Fact Friday: How to Maintain a Chlorine Free Pool

Nov 13, 2020

Welcome to another Fact Friday at ePoolSupply! Each week we like to discuss helpful tips and tricks regarding the pool industry. Today we will be talking about maintaining a chlorine free pool and the best practices associated with it. With the recent nationwide chlorine shortage, pool owners may be left scrambling to find a sanitizing solution. Owning a pool can be quite a confusing adventure but it helps to have someone there by your side guiding you through each step of the process. Let's dive in!

Bromine

Bromine is one of the most sought after Chlorine alternatives. Bromine sanitizes via ionizing and as such it lasts longer than Chlorine. However, like chlorine, it produces byproducts that limit it’s life in the water. Bromine byproducts are referred to as bromamines and are generally less impactful as far as irritants go. With that being said, Bromine is also a little more costly which is something to keep in mind going forward with the additional products or chemicals you may need to maintain the body of water. So, what else sanitizes pool water?

PHMB

Preservative-free polyhexamethylene biguanide, or PHMB. Sometimes referred to as biguanide, you’ll need to add an oxidizing agent and algaecide along with PHMB in order to maintain healthy and clean water quality as biguanide is unable to remove body oils, urine, sweat and other waste on it’s own. On a broader stroke, PHMB works by forcing contaminants together making it easier for the cleaning system to remove the contaminants. Like all things, there is a downside. In this case that would be the added pollutants present in your filter and cleaning system that will require some additional cleaning and maintenance. A common side effect of PHMB is cloudy water. Cleaning your filter will combat this, however, you’ll need a flocculant to clear the water if you don’t tackle regular cleaning. As far as chemistry is concerned, In order to keep your pool water clean, keep the biguanide levels between 40 parts per million (ppm) and 50 ppm. Not allowing it to drop below 30 ppm.

Ozone & UV

Ozone sanitation incorporates ozone gas into the circulation system. As water passes through the ozonator, the gas sanitizes the water before returning to the pool.

A UV ozone generator is another method for producing ozone to disinfect your pool water. The UV system uses a ultraviolet light to transform oxygen atoms into ozone atoms. Once the ozone gas is created, it is returned to the pool through a series of Venturi injection.

Prepare

Ready to make the switch? You’ll need to let all the chlorine dissipate from the pool before introducing any new chlorine alternatives. During this time, it is important to not only not swim, but to not swim until the new alternative is dispersed and you have tested the pool water. While testing, you’ll need to look out for any metals in the water as well. If present, you’ll need to add something to the water to control the metals and deactivate copper, iron, and other metals.

If you have any questions regarding the information found in this blog feel free to reach out to us directly. Our team of Pool Professionals is here to help you through every step of the process. Otherwise, just keep swimming!