Show Notes
Salt pools get marketed like a break from chlorine, but the truth is simpler: a salt system is still a chlorine factory, and many homeowners end up swimming in higher chlorine than they realize. We sit down with Todd Garino, founder of the Low-Chlo Sanitizer System, to talk about a different path, mineral-based pool sanitation designed to keep residential pools clear and safe while targeting low free chlorine levels around 0.5–1.5 ppm.
Todd explains where the technology came from, why it has been quietly used for years, and what changed to finally bring it to a wider market. We get into the real-world problems that pushed this forward: salt cells that don’t last like they used to, variable-speed pump run times that burn through cell hours, and the industry habit of treating “more chlorine” as the default answer. Then we break down the mechanics in plain language: how a vortex tank and mineral media create an electrolytic effect without electricity, why trichlor is used mainly for oxidation, and why the system is plumbed to help reduce chlorine exposure to heaters.
We also cover what pool pros care about most: install difficulty, maintenance time, chemical consumption, and customer confidence. If you’ve been looking for a low chlorine pool system, an alternative to a saltwater chlorinator, or a way to reduce chemical costs without risking water quality, this conversation gives you a grounded framework to evaluate it.
Learn more: https://low-chlo.com/
• what the Low-Chlo system is and why it is not new technology
• the origin story from a fiberglass pool builder solving fading and shell issues
• why salt cells fail sooner than people expect and how variable-speed pumps affect cell life
• how mineral media provides sanitation while trichlor is used mainly for oxidation
• what “low chlorine” targets look like in real pools and why more is not always safer
• cost comparisons versus saltwater chlorine generators and traditional chlorine programs
• maintenance steps including reversing flow and how frequency changes with hard water
• warranty
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