Chlorine Free Pool. Anyone??

[ccasler]

Chlorine-free pool

the site I found says it is Hydroxyl based. That it uses UV light and magnets to change O2 into Hydroxyl radical and Peroxide. Says it was rated in Top products list in 2 pool related surveys for 2017. Can't find any reviews other than those they post. Any one had any experience about this? I am just taking bids for my first pool and want to make informed decisions.
Thanks

 

[tim5055]

Stay as far away from those products as possible-

Here are some responses to previous questions about the product.

The short answer is this - don't bother with these "alternative" systems, they are utterly useless. Also, their claim that their system complies with the FIFRA Act is a total red-herring - they are simply stating that their "device" is registered with the EPA because it is used as a "sanitizer" for "pest" control (in this case, the "pest" is fungi, bacteria and viri)...but FIFRA does not apply to POOLS, that's a completely different section of the EPA code. The EPA only regulates commercial/public pools and only regulates chemical sanitizers for commercial/public pools. So, if a company wants to market a chemical product as a "sanitizer" for pools, then it has to pass certain requirements for being sanitizer, i.e., maintain a residual level in water, have the appropriate kill or inactivation times, etc, etc. So far the EPA only recognizes chlorine, bromine and biguanides (Baquacil) as sanitizers for pools. The FTC controls product labelling and, if Clear Comfort markets their system as providing sanitary control for pools (which I highly doubt they do), then they would be breaking federal law....I'm sure if you scour their website for the legalese fine print, you'll see somewhere that they say you need to use a registered pool sanitizer (i.e., chlorine) from time-to-time.

You mention that you are new to pools and as such don't really have that much knowledge on it yet. That is what these companies prey on. First, they convince you that chlorine is dangerous and bad. Judging by your comment on minimizing chemicals they have had some success. Next, they throw a bunch of words and phrases that you don't understand but sound good. Looks like we hit that. And that is how they get you to consider their produce over a much cheaper and safer option.

Don't think I'm calling you dumb, only inexperienced as we all were at one time. But this is just another metal introducing system that will kill algae does not provide adequate sanitation for your pool. It doesn't matter what registration they might have with the EPA, if it does not use Chlorine, Bromine, or Biguanide then it is not a pool sanitation system.

When it comes down to it, you need a fast acting sanitizer to prevent the person to person transmission of disease in teh pool water. The only EPA-approved disinfection alternatives are:

Chlorine

Bromine

Baquacil/biguanide/PHMB.

 

[Jimrahbe]

ccasler,

Welcome to TFP... A Great resource for all those pool owners that still believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

I'm not that good with Chemistry, but I can spot "magic" from miles away. It uses UV (basically sunlight) and Magnets to sanitize your pool??? All magic and not a rabbit in sight, I'm afraid.

Do yourself a favor and go with what is approved by the government for pool sanitization.. good old fashioned chlorine.

I personally like Saltwater pools.. The salt in the pool, about as strong as your tears, is converted by a Salt Water Chlorine Generator into chlorine to sanitize the water. It then reforms into salt and the cycle keeps on happening.

Following the TFP process is very simple and you end up with a very clear and properly sanitized pool, with no chlorine smell...

Thanks for posting.. I'm sure you will get plenty of responses..

Jim R.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

When considering a pool sanitizing system, there are only three primary sanitizers that the EPA allows to be used in commercial/public pools - chlorine, bromine & biguanide/peroxide (sold under the tradename Baquacil). The reason why the EPA only allows these three is because they are the only ones that can pass the rigorous standards that the EPA has set for public safety in a swimming pool environment. Any pool sanitizing system needs to perform three functions - oxidation, sanitation and residual concentration. Oxidation is the chemical destruction of bather waste (sweat, urine, bodily fluids, etc) and it's transformation into volatile chemical compounds that will outgas from the water or be further broken down into harmless salts and gases. Sanitation is the inactivation or destruction of disease causing pathogens - bacteria & viruses. Algae are not considered pathogens but a nuisance and their destruction falls under sanitation as well. The destruction of pathogens is very specifically defined by the CDC and is measured as the time it takes for a specific concentration of sanitizing agent to kill a given number of pathogens. In order to compare sanitizers concentrations and pathogen types, these studies typically look at the log-reduction (99%, 99.9%, 99.99%, etc) in pathogen count (typically a visual measurement of colonies destroyed) versus the CT factor (CT = concentration * time). In order for a sanitizer to pass strict disease transmission limitation, the log reduction is usually a 3-log amount (so a 99.9% reduction) and the time required is typically on the order of secs to minutes. If a sanitizer can not reduce a bacterial colony size in under a few minutes at a safe concentration level, then it is deemed ineffective. Finally, any sanitizer must be able to maintain a residual concentration in the pool water so that bathers remain safe.

All of that is to say that most of these "alternatives to chlorine" systems fail in one respect or another. So the manufacturers continue to sell them, but only get away with calling them a "pool water sanitizer" because the fine print somewhere says that you must maintain some kind of chlorine level. So, in their fine print, they are basically stating that their product is useless unless it is paired with a known-good sanitizer - chlorine.

So why buy into their system if you have to use chlorine anyway? Why go through the hassle of trying to figure out how their "black box" works, struggle with problems and get very little insight into your pool? It's simply not worth it.