Crystal clear water starts with standard salt and a swimming pool salt chlorinator. Salt being introduced to around 4000 parts per million (4000 ppm). Most domestic systems work around this value. Some do differ. This being around the concentration of a human tear drop. At this level just about has a taste. This concentration is around 10% of seawater values.
A swimming pool salt chlorinator works by the process of electrolysis. The pool water with its salt load being pumped around the pool system in the normal cycle of filtration. Thus passing through the electrolytic cell. This splits apart the salt (sodium chloride) into sodium and chlorine gas. The gas dissolves into the pool water to sanitise the pool. This result is the same as adding chemical chlorine to the water. The sodium and gas recombine back into salt over a few hours. The next time around gets split during the process of circulation and the whole process begins again without additional salt.
Super efficient as most chlorination systems do not require any additional pumping power. They normally use the flow of water during the normal filtration times. Salt does not evaporate and the only loss is by the cleaning and backwash routine. Splashing and wet bodies exiting the pool. This minimal loss can be compensated for by adding 4kg of salt per cubic meter of fresh water required in any top up.
Some additional plus points are reduced stingy eyes compared to chemical chlorine. Is a much nicer product on the skin with greater ph balance. Therefore has not the feeling of full blown sea water but does offer the pleasant skin affect.
The salt cell (Electrolysis Cell) in domestic use, are mainly manufactured from Titanium alloys. They work by applying a very low DC voltage to the plates of the cell. Around the power of a 12v car battery. The salt is then split as it passes between the cell plates one negative and one positive. If a buildup of scale is present on the cell plates the voltage is simply reversed. The scale dissolving back into the pool water. This is normally an automatic process controlled by a timer within the cell control box.