Pool Ozonators

[Bigtymetexan]

There are a few threads on this but nothing I can find that definitively says this is a good/bad idea. I have a friend with a pool similar to mine who swears by his but seeing many opinions contrary in different conversations. Can anyone testify as to why this is or isn't suitable?

My pool builder asked if I wanted one and I told them I wasn't familiar with it and wanted to be on the safe side and go chlorine. They indicated their customers were happy with them. They never tried to push it on me, and the price was low ($500) if I chose that route (not a money consideration for me).

Thanks in advance.

 

[BK MAC]

Did you ever notice the manufacturers of UV, Ozone, and AOP systems still recommend keeping a chlorine residual? If I need chlorine anyway, why use these other gadgets?

 

[mknauss]

Ozone Systems - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

UV Systems - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Newdude]

Hey BTT !!!

All alternative systems require full sanitizing with chlorine/bromine/Baqua no matter what the manufacturer says.

Get one if you wish, but it's redundant.

 

[Donldson]

Ozone is a supplemental oxidizer. It assists in the oxidation of things like bather waste (skin cells, urine, fecal matter) in instances where chlorine is unable to keep up. It is a valuable system to include in a pool with a high bather load.

What is a "high bather load"? A pool where there's several people per thousand gallons of water for several hours a day, every day. In other words: not a situation you'll find a private pool. Private pools spend most of their lives empty and the bather load is well within the ability of chlorine to meet the oxidation demands. Especially pools following TFPC. As chlorine is needed for sanitation anyway (ozone provides no sanitation) it is rather pointless to double up on oxidizers.

As for the price, it's "cheap" for two reasons: First is that residential ozone systems are small and rather anemic. The amount of ozone they produce is kind of pathetic. More importantly though is that it creates a residual income stream. Either your builder or an associated pool store that gives him the units cheap (maybe even for free and he gets to pocket the $500) will sell the replacement bulbs. You can get chlorine anywhere, but those bulbs are difficult to find if you don't go to an authorized dealer. Anything that can keep a customer coming to the store and spending money is something builders are being begged to install.

Let's face it, most people are not water chemistry experts or even have interest in it. If someone spent $500 on something and their water hasn't been too problematic, they are going to credit it based on that alone.

 

[DrewLG]

If I need chlorine anyway, why use these other gadgets?

Some waterborne pathogens (e.g., Giardia and especially Cryptosporidium) are resistant to chlorine but vulnerable to UV.

I'm not concerned about them in my residential pool with very few adult guests and no little kids or elderly people or immunocompromised folks, so I'm not replacing the burned-out bulb in my UV system. But everyone's situation is unique, and some people might have a stronger desire for the extra disinfection that UV can provide.

 

[Dirk]

The key word here is "residual!" Picture this. The ozonator can only oxidize the "bad" elements that physically pass through it. It does that well. But once the water passes back out into the pool, it has nor offers no residual oxidizing effect. And in fact can get "re-infected" immediately, and wander around in your pool, infecting you, for who knows how long, before it and its pathogens and bacteria happen to stumble through the ozonator again. Think about it, how long do you think it would take for every cubic foot of water to find its way through that one little unit? The answer is, uh, pretty much forever. Even if by some miracle you could wait that out, and all your water passed through it, the rest of your water is being subjected to new pathogens every time someone gets into the pool! Or when a bird flies overhead. Or any number of other ways nasties are introduced into your water. Does that sound like it's going to do the job and keep your family safe?

So how can they in good conscious sell these things, and claim they work? Well, that's why you'll find thier instructions dictate that you also use some amount of chlorine! Because chlorine, no matter where you introduce it into your water, spreads itself around to virtually every nook and cranny, and lies in wait to kill any nasty that happens by. It happens everywhere, on the spot, in real time, and even all at once, and happens quite quickly, so all of your water is protected, everywhere, all of the time. So technically the ozonator is working to kill stuff, it does, but not enough, and not fast enough. It's really the chlorine doing the heavy lifting. Which is why, for a typical outdoor residential pool, we generally recommend you skip the ozonator, and just use chlorine, because you'll be using chlorine either way!

You're way better off putting that money towards the purchase of a salt water chlorine generator, which makes fresh chlorine for your pool every few minutes, and keeps every cubic foot of your water sanitized, 24/7.

Oh, and if it wasn't obvious, again because they offer no residual protection, the ozonator is only doing its job when it is powered on and when the pool pump is running. And while it's also true that a salt water chlorine generator only makes chlorine while the pump is running, that chlorine remains in your pool, protecting you, long after the pump has stopped, like for the remainder of the day and through the night, until you run it again the next day!

That's what I think I know about it, anyway...