Chlor Free

[Ian.H]

I have just got into a dispute with the local distributor of this stuff http://www.chlorfree.net

Was wondering if you guys had any experience of using it or could advise on whether it would actually work or not .

Thanks
Ian

 

[duraleigh]

Hi, Ian,

Welcome to the forum. You can search the forum for info on ionizers and ionization....lots of threads but the synopsis is they have very limited value.

What was the nature of your argument?

 

[JasonLion]

There is a good discussion of ChlorFree and some similar systems in this topic.

 

[Ian.H]

Hello Duraleigh, Thanks for the welcome , been lurking for a while now , and I must say its been a great learning tool reading the forum .

Anyway , I am based in Costa Blanca , Southern Spain , and a guy is starting to distribute this stuff locally , and made a pitch to sell the stuff , claiming that it would eliminate the need for any other form of sanitizer completly . I did question that you would still need to use another sanitizer to give a residual ,and use his stuff alongside , but he is claiming that this product is unique in that it is a natural ionizer .

I did do a search on the forum and have read about ionization , but am just looking for a more informed opinion on its merits . This is a link to the guys own site , any opinions would be useful.

http://www.aquasmarter.eu/index.php?page=about

Thanks
Ian

 

[chem geek]

It doesn't matter how the ionization occurs. At the end of the day, you end up with metal ions in the water, most notably silver and copper with the former a little better at killing bacteria and the latter better at killing algae. However, both kill fairly slowly taking hours for significant reductions and they don't do much with viruses. With chlorine, even with CYA in the water, the time to kill 99% of most bacteria is around 1 minute. So using metal ions or metal storage containers for standing water is one thing (i.e. the NASA reference), but that's not the same as a pool where new bacteria, viruses, cysts, etc. are potentially getting introduced into the pool water via fecal matter, among other things.

The reason for chlorine, or other EPA-approved sanitizers (bromine, PHMB/Baqua/biguanide) is that they kill pathogens VERY quickly in the bulk pool water thereby helping to prevent person-to-person transmission. This is why ionization systems, by themselves, are not used in commercial/public pools. Certainly the risk is lower in a residential pool environment, but you are much safer using an EPA-approved sanitizer than only a metal ion system alone.

Richard

 

[smuggs]

found this document (see link) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published in 2000 about Nature2, a similar product to Chlor Free, I'm assuming. This document very clearly states in several places that Chlorine must also be used for the product to be effective.

http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/foia/review ... 01-009.pdf

 

[spishex]

As with all EPA articles, that's some wonderful morning reading.

The statements "Patented mineral process controls bacteria", "Patented mineral process assists in killing bacteria and algae", "Kills bacteria", "Controls/kills/reduces/destroys bacteria", "Specifically formulated to control pathogenic bacteria", and "Inhibits the growth of [undesirable] bacteria" must be deleted or revised. Claims must be qualified. The term bacteria is too broad. This product will not control or kill all bacteria. The product assists in controlling bacteria when used with a registered chlorine product.

 

[Heckpools]

well.. my opinion is chlor free or nature 2 by itself will not be effective or safe.

im a HUGE fan of all nature 2 products... i love them. But i can admit you do need some other form of sanitation. I keep the FC level at 1ppm when using copper/silver products like chlor free-the frog- or nature 2

i also shock the pools atleast once every 2 weeks with non-chlorine shock. 1lb per 8-10,000 gallons of pool water

all the pools look, smell and feel great...

in some of the chlo free pics they have yellow disgusting water turn crystal clear in 36 hours. that i have a hard time believing. But i do think it helps with the quality of the pool water,

 

[JasonLion]

i also shock the pools atleast once every 2 weeks with non-chlorine shock

That is just a waste of money if the pool is properly maintained. There is never any need to shock if FC is kept at an appropriate level. Plus non-chlorine shock tends to be more expensive than shocking with chlorine.

ChlorFree and Nature 2 have the same issue, at best they are a waste of money. You have to use chlorine with them anyway, and it is simpler and cheaper to use chlorine alone than to use chlorine with metals. ChlorFree adds copper to the water, which can sometimes cause unsightly and difficult to remove stains. And neither of them provides any way to measure or regulate the level of metals in the water. If your levels are too low they are completely ineffective and the system is simply a waste of money, and if your levels are too high you need to replace the cartridge more frequently and are wasting money in a different way.

There are some very special situations where metals in the water can be worth it, for example scuba diving pools where perfect water clarity is critical. If you do use a system like this, it is essential that you have some way of measuring the metals level and adjusting it as needed to keep the metals at a level that is both safe and effective.