Below we have listed the most common alternatives for sanitizing pool and spa water. You can decide for yourself what system you would like to use in your pool. |
Salt Systems
The main function of salt generators is to create chlorine from salt. The chemical name for salt, NaCl is Sodium Chloride. While salt generators require that you purchase salt instead of chlorine, you are still swimming in chlorine and you will experience all of the problems you will experience swimming in a chlorine pool - the chemical smell of the water, the red eyes, the toxic chemical constantly entering your body through the skin, etc.
Water Softners using salt also add a significant amount of salt to your tap water. The harder the water the more salt is added.
Salt generators are expensive devices and consume a lot of electrical current by applying a high voltage across a cell. The amount of chlorine produced is such a small amount that the system must run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You must maintain your water chemistry and the cell must remain free of mineral deposits or it will not function properly. What you think you are saving from buying chlorine is lost by the electrical consumption. Salt generators are better than buying chlorine, but they are very corrosive and the generator chamber has a limited life, and when it goes, and it will go, it can cost you $400 to $1000 to replace.
Mineral or Catalytic Cartridge System
Mineral cartridge systems are sold under the following trademarked names: Nature2, Vision,and FROG. These products kill contaminants, primarily bacteria, in the water as it passes through a cartridge. This means the pump and filter must run for long periods of time to treat the tens of thousands of gallons of water in a swimming pool. Pool suppliers, who sell these systems, often recommend that you run your pump and filter 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
While, these systems do reduce the need for chlorine or other chemical oxidizing treatment, they do not eliminate the need for these chemicals.
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These systems also require a trip to the pool store to purchase expensive cartridges. In some cases more than one cartridge may be needed in one season. There is no obvious way to determine when these cartridges fail to be effective. Their effectiveness may expire prior to the cartridge contents being totally depleted.
Chlorine or Bromine Chemicals
Chlorine is still the most popular means of sanitizing swimming pool water. It does an excellent job sanitizing water, but it does so at a huge price.
Chlorine is a very caustic, corrosive chemical. It is effective because it attacks anything organic. Unfortunately, it also attacks the skin, hair, and eyes of the humans swimming in it.
Chlorine is toxic and hazardous to handle, ingest or breathe. It is also dangerous to store. Chlorine can be extremely flammable.
Chloramines, a by-product of chlorine and organic waste, are known carcinogens. Unfortunately there is no practical way of preventing chloramines from forming in chlorinated swimming pools.
Maintaining chlorine levels at minimal acceptable levels can be very difficult to do at times. Residual chlorine is highly affected by the water temperature, rain, pH, and number of swimmers. Chlorine is absorbed in the skin of swimmers and therefore the more people that swim in the pool, the more chlorine is absorbed by their skin and the more chlorine that needs to be added to the pool water to properly sanitize the water.
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