Floatron thoughts

[tclproductions]

Hi, curious if anyone here has used this device.

Floatron Solar Powered Pool Purifier | Smarthome

lots of (paid) positive feedback on it ...

 

[jblizzle]

I am guessing it is some contraption that tries to add minerals to your pool and claims to reduce the need for chlorine. Tfp does not recommend ever adding metals to your water.

 

[Jimrahbe]

TCL,

Would you be interested in buying a Bridge that I own in Brooklyn?

Cash sale only, no refunds...

Jim R.

 

[DigitalOcean]

lots of (paid) positive feedback on it ...

Imagine that! Alot of positive reviews on a manufactures website.

 

[drharris]

IANAC (I am not a chemist).

It technically works, but via the addition of metal ions through basically an anode floating in your pool. So, the resulting pool water is basically like using algaecide all the time instead of an actual sanitizing agent. It creates an inhospitable environment for some bacteria and algae, while still technically going under minimum levels of metals for drinking water.

However, even assuming it technically works at preventing algae (which is still a bit of a stretch), there's a simple litmus test here. If it were possible for a $200 device (that's really just a floating solar panel attached to a copper anode - less than $20 in parts) to actually make water sanitary, then drinking water providers all over the nation would be using this technology, and it would revolutionize drinking water standards around the world. Since it's been around since the 1990s and I don't recall such a revolution having ever happened, I would say it's something close to snake oil.

There's still quite a difference between algae-free water and sanitary water. Algae isn't the only thing to be concerned about. And while copper ions may kill many small organisms, it's not going to get them all, and possibly some of the most dangerous things will get through with nothing in their way.

 

[GDN]

Hi, curious if anyone here has used this device.

Floatron Solar Powered Pool Purifier | Smarthome

lots of (paid) positive feedback on it ...

You must get the emails from smarthome.com - I got the normal promotional email from them this morning where they were featuring that device. I had to go google and read about it a bit. I have no comments on how it might work, but I did read somewhere, that it does have a life span of 1 maybe 2 years and then you have to replace it.

 

[Donldson]

As drharris said, it technically works in that it will very slowly introduce copper to the pool. The thing is though, if you wanted to introduce copper to your pool then go out and buy some pond algaecide that is nearly pure copper and add that. Way cheaper.

Of course, I say that as a joke. You don't want copper in your pool at all, it can stain your plaster and cause green hair. So purchasing this device is paying $200 to add $5 worth of something to your pool that is going to cause trouble that will cost even more money to correct. Now that truly is running a Smart Home

 

[tclproductions]

Oh THAT's how one gets that beautiful green hair??

Yeah, I get emails from smart home. I use Insteon for lights, dimmers, garage door open/close, camera's, even pool pump is controlled via the iPhone app. Love it! Only reason why I paid attention to the ad. As their products are legit home automation products overall. Insteon that is. Smart home seems to have branched out a lot into other areas...from snake oil to green hair creation devices.

Yeah, the fake/paid reviews are very telling.

Thanks everyone for chiming in.

- - - Updated - - -

TCL,

Would you be interested in buying a Bridge that I own in Brooklyn?

Cash sale only, no refunds...

Jim R.

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

[kurtscho]

Hi there, I know this is an old thread, but we have 2 floatrons in our 40,000 gallon pool in mid-Michigan and they seem to be very helpful. After some weeks after opening the pool (cleaning it, shocking it, etc.), the copper level starts becoming acceptable and so I take one out, and then after some more weeks the copper levels reach the right level--0.3 ppm and so I take the other one out, occasionally putting it back in to keep the right copper levels. Of course we still have to use a little chlorine and we run the filter some hours every day, but the pool in general has been very clear and easy to manage. I am not getting paid to post this comment!

 

[Donldson]

I am not getting paid to post this comment!

That's a shame, getting paid to resurrect a long-dead post like this would have at least been a better reason than whatever the actual one is. Perhaps you should have searched for "Remington" instead, it's the same thing and there are plenty of much more recent posts regarding it. They all say the same thing as this one too, it's become somewhat cut and paste.

Copper is a terrible thing to put in your water. Was true 3 years ago, still true today. Won't be changing in the next three years either. Seems your last post was to push copper too, not exactly the kind of reputation one would want to be making here.

Perhaps some reading in Pool School might be of benefit to you.