Keeping a clean pool is about more than just chlorine. There are various different ways to keep your pool free from potential human pathogens, various bacteria and algae proliferation. While scrubbing the walls and tiles and keeping debris out of the filters, basket and surface is a good place to start, the final step to a clean pool is the disinfecting method you use to rid it of organic matter.
There are several ways to do it – although the most common is still crystalline chlorine.
According to the WHO (World Health Organization), the right concentration of chlorine per liter of water in a pool to prevent widespread health problems is roughly 1.4 milligrams. Through that amount, chlorine compounds in the water harmlessly bind to other compounds and are rendered useless, after their initial job – oxidizing organic matter and killing bacteria – is completed.
Despite that, however, an increasing amount of evidence points to the fact that chlorine causes damage in the more delicate membranes of the body, including the eyes, nose, and irritable spot on the skin. That’s why alternatives are becoming more commonplace, and attractive to pool owners looking for a way to protect against the harmful effects of chlorinated pool water in the long-term.
Ozone and Ionized Water
A good pool sanitizer is ozone. Ozone, as produced through machines by Clearwater Pool Systems and other companies, is a form of oxygen produced when compressed air undergoes a chemical reaction through UV light. Due to its oxidative properties, it rapidly and efficiently kills bacteria – but due to its instability, low amounts of ozone quickly break down.
In high levels, it’s a pollutant – but through a controlled process, ozone is an effective pool sanitization method.
Pool ionization utilizes ionized silver and copper to kill bacteria without secondary effects in humans. Although it doesn’t kill all bacteria and requires some chlorine, it does reduce the amount of chlorine needed – and makes for a potentially healthier alternative.
