Best Method For Cleaning Pool Water?

[bwind3]

Okay so I've been reading lots of forums and while pool maintenance doesn't seem THAT difficult, the options and what the best route to take to keep your water clean isn't easy to decide between.

Chlorine...studies I've read show can be detrimental to the environment, and even if it's a tiny drop compared to what the big companies or even municipal water treatment plants add, I wonder if there is a better choice why not make it? I've also read that chlorine has been linked to cancer and asthma (if chlorine isn't kept at proper levels) especially in children(asthma) (my wife is concerned about Chlorine use as we're having a child in August and wants to have a healthy pool environment and be good to mother nature as well.

Bromine/bromide...once you switch from Chlorine to a bromine pool you'd have a somewhat difficult process to switch back to contend with. Friends have told me they tried it and it was too difficult to keep balance, isn't meant for anything but spas Bromine is still used in conjunction with Chlorine so same problems you confront with Chlorine...can't really use Bromine effectively with a Sunny location pool because it burns off too quickly. Not sure what the negative effects of bromine are...health/environment?

Waterbear commented about the difficulty of using biquanide for various reasons...although that is what my wife is leaning towards. It sounds very difficult and troublesome?

Other alternatives??!!!

So PLEASE help.

What we wish for is a system that is safe, environmentally acceptable, not that expensive (but we're willing to pay more for a system that easily addresses the other issues), and hopefully doesn't cause us to spend more time maintaining the pool water than actually swimming in it, (daily pool maintenance seems like too much for people that swim once or twice a week). Is this too much to ask for?

We have a vinyl 18000 gln chlorine pool with a sand filter.

We bought a new house last summer and have been trying to get up to speed on how to live well with the pool. (We had to learn fast since the first 2 weeks we moved in we had torrential downpours that caused a crazy algae bloom in the pool...wasn't easy for us newbies to get rid of but we eventually brought everything into balance)

We used test strips and talked with poolstore workers last summer but ideally would like to move away from chlorine...unless its not as bad as some reports say...unless there really is no other better method.

Thanks for the site and your help.

-=Bradley

[waterbear]

Okay so I've been reading lots of forums and while pool maintenance doesn't seem THAT difficult, the options and what the best route to take to keep your water clean isn't easy to decide between.

Chlorine...studies I've read show can be detrimental to the environment, and even if it's a tiny drop compared to what the big companies or even municipal water treatment plants add, I wonder if there is a better choice why not make it? I've also read that chlorine has been linked to cancer and asthma (if chlorine isn't kept at proper levels) especially in children(asthma) (my wife is concerned about Chlorine use as we're having a child in August and wants to have a healthy pool environment and be good to mother nature as well.

Chlorine in an outdoor pool is your best choice, IMHO. The reason it is so widely used it because it really is the best and safest sanitizer that is availabe! If you are that concerend about the environment then maybe you shouldn't have a pool! (I have read many of these studies and they are not really upfront on the data, the cancer concerns have to do with some byproducts of chlorinaton that are not really a concern in outdoor pools because they do not accumulate, there is some concern about them with indoor chlorine pools and in drinking water treatment, however. ) The studies you have read about asthma have to do with indoor pools where some of the byproducts collect in the air. This does not happen in outdoor pools where sunlight effective breaks them down and they cannot collect in a closed space such as the room the indoor pool is located in.

Bromine/bromide...once you switch from Chlorine to a bromine pool you'd have a somewhat difficult process to switch back to contend with. Friends have told me they tried it and it was too difficult to keep balance, isn't meant for anything but spas Bromine is still used in conjunction with Chlorine so same problems you confront with Chlorine...can't really use Bromine effectively with a Sunny location pool because it burns off too quickly. Not sure what the negative effects of bromine are...health/environment?

Bromine is really not useful in outdoor pools because it cannot be stabilized to protect it from being degraded by sunlight. It has some usefulness in indoor pools but has many of the same drawbacks as chlorine does. The chlorine used in a bromine system is instantly converted into active bromine sanitizer. A real concern with bromine is the possible formation of bromates in the water. Also, bromine is a known sensitizer and many people are allergic to it.

Waterbear commented about the difficulty of using biquanide for various reasons...although that is what my wife is leaning towards. It sounds very difficult and troublesome?

