Are you going to use copper ionization with no chlorine in the pool at all? Metal ions (copper and silver) kill pathogens much more slowly than chlorine, do not inactivate all viruses and for some it is again very slow. However, for copper alone, fecal bacteria are not handled, not even slowly. See
this post for technical details on kill times and links to sources explaining why copper ions do not handle fecal bacteria.
A partial list of threads complaining of copper staining and green hair from those using copper sulfate or copper ionization is here (we get several of these every year):
copper and green hair...
Copper (maybe) and the rave ready neon gray hair
Copper and Green Hair
SWG and Green Hair??
green is in...but not for hair. Sequestrant?
HELP!!! Green hair!
Intex SWG with Copper question.
My hair has turned green!
Bathing Suits Turning Green
Green scale on copper blocks inside Intex SWG
Re: NJ - Pool Newbie - Advice Welcome
Grass under pool and SWG with Ultra Frame
Intex Sand Filter w/ SWG and stupid Copper
Re: Just setup and turned on Intex SWG
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This paper explains how and why copper ions turn blond hair green.
Furthermore, the copper ionization system does not oxidize bather waste -- it does not have an ozonator or boron-doped diamond electrode advanced oxidant system. Some, such as the
ECOsmarte system in the article link you found, use a standard electrolysis system (titanium electrodes) that produces mostly oxygen gas and a small amount of chlorine (how much depends on the actual chloride salt level in your pool), but not enough chlorine to provide a significant disinfecting residual unless your pool is small relative to the size of the unit. So you will be soaking in your own sweat and urine as urea, creatinine and other chemicals will build up over time.
So you are making your decision on the basis of an article from a manufacturer of copper ionization with a financial interest to bash other systems and you are listening to the advice of your fiberglass pool contractor over the rational unbiased information provided on this forum from users without a financial interest in any particular system. Did your fiberglass pool contractor refer you to the dangers of using copper ions alone without chlorine? Did he refer to the problems of having the copper concentration or the pH getting too high with regard to staining?
If you were deciding between a saltwater chlorine generator (SWG) system vs. other automated chlorine dosing systems such as peristaltic pumps or The Liquidator or manual dosing, then that would be one thing, but copper ionization? Copper is an algaecide, not a swimming pool disinfectant, and since chlorine also kills algae you can use chlorine alone for both disinfection and prevention of algae. If you really wanted to use an algaecide as insurance, there are other ones you can use without side effects, such as Polyquat 60 weekly -- not necessary, but if you wanted to use it there would be no risk of staining pool surfaces or turning blond hair green.
As for the copper plumbing, it should all be connected to a bonding wire already so you could readily protect it with a sacrificial zinc anode, but you didn't even consider other automated dosing systems that do not require higher levels of salt.
By the way, since you already have a copper ionization system and have decided to keep it and are apparently happy with that decision, then why were you considering a saltwater chlorine generator (SWG) in the first place? In
this post you wrote (
bold emphasis mine):
I just consulted with the contractor who put in the fiberglass lining years ago and at that time advised strongly against a salt system because of potential concrete damage. That is why I went with the copper ionization system I am unhappy with. I wanted his advice on how to get the copper out if I did decide to go with a SWG.
but then in this thread you now say:
I'm going to stick with my copper ionization system which has none of SWG potential problems. The best news is I will be saving over $1000 in initial costs by not moving forward with SWG.
So what about "the copper ionization system I am unhappy with"? What exactly are you unhappy about and why is it not still a problem? Something does not make sense here. Perhaps we should start over with you telling us what you don't like about your current system since that will give us an idea of what is and is not important to you. It's your pool and you can do whatever you want with it, but for some people convenience is more important than cost, while some people are more concerned about safety than others.