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We have filled our indoor in ground pool about 2 weeks ago. We are using the blue lagoon UV and Ioniser and want to avoid chemicals (chlorine). The pH is between 7.2 and 7.6, the alkalinity is good (around 120) and the copper content is now at about 0.6ppm.

I have introduced a floculant twice and have vacuumed the remains from the pool. I think I need to start looking at shocking the water on a (semi) regular basis. I have been sold 2 products but looking at them now I am not sure what and if to use either?

Fi-Clor Non Chlorine Shock (talks about bromine testing and not clear how long to leave before swimming again) and Fi-Clor Superfast Granules (stabiliser-free chlorine).

Any help would be greatly appreciated as really lost on what chemical / non chemical treatments we should be using, and how often.

PLEASE HELP

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There are only three types of chemicals in all EPA-approved swimming pool disinfectants: chlorine, bromine and Baquacil/biguanide/PHMB. Anything else kills pathogens far more slowly. Metal ions (copper, silver) not only kill slowly, but they are not oxidizers and UV is not an oxidizer either (though it is helpful in controlling chloramines in an indoor pool) so your bather waste will build up in your pool and you will be swimming in your sweat and urine. That's why your water is getting dull/cloudy as chemicals and particulate matter are building up (you might check your circulation/filtration system as well).

The Blue Lagoon UVC website contains so much inaccurate and misleading information I hardly know where to begin. On their main page they state the following:


The disadvantage of the method of disinfecting your swimming pool with chlorine is that its released chloride into the air by movment of the poolwater or contact with sunlight, thats way you need to add on regularly basis more chlorine to your existing swimmingpool.

The evaporation of chlorine addition gives a nasty chlorine smell in enclosed spaces including lung and respiratory problems with people who suffer from asthma or COPD.

By using the standard UV-C Blue Lagoon Blue Lagoon or UV-C timer, you can use untill 80% less chlorine in your swimming pool as have less irritation on the your skin and have red eyes after swimming.

To enjoy a 100% chlorine free swimming pool is the Blue Lagoon Ionizer developed, the combination of using a UV lamp and a copper electrolysis ionizer (positively charged metal ions) is resulting in a chlorine-free pool.

We also have the Blue Lagoon ozone and UV-C combination who not only kill micro-organisms (fungi, bacteria and viruses) but also destroys cosmetics, urine, perspiration, suntan lotions and oils out off the water.

In outdoor pools, most chlorine does not evaporate but rather gets broken down by the UV in sunlight to produce hydroxyl radicals that are very powerful oxidizers (chlorine radicals are also produced). In indoor pools or pools not exposed to sunlight, chlorine loss is mostly from oxidizing bather waste or cyanuric acid (CYA) if present and some of it outgasses (especially if CYA is not used and the FC is higher). Chloride is an ion and does not outgas; hypochlorous acid outgasses (chlorine gas is in too low a concentration to outgas substantially at pool pH).

They promote copper ions for a chlorine-free pool, but copper does not kill fecal bacteria. See this post for a comparison of kill times of chlorine with copper and silver ions.

Because UV is not an oxidizer, it will not lower chlorine consumption substantially (and may even increase it depending on the type of UV and the contact time). The reduction in chlorine level mostly comes from using copper ions because they are an algaecide to prevent algae growth. If you really want to spend more money to keep the chlorine level lower, there are other algaecides you can use that will not stain the pool (e.g. Polyquat 60 or 50 ppm Borates).

At least they mention ozone which in a chlorine-free pool would be needed as a supplemental oxidizer. But it sounds like you are not using ozone, only UV.

So let's now deal with facts. Metal ions can stain pool surfaces unless you carefully control the metal ion concentration and prevent the pH from getting too high. Note how their website conveniently leaves out that information -- intentional withholding of materially important information a consumer would need to know to make an informed purchase decision. What's the name for that...oh yeah, fraud.

If you want to use a low level of chlorine in your pool there is already a way of doing that -- it's called Cyanuric Acid (CYA) aka stabilizer or conditioner. When CYA is present, most of the chlorine is bound to it and essentially doesn't react. It is a buffer for chlorine (technically, for hypochlorous acid) and releases it quickly as the unbound active chlorine gets used up killing pathogens and oxidizing bather waste. You could use a small amount of CYA in your indoor pool -- say, 20 ppm -- and then have 2 ppm Free Chlorine (FC) which would be equivalent in active chlorine level to having only 0.1 ppm FC if there were no CYA. If you want to go substantially lower to say 1 ppm FC with that 20 ppm CYA, then you could see if that works in your pool which with low bather load it might, but you may need some supplemental oxidation such as using non-chlorine shock (MPS) if you have higher bather loads. This would be equivalent to only 0.05 ppm FC with no CYA and yet will still kill or inactivate most pathogens far faster than copper ions.

You are already reporting water quality issues with the Blue Lagoon UV-C system which is not at all surprising because you are not using chlorine. Fi-Clor Non-Chlorine Shock is likely to be MPS, though I could not find an MSDS for it. Fi-Clor Superfast Shock Granules is "granular hypochlorite" and is just a higher concentration and finer granular form of calcium hypochorite aka Cal-Hypo so this chlorine. For every 10 ppm Free Chlorine (FC) added by Cal-Hypo, it will also increase your Calcium Hardness (CH) by at least 7 ppm. To avoid a rise in CYA or CH from solid or granular chlorine products, you can use chlorinating liquid or unscented plain bleach instead.

If you were to maintain a consistent low active chlorine level in your pool, it should keep the pool clear (assuming your circulation and filtration systems are working) and your pool will be safely disinfected. You won't need to shock your pool regularly if you maintain the chlorine level. Some places you can get chlorinating liquid in the UK include the following:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Liquid-Chlorine-Sodium-Hypochlorite-14-15-10Lts-/160529749649?

http://www.aqua-poolsandleisure.co.uk/chlorine-liquid---sodium-hypochlorie-49---10lts---only-suitable-for-above-ground-pools-up-to-12-585-p.asp

http://www.softubspas.co.uk/liquid-chlorine-litres-p-39.html

http://www.clearwaypools.co.uk/chemicals/20l-liquid-chlorine/prod_213.html

http://www.totalpoolchemicals.co.uk/chemicals.php

http://www.easypoolchemicals.co.uk/shop/3/index.htm

http://www.crystalpools.co.uk/chemicals_water_treatment.php

http://www.iscapoolcare.co.uk/disinfecting-purifying/shock-treatment-swimming-pool-/showitem-SODH.aspx

http://www.stuff4pools.co.uk/home.cfm

If you insist on not using chlorine at all times and you understand the risks you are taking, then you need an oxidizer for your bather waste. The non-chlorine shock products you referred to will help, but even they won't oxidize some chemicals that chlorine will so you'll still need to use chlorine once in a while. As for how much you will need, that depends on your pool but probably once a week shock with the MPS products unless you have higher bather load in which case more than once a week adding some MPS. For chlorine, perhaps once or twice a month, but that's just a guess.

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