Mineral system (Nature 2) and CYA

[Mdh2861]

So first off I have learned a lot through this site. It took me a while to believe the cya/chlorine chart and the slam method. With a cya lavel approaching 70 due to too many tablets, I wound up with an algae bloom due to keeping chlorine too low (pool math recommends 9ppm) had it about 3ppm. Even after that I refused to shock to the slam level because it seems so much more than what I'm used to. Well my stubbornness is gone, I'm a believer in the chlorine/cya chart and the slam method using pool math now.

Anyway.... Part of my stubbornness is I want to be a believer in my nature 2 system. Pool company sold it to me as this magical mineral system that reduces my chlorine need to .5 ppm, and they also sold me the tablet feeder at the same time, told me when cya gets too high they have a magical reducer(I now know this is bs) For some reason they encouraged this set up over salt.. They Sang praises about nature 2 , I wanted salt. So 2 questions...

Is nature 2 just bs as well? If it's not, how does it fit/reduce chlorine need with the cya/chlorine chart? If the answer is it doesn't change it then I would say nature 2 is worthless as it's not saving me on chlorine.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Nature2 mineral systems add copper to your water. Copper is an effective algaecide but not effective at anything else. So basically it hides the fact that your water is unsanitary because it keeps algae at bay and we are all lead to believe that algae = bad. But the truth is algae is a nuisance but not a pathogen. Bacteria can thrive is under-chlorinated pool water and you’d never know it. Bacteria are far more pathogenic and disease-causing than algae will ever be.

So, in short, the mineral systems are all BS. And they come with another unpleasant surprise down the road - copper stains. If you think iron staining is annoying, just wait until copper metals stain your pool surface. You’ll learn a real hard and expensive lesson when that happens.

Switch to an SWG on your own dime and don’t listen to the pool builders. They have motivations to sell you the mineral systems and it’s not all because they love you so much and want what’s best for you

 

[Mdh2861]

Thank you, this is what I thought. Will copper stain a fiberglass pool?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Thank you, this is what I thought. Will copper stain a fiberglass pool?

Yes. If the levels get high enough and the pH is high, copper precipitates out as a mixed oxide/hydroxide. It will look light brown colored and, when tested with ascorbic acid, it turns darker colored, almost black. Copper can not be easily sequestered in the water and the best removal strategy is draining and dilution.