I am purchasing a new home that includes a pool and spa combo. I've been spending quite a bit of time searching for information on pool maintenance ways to keep chemicals to a minimum. I have found a few mentions of ultraviolet systems but none of the local pool stores know ANYTHING about them. While I value some information from the places selling the equipment, I can't trust them completely because they obviously have a product to sell and want my money. I'm trying to find someone that uses or has experience with an ultraviolet pool sanitizer system for feedback. The reasons I am interested in UV is that while it doesn't eliminate the need for a sanitizer like chlorine, the ideal range for free chlorine is 0.3-0.5 ppm instead of 1-3 ppm; UV also destroys chlorine resistant "bugs" and chloramines. UV doesn't have any residual which is why a sanitizer is still needed in low doses. I've gained this knowledge from numerous sources but what I don't have is any feedback from users and hoping someone on a forum could shed some light on that.
Ultraviolet systems
- Thread starter bigRoN18
- Start date
You'll find the overwhelming majority of people here are not interested in UV sanitizers or any other form of miracle "non-chemical" pool solutions. Keep in mind - for an out door residential pool the sun is providing you with all the free UV you need to break down chloramines, etc.
You;ll get a host of more technical answers - but if you follow the information you find here in pool school you will keep the chemicals in your pool to a minimum and it really will be trouble free. The real "trick" of owning a pool is understanding how the water works and being able to test accurately.
Even with UV I wouldn't run a pool with .5ppm chlorine and CYA in the water. There just wouldn't be any active sanitizer in the water to prevent any sort of bather to bather transmission - and algae would quickly become an issue as well.
Good luck with your house.
You;ll get a host of more technical answers - but if you follow the information you find here in pool school you will keep the chemicals in your pool to a minimum and it really will be trouble free. The real "trick" of owning a pool is understanding how the water works and being able to test accurately.
Even with UV I wouldn't run a pool with .5ppm chlorine and CYA in the water. There just wouldn't be any active sanitizer in the water to prevent any sort of bather to bather transmission - and algae would quickly become an issue as well.
Good luck with your house.
UV doesn't change the required range for chlorine. UV is a supplement to normal chlorination. It may reduce the need to shock, but proper maintenance does that too. It can also take care of crypto and giardia, both of which are fairly resistant to chlorine, but fortunately rare in private pools.
Also keep in mind that at the recommended level of Free Chlorine (FC) relative to Cyanuric Acid (CYA) needed to prevent algae growth, the active chlorine (hypochorous acid) level is the same as that in a pool with an FC of less than 0.1 ppm with no CYA. It is far, far less than found in most commercial/public pools, especially indoor pools that typically do not use CYA (though they probably should use a small amount).
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