"Green" Pool Additives Needed
Posted by Storm on Mar 27, 2007 · Member since Sep 2006 · 4238 posts
Greetings Friends,
I'm looking for an alternative to using chlorine and other harsh chemicals in a swimming pool. I've googled such terms as "environmentally friendly pool additives"& "natural chlorine replacement", but haven't come up with very much. Any information, suggestions, or links would be most appreciated.
The only sanitation replacement to chlorine in swimming pools that I have heard of is UV treatment. As far as I know my parents' sports club (called "Pro Club") uses no chlorine, and instead they "radiate" the pool with UV light during the night to sanitize the water. This doesn't sound like something you can easily do though because you would probably have to install the UV lights and have them approved.
edit: I just googled " 'chlorine free' swimming pool" and a lot of things came up, you might want to try that search: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=%22chlorine+free%22+swimming+pool&btnG=Search
check this out:
http://www.carefreeclearwater.com/
I considered doing this before we moved to a house without a pool. We now have a hottub and I might try it with that-since we don't use it now because I don't want to mess with all the chemicals.
Here's my pool...I call it King's Falls (my big King's favorite place on the back end of my property). This was taken last summer. It never needs chemicals. (Though my idiot neighbors upstream with their "golf course" type lawns are putting an end to that). WHY?!...just another reason why it's time to leave Georgia >:(
opps...I almost forgot to add this link. When I was first building my home and just "thinking" of putting in a pool, I got this info from a magazine. Here is the link:
http://www.ecosmarte.com/poolspa.html
In the end, I skipped the pool and went with the waterfall :)
I am a head lifeguard at my two home pools and interact frequently with all of the nasty chemicals. One of our pools does have a UV system to cleanse the water. However, UV systems are not cost-effective for small pools, they must be constantly maintained, and you still have to add chlorine (less than a regular pool - we can keep our level at .25 ppm instead of 2 ppm). Some people use bromine, but I am pretty sure that it is just as environmentally-unfriendly. If it is your personal pool, I would try to lower the chlorine to a minimum level. If it is a public place, you will have to comply with state laws, so no experimenting there. Good luck!
What about a salt water pool?
Several people in my sister's neighborhood have pools and they all fill it with salt rather than fresh water.
I don't know how helpful the following link will be, but it's a start.
http://phoenix.about.com/cs/wet/a/saltpool01.htm
Thanks ever so much guys!
There's a nice summary of saline pools at http://www.homefree.com/Articles/HomefreeArticle/tabid/77/ArticleId/361/Default.aspx.
My biggest question is about how people drain their salt water pools. With chlorine pools you let the water sit for a few days so the chlorine off-gasses and, in most communities, then you drain it to the street where it flows to a storm drain inlet.
Assuming there's a sewer connection, when you drain a salt water pool in the US, you'd have to know where your outdoor sewer connection is located to discharge it there. There's outdoor access to your sewer pipe in case you have to rooter your lateral. Saline increases the specific conductance of water and electrical conductivity and is considered a pollutant in fresh water so it couldn't be discharged down the street into the storm drain system. People at this website probably know, but some people don't, that water that enters the storm drain system in the US is discharged directly into creeks, rivers, or lakes and doesn't go through a treatment system first - so whatever goes into the storm drain flows directly to water bodies (except for older east coast communities in the US with a combined storm sewer system).
Don't go with bromine. We used it a long time ago and it's very violatile. Evaporates constantly, have to add much more bormine than you ever would for chlorine. It also irrates some peole's skin.
Please be careful about salt pools - they only reduce the amount of chlorine in your pool, not eliminate it. Plus, salt chlorine generators have a history of corrosion problems with metal and decorative stonework.
If you want a true chlorine-free pool/spa system - try ECOsmarte. Yes, I am a dealer for them. The technology is proven - we have installed over 10,000 systems in all 50 states and 46 countries. Home website: www.ecosmarte.com
My website: www.ecosmartewater.com
We are the green choice for pool/spa sanitation. :)
Thanks for mentioning us Davedrum!
Humboldt Honey - excellent point. Chlorides in rivers and lakes is becoming a problem is certain areas. Santa Clarita, California even banned salt water pool connections and new salt water softeners because of the chloride problem int he Santa Clara River - it is adversely affecting the crops. Even the sewage treatment plants do not remove chlorides.