Chlorine Alternatives for Swimming Pools

Anyone who has spent much time around swimming pools can easily recall its affects on skin, clothing, hair and even nasal passages. Chlorine can leave your skin feeling dry and itchy, your bathing suit and pool garb bleached, hair stiff and sometimes weirdly tinted green, and nasal passages completely plugged! While we all agree that chlorine is an excellent sanitizer, most of us would like to keep the pool maintained without having to use it. Today, there are chlorine alternatives available that can help to greatly reduce the amount of chlorine required to keep your pool clean.

No, it is not possible to totally remove chlorine from your pool. However, a pool service company can install an ozone generator to do much of the same sanitizing as chlorine. Commercial water parks are using ozone generators to ensure their cleanliness and safety. It is 100% natural and will greatly improve the water quality in your pool. Once you add an ozone generator to your system, you can expect to reduce the level of your chlorine use by over two-thirds.

It is also possible today to install a chlorine generator. This process requires the addition of salt to your pool, which is broken down by the generator into the sanitizing agent in chlorine. The only maintenance required with this process is to control the levels of salt and other chemicals in your pool. Don’t jump to the assumption that you’ll be swimming in salt water! The level of salt required in your pool is no more than the salt level of human tears.

Check with your local pool service company to see if they offer chlorine alternatives for your pool.

Chlorine Alternatives for Swimming Pools

Anyone who has spent much time around swimming pools can easily recall its affects on skin, clothing, hair and even nasal passages. Chlorine can leave your skin feeling dry and itchy, your bathing suit and pool garb bleached, hair stiff and sometimes weirdly tinted green, and nasal passages completely plugged! While we all agree that chlorine is an excellent sanitizer, most of us would like to keep the pool maintained without having to use it. Today, there are chlorine alternatives available that can help to greatly reduce the amount of chlorine required to keep your pool clean.

No, it is not possible to totally remove chlorine from your pool. However, a pool service company can install an ozone generator to do much of the same sanitizing as chlorine. Commercial water parks are using ozone generators to ensure their cleanliness and safety. It is 100% natural and will greatly improve the water quality in your pool. Once you add an ozone generator to your system, you can expect to reduce the level of your chlorine use by over two-thirds.

It is also possible today to install a chlorine generator. This process requires the addition of salt to your pool, which is broken down by the generator into the sanitizing agent in chlorine. The only maintenance required with this process is to control the levels of salt and other chemicals in your pool. Don’t jump to the assumption that you’ll be swimming in salt water! The level of salt required in your pool is no more than the salt level of human tears.

Check with your local pool service company to see if they offer chlorine alternatives for your pool.

Converting a Pool From Chlorine to Saltwater

Saltwater pools are generally thought of as a chlorine alternative for swimming pools.  However, despite what people might think, saltwater pools don’t operate completely free of chlorine. Converting a pool from using chlorine to primarily using salt is a complicated process, and should involve the service of a licensed, experienced pool service professional.

A chlorine generator is added to the pool’s plumbing, which uses salt added into the water. This allows an amount of chlorine to keep the water clean, and means you don’t have to add any chemicals yourself. The amount of salt that’s added depends on how large or deep your pool is and how many gallons it holds.

As water runs through the chlorine generator and back into the return, it is also wired into the circuit operating the pool pump, so that both generator and pump operate at the same time. This allows salty water to run through the piping, where the salt molecules in the form of sodium chlorine are separated into both sodium and chlorine. The chemical process purifies the pool water, and after sanitizing, the chlorine and sodium are combined back together in the form of salt to start the process all over again.

Chlorine generators are normally self-cleaning, and most modern machines and systems have lights and other indicators to tell you when to change or adjust the salt levels. You can test the salt levels in your pool periodically by using test strips, which you can buy at most pool supply stores. Keeping the chlorine system running and operating is a generally painless process. If you have any other questions or if you’re thinking about converting your own pool, contact a professional pool cleaner or cleaning service for more information.