Biguainde will work for a few years but then the bacteria can develop a resistance to it and at that point many biguanide users convert to chlorine! There is a tendancy to develop white water mold and pink slime after a few years of use. It will not kill algae without addtitional algaecide and biguanide pools are often cloudy. Filter maintenance is much higher with biguanide because it tends to ruin filter media and it can attack some plastics that might be used in some pool or spa parts. It is an expensive system and can really drain your wallet.

Other alternatives??!!!

These three are the only 3 EPA approved sanitizers. Anything else (Metals or 'minerals", ozone, copper products, enzymes, etc.) are only auxillery products and NOT primary santizers. They still need to be used with a primary sanitizer, usually chlorine! Some of them are only compatible WITH chlorine! Some of these can be useful but they all have their own drawbacks. IMHO, a salt water chlorine generator is a good way to go if you don't mind the expense of installing one. It really simplifies pool maintenance. You will have a chlorine pool if you install one.

So PLEASE help.

What we wish for is a system that is safe, environmentally acceptable, not that expensive (but we're willing to pay more for a system that easily addresses the other issues), and hopefully doesn't cause us to spend more time maintaining the pool water than actually swimming in it, (daily pool maintenance seems like too much for people that swim once or twice a week). Is this too much to ask for?

Once again, A salt water chlorine generator would do this for you.l

We have a vinyl 18000 gln chlorine pool with a sand filter.

We bought a new house last summer and have been trying to get up to speed on how to live well with the pool. (We had to learn fast since the first 2 weeks we moved in we had torrential downpours that caused a crazy algae bloom in the pool...wasn't easy for us newbies to get rid of but we eventually brought everything into balance)

We used test strips and talked with poolstore workers last summer but ideally would like to move away from chlorine...unless its not as bad as some reports say...unless there really is no other better method.

Get rid of the strips and get a good test kit. For chlorine I recommend the Taylor K-2006. It really doesn't matter what sanitizer you use. You will still need to test your water and do pool maitenance! A good test kit will make this task much easier!

Thanks for the site and your help.

-=Bradley

There is a lot of marketing hype concering various 'alternative santiation systems' for pools. In the past few years much of this has changed because of studies done on bacteria kill times. At one time ioniers and other metal or 'mineral' systems were advertised as chlorine free alternatives, now they are required to be used in conjucntion with chlorine for proper sanitation. In some counties (Not in the US, unfortunately) they are reqired to be used with NORMAL and not reduced chlorine levels because they are not felt to be effective in a pool. While they might work fine for water purification in a closed system where slow kill times are acceptable a pool is an open system that needs fast kill times to handle all the contaminants that are introduced into it constantly.

[HIPOOLIQ]

There is a lot of marketing hype concering various 'alternative santiation systems' for pools. In the past few years much of this has changed because of studies done on bacteria kill times. At one time ioniers and other metal or 'mineral' systems were advertised as chlorine free alternatives, now they are required to be used in conjucntion with chlorine for proper sanitation. In some counties (Not in the US, unfortunately) they are reqired to be used with NORMAL and not reduced chlorine levels because they are not felt to be effective in a pool. While they might work fine for water purification in a closed system where slow kill times are acceptable a pool is an open system that needs fast kill times to handle all the contaminants that are introduced into it constantly.

Some of the advice that I've seen on this forum is questionable at best from time to time. However this time, I believe that I will have to agree w/the previous response. Salt water is the best solution to your delima. I've installed many and get two responses after the fact...."Why didn't I do it sooner" and "I'll never have anything but". Good luck to ya and look into Salt.

[bwind3]

There is a lot of marketing hype concering various 'alternative santiation systems' for pools. In the past few years much of this has changed because of studies done on bacteria kill times. At one time ioniers and other metal or 'mineral' systems were advertised as chlorine free alternatives, now they are required to be used in conjucntion with chlorine for proper sanitation. In some counties (Not in the US, unfortunately) they are reqired to be used with NORMAL and not reduced chlorine levels because they are not felt to be effective in a pool. While they might work fine for water purification in a closed system where slow kill times are acceptable a pool is an open system that needs fast kill times to handle all the contaminants that are introduced into it constantly.

