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ALTERNATIVE SANITIZERS

Alternative sanitizers include treatments, other than chemical sanitizers (chlorine, bromine or

biguanide), that are used to sanitize the water. There are many alternative sanitizer options

available today. Your pool dealer can explain the pros and cons of each and help you in

choosing a sanitizer or alternative sanitizer program that will best suit your needs. Alternative

methods of sanitation greatly reduce the chemicals required to maintain your pool while

offering other benefits as well. These benefits vary according to the treatment type but often

include increased bather comfort due to less chemical use, and clearer more comfortable pool

water. Most of the various methods listed below will still require a supplemental halogen

sanitizer (chlorine or bromine), at much lower residual levels.

Some types of alternative

sanitizers can be combined in parallel to increase the overall benefits and or replace the need

for a supplemental chemical sanitizer.

Catalytic Sanitation

This term is used in the description of various types of alternative sanitizers. Simply put,

this type of sanitation uses a catalyst, a substance, to accelerate the rate of a chemical

reaction without itself being transformed or consumed by the reaction. A catalyst

participates in the reaction but is neither a chemical reactant nor a chemical product.

Mineral sanitizers such as Nature² and FROG would technically fall into a category of

catalytic sanitizers.

Ionization (sometimes called mineralizers)

CANNOT BE USED IN BIGUANIDE TREATED POOLS

An ionizer is a device that uses electricity to produce copper and silver ions. Copper inhibits

algae growth and silver kills bacteria. Safe low voltage DC current energizes the copper and

silver electrodes within a chamber then release copper and silver ions into the pool water

through the existing plumbing. While ionizers greatly reduce chemical consumption (80-90%)

they must be combined with a chlorine shock program for periodic oxidation. Most electrolytic

ionizers or mineralizers do NOT require a chlorine residual be maintained in the water, rather a

shock or superchlorination treatment to be used every 1 to 2 weeks.

See Shocking or Super-

chlorination for details.

DO NOT sprinkle granular chlorine (cal hypo or sodium dichloro) directly

into any pool surface- in an ionized pool the undissolved chlorine can cause metal precipitation

and black stains. Test the water weekly for pH, Total Alkalinity and Copper and maintain

the following readings:

pH 7.2- 7.6

Total Alkalinity 80-120 ppm

Copper 0.15 – 0.50 ppm

Extra care should be taken in a plaster pool to prevent staining- see your pool dealer for

advice.