Caribbean Clear....Any Experience With It?

[mhosborn]

I've been lurking here for the last few weeks as we are seriously considering having an in ground pool built. We have met with 5 pool builders and received quotes from 3 fence builders, so we are well on our way to making a decision soon. (Still waiting on quotes from 2 of the 5 pool builders, but we should have those this week sometime). I will post what we've learned after we get our final bid.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here is the Caribbean Clear system. I wonder about this because my in-laws have had this system in their pool for over 15 years and swear by it. They said their pool maintenance is next to nothing (maybe a jug of Clorox once a week or so) since they went to this system. They claim that, when their pool was first installed, they used a standard chlorine system, and always had eye irritation and faded swimwear.....not to mention ear infections. They tell me all those dropped to nil since putting in the Caribbean Clear system. And they've had no complaints of any other illnesses or annoyances with it, so I have to wonder if it's something I should consider? (Although it might be considered "heresy" to even mention here!).

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[duraleigh]

There simply are no "magic bullets" in pool care. If there was one chemical or magic product that worked and was easier than all the others, well, it would be too good to be true and you know what happens when that's the case.

We teach BBB here because it doesn't rely on secret ingredients or secret anything. (Or something that requires "no effort at all".....all pools require effort)

Instead, BBB relies on you, the pool owner, understanding what pool water chemistry really is about and how to test and manage your own pool using the simplest of methods and products.

Their is no product or method that will match up to the knowledge you gain by learning the basic chemistry of pool water management.

 

[chem geek]

Carribean Clear has been mentioned here at TFP such as in this post that pretty much summarizes the main problem with metal ion systems and that is the risk of staining. Basically, to use a metal ion system you have to monitor the levels and maintain a lower pH; otherwise the metals form oxides and can stain plaster surfaces and also turn blond hair greenish.

If your in-laws had eye irritation and faded swimwear when using chlorine originally, they probably were not properly maintaining their chlorine system. It sounds like they weren't using Cyanuric Acid (CYA) or that the chlorine level was too high (relative to CYA). Such problems are not seen by the tens of thousands of pool owners using BBB and reporting on this and other forums.

Note that the Carribean Clear system is not chlorine free and you would still need to add chlorine to it more than once a week or so that your in-laws did. As shown here, Carribean Clear is NSF Standard 50 certified, but requires at least 0.4 ppm chlorine (or 0.8 ppm bromine). Note in footnote (2) in their listing that their claim of being "chlorine-free" only applies to bromine systems (pretty misleading, don't you think?). This link to the NSF website describes how copper/silver ion systems that have been NSF approved REQUIRE chlorine or bromine.

Note that Carribean Blue was sued by the FTC for making chlorine-free claims. A look at their current website shows that they no longer make such claims. If Carribean Clear is used with no chlorine or if the chlorine level is allowed to get to zero, then as shown in this post the kill times for pathogens slow down considerably. At least with Carribean Blue it has silver ions in addition to copper ions so is not as bad as copper-only systems that do nothing against fecal bacteria. However, metal ions are not always effective against viruses. For residential pools, the risk is lower, but such systems are not allowed in any commercial/public pools without the use of chlorine.

 

[mhosborn]

I appreciate the replies posted thus far!

I can appreciate the fact that there's simply no "set it and forget it" pool sanitation system that works everywhere, every time. Were this the case, I suspect everyone would be using it!

I was also sure that eye irritation and faded swimwear wasn't caused by their chlorine system, but rather an improperly maintained balance of chemicals in their pool.

I'm sure I'll get some "comments" from the in-laws when we reach the point of pool installation. I don't plan on using Caribbean Clear, but I have to admit their pool is always crystal clear.

My interest in all the possibilities is simply because I travel quite extensively for my work. Although my wife will assist with the pool maintenance, she may not be as "devoted" to it as necessary to maintain the proper levels. From what I've read here so far, a SWG system will reduce SOME of the maintenance (not having to add chlorine to the pool very often), so I'm seriously looking at that for our pool. Whether it will fit in under the budget remains to be seen.

Again, thanks for the replies, folks!

 

[chem geek]

I corrected the first link in my post above. It now points to the TFP post that says the following:

I think that the metal staining in my pool is from the Carribean Clear system that was used by the previous owner for around twenty years. From what I can determined, the water has never been changed.

 

[MarcieD]

Had one and loved it. It was so good someone stole the box before I could install it again. The water always smelled so fresh.

 

[poolnoobgrandma]

I appreciate the replies posted thus far!

I can appreciate the fact that there's simply no "set it and forget it" pool sanitation system that works everywhere, every time. Were this the case, I suspect everyone would be using it!

I was also sure that eye irritation and faded swimwear wasn't caused by their chlorine system, but rather an improperly maintained balance of chemicals in their pool.

I'm sure I'll get some "comments" from the in-laws when we reach the point of pool installation. I don't plan on using Caribbean Clear, but I have to admit their pool is always crystal clear.

My interest in all the possibilities is simply because I travel quite extensively for my work. Although my wife will assist with the pool maintenance, she may not be as "devoted" to it as necessary to maintain the proper levels. From what I've read here so far, a SWG system will reduce SOME of the maintenance (not having to add chlorine to the pool very often), so I'm seriously looking at that for our pool. Whether it will fit in under the budget remains to be seen.

Again, thanks for the replies, folks!

When I suggested a pool, hubby was fine with it, but said he didn't want to deal with maintenance. We got a robot, SWCG, screen enclosure, and I met TFP. Then I started traveling. Bigly. Sigh.
Hubby had to learn to test chlorine and pH, and add acid from time to time. There were many nights that I walked him through the process of testing and adding chemicals from a hotel room in Huntsville AL. ( don't ask).
Anyway, we all survived, including the pool, and while the chemistry is still 98% my job, hubby pitches in as needed, and we were able to follow TFP guidance while I was in another time zone 2-3 weeks out of the month.
Best of luck to you!