt system on its own disappoints. It produces in step with filtration hours, and its output depends on pH: which is why we don't sell the cell alone, but the set that makes it work — automatic pH control, correctly sized filtration and, where it genuinely earns its place, a UV reactor that destroys chloramines in indoor and heavily used pools. We work across Barcelona, the Maresme, both Vallès and the Baix Llobregat.

What the service includes

Sized to your basin

Neither tight nor oversized: we calculate output from the real volume, filtration hours, bather load and climate. An undersized cell has you dosing by hand every August.

Automatic pH control

Salt systems push pH up as they run. Without a probe and dosing pump correcting it, output drops and the water starts to irritate — which is why it is always in the same quote.

UV where it earns its place

UV reactors for indoor pools, spas and high occupancy: they destroy chloramines and the «swimming pool» smell. On a family outdoor pool it isn't needed, and we will tell you so.

Installation and cell servicing

Fitting, initial salt charge, commissioning against analysed water and a seasonal check — by the same technical team, not a passing installer.

Salt chlorination or traditional chlorine?

It is the question we get every spring. The honest answer is that salt costs more in year one and less in every year after — and that what actually decides the purchase is rarely the price, but how the water feels.

Salt chlorination or traditional chlorine?
Salt chlorination or traditional chlorine?Salt chlorinationTraditional chlorine
Upfront investmentUnit, fitting and salt charge: the outlay lands in year one.Practically nothing — product only.
Annual product costOne or two sacks of salt plus pH corrector. Small and predictable.Recurring disinfectant purchases all season, exposed to market prices.
Your work each weekCheck pH and salinity. Disinfection runs itself.Dose, watch the residual and correct the spikes.
How the water feelsSoft, no sting: the salinity is close to saline solution.Chloramine smell, and more eye and skin irritation whenever pH drifts.
Product stored at homeSacks of salt — inert and harmless.Drums of disinfectant that need proper storage and handling.
Equipment upkeepCheck the cell (most are self-cleaning) and replace it every few summers.No equipment to service — but nothing automatic covering you while you're away.
When we do NOT recommend itBasins with incompatible materials, or hydraulics that can't support the output needed — we say so before quoting.High-occupancy public facilities where regulation and peak load call for additional support.

Indicative comparison for a private outdoor pool. For yours we run the numbers with your real dimensions and last year's product spend.

How we work

  1. 01

    Survey of basin and use

    Volume, filtration, occupancy, climate and materials. From that we size the unit and tell you whether salt, UV or both make sense.

  2. 02

    Installation and integration

    Cell, control panel and pH control integrated into your existing plant room. In the vast majority of cases, without building work.

  3. 03

    Verified commissioning

    We set output and salinity against analysed water, and walk you through the daily routine — which is close to none.

  4. 04

    Seasonal service

    Cleaning and checking the cell, salinity control and fine adjustment at the start of each summer. This is what makes the equipment last.

Frequently asked questions

Does a salt-chlorinated pool taste of seawater?

No. It runs at 4-6 grams of salt per litre; seawater carries 35. You barely notice it, and that is exactly what makes the swim so pleasant: the salinity is close to that of saline solution.

Can I convert my existing pool to salt chlorination?

In the vast majority of cases yes, and without building work: the unit integrates into the existing plant room. First we check that the hydraulics and materials are compatible — some linings and metal fittings are not — and then we give you a fixed quote.

How much electricity does an electrolysis cell use?

Little, and only while filtration runs: a domestic cell draws far less than the pump feeding it. If you take the opportunity to move to a variable-speed pump, the whole set typically uses less than the installation you had.

How long does the cell last, and what does replacing it cost?

It depends on running hours and how it is treated: with pH under control and a seasonal service, several summers. The cell is a spare part, not a new system — when the time comes it is swapped without touching the rest of the installation.

Salt chlorination or UV: which suits me?

Salt is the ideal base for outdoor pools because it leaves a residual disinfectant in the water. UV shines indoors, in spas and at high occupancy because it destroys chloramines, but leaves no residual. Demanding installations combine them: salt disinfects, UV polishes.

How long does it take to pay for itself?

On a private pool in normal use, the saving on product usually covers the equipment within a few seasons. We give you the calculation using your dimensions and what you actually spent on product last year, not a brochure figure.

Request your salt chlorination study

Tell us the pool's dimensions and what you spend on product each season: we will size the unit and send an installation quote with the estimated saving.