Waterbear, thank you so much for such a fantastic thorough reply...although I must recommend in the future when you are trying to help people to steer clear of slightly snide remarks like "maybe you shouldn't have a pool!" We moved into a new house that had one. I suppose we could fill it in but really looking for alternative ways to be conscious about ones health and environment while still enjoying the luxury of a pool shouldn't be frowned upon...

but mainly I really want to thank you. I'll look into the salt water systems at our local pool stores.

Some of the advice that I've seen on this forum is questionable at best from time to time. However this time, I believe that I will have to agree w/the previous response. Salt water is the best solution to your delima. I've installed many and get two responses after the fact...."Why didn't I do it sooner" and "I'll never have anything but". Good luck to ya and look into Salt.

Thanks Hipoolio!

[waterbear]

Waterbear, thank you so much for such a fantastic thorough reply...although I must recommend in the future when you are trying to help people to steer clear of slightly snide remarks like "maybe you shouldn't have a pool!" We moved into a new house that had one. I suppose we could fill it in but really looking for alternative ways to be conscious about ones health and environment while still enjoying the luxury of a pool shouldn't be frowned upon...

but mainly I really want to thank you. I'll look into the salt water systems at our local pool stores.

Thanks Hipoolio!

What I meant by that is that ANY pool is going to create an enviromental concern. If you have a sand or DE filter there will be 'grey water' that needs to be disposed of properly whenever you backwash the filter. Spent DE powder is also a concern when it has to be disposed of. This is why many localities are now only permitting cartridge filters. The water needed can also be a concern in areas which do not have an abundant supply of clean water. All these things need to be weighed in your decision to have a pool and if you are so concerned about environmental issues then perhaps pool ownership would be contrary to your beliefs. Pools are not the only thing that can create environmental problems, The wastewater from your washer and dishwater, runoff of lawn chemicals caused by rains and your sprinkler system, etc. are all to be considered. I was merely trying to point that out. Chlorine is, IMHO, the most environmentally friendly way to sanitizer a pool. The toxicity of copper to aquatic life is well documented yet many Ionizer companies call the metals they put into the water 'minerals' to give it a 'more friendly' name!

In terms of health there are much bigger dangers from undersanitized pool water than from the amount of chlorine that will be found in a pool. It boils down to benifits vs. risk.

Bottom line is that owning a pool CAN contribute to envronmental issues but RESPONIBLE POOL OWNERSHIP AND CARE can mimimize them greatly.

[bwind3]

What I meant by that is that ANY pool is going to create an enviromental concern. If you have a sand or DE filter there will be 'grey water' that needs to be disposed of properly whenever you backwash the filter. Spent DE powder is also a concern when it has to be disposed of. This is why many localities are now only permitting cartridge filters. The water needed can also be a concern in areas which do not have an abundant supply of clean water. All these things need to be weighed in your decision to have a pool and if you are so concerned about environmental issues then perhaps pool ownership would be contrary to your beliefs. Pools are not the only thing that can create environmental problems, The wastewater from your washer and dishwater, runoff of lawn chemicals caused by rains and your sprinkler system, etc. are all to be considered. I was merely trying to point that out. Chlorine is, IMHO, the most environmentally friendly way to sanitizer a pool. The toxicity of copper to aquatic life is well documented yet many Ionizer companies call the metals they put into the water 'minerals' to give it a 'more friendly' name!

In terms of health there are much bigger dangers from undersanitized pool water than from the amount of chlorine that will be found in a pool. It boils down to benifits vs. risk.

Bottom line is that owning a pool CAN contribute to envronmental issues but RESPONIBLE POOL OWNERSHIP AND CARE can mimimize them greatly.

Oh, that's much clearer than your previous statement.

We have a well so our water isn't municipal and therefore running a hose or washer isn't contributing to the spread of chlorine that most municipalities use. We use organic products in our garden, and nothing on the lawn. We purchase products like Seventh Generation, that while certainly are adding types of waste into the runoff systems, aren't adding the ones that we could be otherwise. The idea is that while its next to impossible to not contribute negatively to the environment somewhat in our modern lives there should always be people seeking ways to do it better or lessen your impact. I'm not all granola crunchy and have to give up my car and ride a bike an hour to work or never eat at a fast food joint but I'm sure you get my point. So, yes, I'm in agreement, seeking RESPONSIBLE ways to deal with your world is the way to go...as is good communication...thanks again.