Natural Alternatives To Nasty Chemicals?

[tan8856]

Hi

Are there any natural solutions to keep a pool clean? Ive got a 15ft steel framed pool to anything like ozone isnt going to suit. How about minerals like silver etc for a 15ft pool? Ive heard of them for big pools but not small ones. Id prefer me and my kids to be swimming in something nicer than chlorine, algaecide, ph reducer etc....

Thanks

[chem geek]

At the normal levels of chlorine recommended to prevent algae growth -- roughly a minimum Free Chlorine (FC) level that is around 7.5% of the Cyanuric Acid (CYA) level, the active chlorine (hypochlorous acid) level is less than 0.1 ppm which is very low. Also, the problems with disinfection by-products (DBPs) associated with commercial/public pools (especially those indoors) are mostly related to the high-bather loads in such pools while yours will be an orders-of-magnitude (10-100x) or more lower.

There are only three EPA approved sanitizers that kill bacteria and other pathogens quickly enough to pass EPA DIS/TSS-12, namely chlorine, bromine and Baquacil/biguanide/PHMB. Anything else you use will have slower rates of killing bacteria. If you use metal ions such as copper or silver, they not only kill more slowly (10-40 times more slowly), but do not inactivate many viruses. Ozone does not provide a residual sanitizer in the water so does nothing against pathogens stuck in biofilms on pool surfaces (for example). There are no regulations for what you use in your own private pool -- you can soak in raw sewage as far as the government is concerned so it's completely up to you.

On the other hand, the risk for person-to-person transmission of disease is far lower in a residential pool since one sick person swimming in your pool would only infect your family and not tens to hundreds or even thousands of people as can happen in large commercial/public pools which is why the government regulates such pools and requires EPA-approved sanitizers for all such pools (the regs are by state, but all require such sanitizers).

[waterbear]

Hi

Are there any natural solutions to keep a pool clean? Ive got a 15ft steel framed pool to anything like ozone isnt going to suit. How about minerals like silver etc for a 15ft pool? Ive heard of them for big pools but not small ones. Id prefer me and my kids to be swimming in something nicer than chlorine, algaecide, ph reducer etc....

Thanks

Last time I checked heavy metal ions were chemicals and also toxic. Call them "minerals' if it makes you feel better but, in fact, they are registered as pesticides by the EPA. You will still not eliminate the need for pH regulating chemicals and, in fact, what you will be swimming in is a pool full of algaecide!

On the other hand, the risk for person-to-person transmission of disease is far lower in a residential pool since one sick person swimming in your pool would only infect your family

IMHO, this is still irresponsible.

[chem geek]

On the other hand, the risk for person-to-person transmission of disease is far lower in a residential pool since one sick person swimming in your pool would only infect your family

IMHO, this is still irresponsible.

I should have added that in residential pools one normally doesn't allow someone with diarrhea to swim whereas in commercial/public pools one doesn't have as much control over that. That's why the risk is lower because the chances are lower and the impact in terms of number of persons affected is lower. There clearly can still be person-to-person transmission in a residential pool if someone is sick and there is no fast-acting residual sanitizer. It's still not a good idea to not have a fast-acting sanitizer in a residential pool, but this partly explains why there aren't regulations forcing people to do so unlike commercial/public pools that do have such regulations.

[chem geek]

See my post responding to your about Cl Free and metal ion systems in general.