So very wrong, I don't even know how to respond

[anonapersona]

This is just so wrong, I don't even know how to respond. "SWG to avoid chlorine", " bad smell of chlorine pool", "health problems from indoor pools", "how wonderful to run a pool with 0.2 ppm chlorine due to ozone"

I can't even begin to add a comment there. Maybe someone else can try.

Worth Their Salt? Pools Where Chlorine Isn't King.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...?mod=WSJ_article_comments#articleTabs=article

 

[fsteve65]

It is a great sales pitch (lie) although there is nothing wrong with using a SWG it amazes me how many people think it is safer than chlorine and if you point out that it is chlorine they say that well but you don't have to handle or transport that dangerous chlorine anymore when in fact they probably have a jug sitting in there laundry room and much more dangerous household chems in the house.

 

[chrisjbaileyuk]

It is an interesting perspective and one that has a growing weight of adoption here in Europe largely following the German DIN standard (the European Union loves legislating against things that dont need it). Perhaps some of that is now spreading across the pond. When I come to the US I am amazed to see the stacks of bleach and other laundry products on the shelves that you just wont see in a European supermarket. Unscented bleach in our local supermarket is not available and then not in larger bottles than 1L. I have to travel a fair way to get 5L jugs of pure bleach and even then if I buy 6 jugs I have depleted the stock. All the other products you guys take for granted just are not available.

Bleach/chlorine in Europe gets a lot of bad press and there seems to be a drive towards much lower levels of residual chlorine combined with some other form of sanitization such as ozone http://www.envronozone.com/swimming_pools/ozone_swimming_pools_links.htm has some interesting articles though many others can be found by Googling German DIN Standard Pools.

 

[Patrick_B]

Interesting... and amazing what reporters will say and not investigate. Thanks for posting.

 

[PoolGuyNJ]

Yes, because a financial news service know pool care why? They can't even get the new right on Wall Street anymore.

Scott

 

[frogabog]

If you watch the video, the pool gal makes it very clear that SWG is still chlorine. She is interrupted by the interviewer numerous times while stating this. She doesn't however make clear that the other systems such as mineral/metal types still need some chlorine to maintain a disinfected pool but to give her some credit, the time she had to present the material was limited.

 

[chem geek]

It is an interesting perspective and one that has a growing weight of adoption here in Europe largely following the German DIN standard (the European Union loves legislating against things that dont need it). Perhaps some of that is now spreading across the pond. When I come to the US I am amazed to see the stacks of bleach and other laundry products on the shelves that you just wont see in a European supermarket. Unscented bleach in our local supermarket is not available and then not in larger bottles than 1L. I have to travel a fair way to get 5L jugs of pure bleach and even then if I buy 6 jugs I have depleted the stock. All the other products you guys take for granted just are not available.

Bleach/chlorine in Europe gets a lot of bad press and there seems to be a drive towards much lower levels of residual chlorine combined with some other form of sanitization such as ozone http://www.envronozone.com/swimming_pools/ozone_swimming_pools_links.htm has some interesting articles though many others can be found by Googling German DIN Standard Pools.

You can get Crown or Champion "liquid chlorine" (really, chlorinating liquid, 4.9% or 14-15% sodium hypochlorite) at AquaPools&Leisure in the U.K.

As for German DIN 19643, this specifies chlorine at 0.3-0.6 ppm with no ozone or 0.2-0.5 ppm with ozone and the pH from 6.5 to 7.6. However, this has zero CYA. A pool with an FC that is around 10% of the CYA level will have the same active chlorine (hypochlorous acid) as 0.1 ppm FC with no CYA so less than even the lowest DIN 19643 standard. Yes, that's right, outdoor pools in the U.S. actually have a lower active chlorine level than those in Europe. It's the indoor pools that don't use any CYA that have much higher active chlorine levels and are a far bigger problem.

Also, hardly anyone follows German DIN 19643 for their residential pool since it would be prohibitively expensive due to the extra costs from flocculation/coagulation, adsorption (granular activated carbon that also removes all chlorine) and chlorine injection along with significant water replacement. It is generally only used for commercial/public pools, especially indoor pools. The most common source of chlorine for residential pools in Europe is Trichlor tabs/pucks just as it is in the U.S.

 

[chrisjbaileyuk]

CG, I do get 21% Chlorine delivered in carboys but if I get low, other sources in the UK are harder than in the US. Tesco do sell jugs of natural bleach but last time I tried they had two on the shelf! It just seems to me that there are more scary press and web articles in Europe about the adverse effects of Chrlorine.