Pool Purification Systems

Swimming pools are great, but maintenance is such a hassle, particularly keeping up with pool purification systems. Have you ever wondered if there’s a better was to purify your pool water than by playing backyard chemist or shelling out money to a pool service? The latest thing in pool purification systems is electronic water purification. Does it work as well as chlorine? Read on to find out.

Chlorine Pool Purification Systems

Chlorine pool purification systems work by harnessing the anti-bacterial, anti-viral and fungicidal properties of chlorine. It is dispensed in residential pools as solid calcium hypochlorite, usually by a chemically-burned homeowner or an under-aged, under-qualified pool boy. The disinfecting agent in calcium hypochlorite is hypochlorous acid. This acid is formed by two chemical reactions, both of which are pH dependent and require the addition of additional chemicals to act as catalysts. Hypochlorous acid is weak and dissociates easily. When it does, it releases the hypochlorite ion, which is referred to as chlorine residual and helps keep the pool disinfected longer. All this is pH dependent, too. Eventually, both the acids and the ions oxidize and decompose and are no longer able to disinfect the water. The pool must be rechlorinated and sometimes the pool must be superchlorinated (rendering it unusable for a time), and the pH must be constantly monitored.

Chlorine has been the only pool purification choice since the early 1900s. It kills most microorganisms quickly and effectively; is long-lived enough to provide continued disinfection; and is cheap and readily available. However, there are a number of problems with using chlorine in pool purification systems. Perhaps the most serious problem is the production of trihalomethanes (THMs) from chlorine disinfectant reactions. THMs have been linked to cancer in lab animals and may contribute to ozone depletion. Another disadvantage is the short lifetime of chlorine residual, especially on hot, sunny days. Attempting to stabilize the chlorine residual using cyanuric acid causes additional problems – mainly that the cyanuric acid is itself toxic. Also, many microorganisms have developed a resistance to chlorine disinfection. Then there are the most commonly recognized problems with chlorine disinfection – irritation of swimmers' eyes, noses, and skin as well as the strong chlorine odor – and, of course, there is the issue of the safety of handling and storing chlorine and other chemicals.

Electronic Pool Purification Systems

Electronic water purification, or ionization, is the state of the art in pool purification systems. It works by ionizing copper and silver molecules and then using the ions to kill microorganisms. In addition to bacteria, copper and silver ions also control viruses, algae, and fungi. The technology has been around for almost 50 years, having been pioneered by NASA in the 1960s to purify water onboard spacecraft, but only recently has it been used to purify pool water.

Electronic pool purification systems work by passing pool water through a sealed chamber containing copper and silver alloy anodes with a low DC current running through them. As the water passes over the anodes, the ions that purify the water are created. Copper and silver destroy organic compounds at the cellular level and the remains of the compounds, which are electrically charged due to the ions present, clump together and are pulled out of the water by the filter. The ions maintain a stable residual which passes out of the containment unit with water and continuously disinfects the pool.

Ionization has several advantages over chlorine purification. The ions do not form nasty by-products so they don’t irritate swimmers or harm the environment. Unlike chlorine pool purification systems, ionized copper and silver are unaffected by sunlight, providing long lasting sanitation. Copper and silver are both safe for human contact and consumption in the small amounts required to disinfect a pool.

Maintenance of electronic pool purification systems is easy. Occasionally you will need to clean and oxidize the water to break down compounds that ionization can’t handle – sunscreen and large organic matter such as leaves. There is no need to monitor the pH levels of the pool since ionization is a pH neutral process and works in a pH neutral environment. The chamber itself is installed after the filter and is wired to the pool pump’s power supply. It can be put on a timer if it has its own power supply.

It appears as though electronic pool purification systems are better than chlorine systems, and eventually may replace them entirely. Electronic pool purification systems are relatively new, however, and you may have some difficulty finding them in your area.