Alternative Sanitizers - Alternative Methods to Sanitize Your Swimming Pool

• Salt Water Chlorine Generation - Alternative Sanitizing Option #1
• Sanitizing Your Pool Through Copper and Silver Ionization
• Mineral Purification and Pool Sanitizing
• Ozonators for Swimming Pool Sanitizing
• What will be your method of alternative sanitizer?

Burning eyes, bleached clothing, dry skin, corroded pool liners and equipment, these are just some of the side effects that can come with the use of chlorine to sanitize your swimming pool. If you have experienced any of the aforementioned side effects, or if you are interested in the alternatives to traditional chlorine use in the swimming pool, you will want to consider more information on the various alternative sanitizers that exist for sanitizing the swimming pool. In this article we will consider the four basic types of alternative sanitation methods: salt water, ionization, mineral purification, and ozone use.

Salt Water Chlorine Generation - Alternative Sanitizing Option #1

How does natural saline purification work?
A small amount of natural salt (Sodium Chloride) is dissolved into the water (becoming about half as salty as a human teardrop). The system's electrolytic cell is plumbed directly in-line with the pool equipment. The power control unit is wired to the pool timer so it purifies the water when the pump is running. The power control unit can be adjusted to the desired level of purifier production. As the water flows through the electrolytic cell, electrolysis separates the saline into its basic components, sodium and chloride. Chlorine gas is produced by this process and goes to work in the cell chamber to oxidize bacteria and purify the pool water. Following this process most of the chloride and sodium re-bond and become natural salt again. Only a small amount of salt needs to be added one or twice a year to replace the salt lost due to splash-out or backwashing of the filter. Because the purifying takes place in the cell chamber (not in the pool water itself) you can swim in your swimming pool without the worrying about what sanitizing chemicals may do to your skin, or clothing. With this form of sanitation you do not need to add any chlorine to your pool water. This differs from the other methods we will consider as they all require a small amount of chlorine "residual", or equivalent there of (i.e. non-chlorine shock), to function properly.

Sanitizing Your Pool Through Copper and Silver Ionization

Sanitizing your swimming pool through copper and silver ionization utilizes a process very similar to that which has been used to purify drinking water the world over. Sending an electric current through copper and silver will release more sanitizing ions into your pool water than traditional mineral purifier systems. The copper ions work to combat algae in the pool water and silver ions work to rid your water of bacteria and viruses. Because ionization of these metals is so effective you will only need to keep a minimal chlorine or (non-chlorine shock) residual in your pool water ( 0.5ppm) . This level is so low it is comparable to the level of chlorine located in some drinking water supplies. What all of this means is a lot less money spent on chemicals and a more swimmer-friendly environment in your pool water. Ionization chambers (containing the silver and copper minerals) do get used up and need to be replaced about once every 1.5 - 2 years based upon a 9 month season.

Mineral Purification and Pool Sanitizing

Mineral purification units are also available to greatly reduce the amount of chlorine you need to use in your pool (by up to 80%). Mineral purifiers work in a similar fashion as ionizers do. By passing the pool water through minerals such as silver and copper the natural properties of these minerals attack the algae and bacteria present in your pool water. This process will reduce the amount of chlorine (or non-chlorine shock) residual needed to keep you pool clean to about 0.5ppm. This residual can be achieved by shocking the pool if/when the pool water becomes dull or cloudy.

Ozonators for Swimming Pool Sanitizing

Ozone is a natural oxidizer and therefore another way to sanitize your swimming pool. Ozone is produced by passing air through a high voltage electrical discharge, or corona. A minimum of 5,000 volts of electricity is necessary to create the corona. Air or concentrated oxygen dried to a minimum of -60°C dew point passes through the corona which causes the O2 bond to split, freeing two O1 atoms which then collide with other O2 molecules to create ozone. The ozone/gas mixture discharged from the CD ozone generator normally contains from 1% to 3% ozone when using dry air, and from 3% to 6% ozone when using high purity oxygen as the feed gas. You may be familiar with ozone use as a sanitizer in spas and hot tubs. The tricky part about using it in large swimming pool is getting enough ozone into the pool water to be effective. You will also still need to use some chlorine (or non-chlorine shock) in your swimming pool to keep it clean. You can expect an ozonator to reduce the total amount of sanitizer you use by about 60%.

What will be your method of alternative sanitizer?

So whatever method you choose there are some great reasons to go the way of an alternative sanitizer, let's recap just a few:

• less skin irritation
• eliminate chlorine odor
• reduce maintenance time
• reduce or eliminate the need for chlorine
• eliminate stinging eyes or bleached clothing

Put science to your advantage using an alternative sanitizer in your swimming pool!

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