Salt water or chlorine in the Golden Triangle?

Both are chlorine pools

A "salt pool" is not chlorine-free. A generator, or cell, on the equipment pad passes a small electric current through lightly salted water and turns some of the salt into chlorine. A traditional pool gets the same chlorine from tablets, liquid or granules you add by hand or through a feeder. Swimmers notice the softer feel of salt water; the water chemistry is otherwise similar, and both still need pH and alkalinity checks.

What each one costs

Equipment and salt from River Pools (updated Dec 2023); monthly chemicals from Swimply (Feb 2026). Checked 4 November 2026.

Run it out over ten years and the gap shrinks. Saving $10–20 a month on chemicals adds up to about $1,200–2,400, roughly the price of the generator, before you buy a replacement cell (our arithmetic). Choose salt for the feel and the convenience, not on the promise that it pays for itself.

What 62 inches of rain does to salt water

Beaumont averages about 62 in of rain a year, with close to 7 in a month from June through September (NOAA). Rain carries no salt, so every downpour that tops the pool up, or runs out of the overflow line, lowers the salt level. Hayward's manual lists splash-out, backwashing, draining and added water as the ways salt is lost, and its CHECK SALT light flashes once the level falls below 2,700 ppm. It also advises super-chlorinating after a large amount of rain (Hayward).

In practice that means testing salt after each big storm, not once a season, and keeping a bag or two in the garage from June on. A chlorine pool needs a shock after heavy rain too, but it has no salt level to rebuild.

Salt, stone and metal

River Pools warns that salt water can corrode metal rails and ladders and wear plaster faster (River Pools). Hayward tells owners with natural stone coping or decking to ask a stone installation specialist about sealing and care (Hayward). If you want a travertine or flagstone deck, settle the sealer and the sanitizer together, and ask how a plaster finish will be maintained (see the gunite finishes table).

Which suits your yard

• Lean salt if you want softer water, steady chlorine output while you travel, and fewer jugs to store.
• Lean chlorine if you want the lowest up-front price, have a natural stone deck, or prefer equipment with fewer electronic parts.
• Either way, ask the builder to plumb and wire for a salt cell during the build. Adding one later is easier if the pad has room.

Both choices change the monthly bill only a little next to the pump. Our running-cost guide covers the rest.

Common questions