Alternative Sanitizers

OZONE is a gas produced by a "ozone generator" on site. The gas is fed into the water and when it comes in contact with microorganisms, it kills on contact. It is a fantastic way to purify pool water and reduce chlorine usage and to make pool water look even better.

Ecosmarte is an advanced ionization/oxidation system and the only way Ecopool has found to completely eliminate chlorine/bromine from pools. It is a fantastic system but requires the pools chemistry to be set up within specific somewhat unconventional parameters to work properly. Although chlorine is not added to the water it is necessary to keep pool water balanced per Ecosmarte parameters. With Ecosmarte you will have beautiful, chemical free water. "Nature 2" or "The Frog" are two erosion ionization systems that we have found over the years to yield mediocre results.

UV - Ultraviolet Sanitization works by pumping water through a vessel which is being bathed in germicidal UV light. It is a wonderful means of purifying water yet we have found it to be high maintenance (ie cleaning of sleeves and bulb replacement).

CHLORINE and BROMINE have been the popular chemicals used for pool sanitization for decades. They work very well, but both when used for long periods of time can build up by-products that make water unpleasant to swim in (yet may look beautiful). Chloramines, high total dissolved solids and Cyanuric acid buildup are the biggest contributors to unpleasant water. By using an alternative sanitizer such as ozone or ionization you can greatly reduce the amount of chlorine or bromine (up to 75%) this prevents pools from reaching the critical levels where the water begins to feel unpleasant.

OZONE and IONIZATION and UV are the ways to reduce the amount of sanitizer in your pool. 		 
   

SALT POOLS are NOT chlorine free pools. In salt pools, a converter converts salt (NaCl) into sodium and chlorine, which is then used to sanitize the water. However, the type of chlorine the generator produces is a very pure form of chlorine, which does not contribute to the formation of chloramines and therefore can be used for years without cyanuric acid buildup. Salt systems can form high levels of dissolved solids, which begin to precipitate out at a certain level and form a whitish coating on the walls of the pool. The coating can be removed easily by washing the pool (involves draining) but its buildup seems to be eliminated/minimized by the constant scrubbing of an automatic cleaner (we like the Polaris 280) and good filtration. Salt pools are not "turn it on and forget it" pools, even though their water may look good (because they are loaded with chlorine). Often times we find that proper balance and chemistry is overlooked in salt pools, which in the short run will irritate eyes and skin and in the long run possibly create scale (crystals forming on pool walls and in pipes and heaters) or cause damage/erosion to heaters and other metallic pool equipment such as lights, ladders, ladder anchors and even screws in fitting of vinyl pools. Salt is corrosive to metal. Any metal object in a pool system should be protected by the use of a sacrificial anode, which will allow the water to take the metal from the anode and not the metal in your pool. An anode should be installed for every salt pool to prevent this erosion. Another note about salt pools is that the salt in the water contributes to the degradation of automatic pool covers, cover tracks, soft porous patio stone, concrete patios, plaster degradation, grout degradation, and during winterization, "brine" is pumped out into the environment.

Depending upon your pool, we can suggest a good compatible sanitizer system. We sell and install: