In the past pool chemicals consisted of industry standard chlorine. While chlorine didn't smell the greatest and burned the eyes and skin sometimes and it wasn't that great for the environment but it did kill the bacteria in your spa and pools. Today, there are myriad alternatives to keeping your pool clean and bacteria free and there are alternatives to chemicals.

 

Here are a couple of options to keep your pool clean:

 Electronic water purification is a way that cleans your pool by ionizing the water. There are water systems that generate copper and silver ions that purify the water. The method was perfected and used by NASA as a way to purify the water for the astronauts. Electronic water purification eliminates the need to use pool chemicals and even though there may be a bigger upfront cost to install an ionization system, in the long run it may be less expensive than buying chemicals. Also with the automated system, it may eliminate the need to test the water daily. Ozonators – or ozone generators are another popular choice for pool and spa owners. While an ozone generator doesn't completely eliminate the need for pool chemicals, they reduce the amount of chemicals needed to keep the water free of bacteria. Salt – using salt to keep a pool clean isn't a new technology but it is gaining popularity with many pool owners. With a salt-based pool cleaning system, table salt, a power pack and cell are used to keep the pool clean. The water passes through the cell where it's converted into a natural sanitizer to purify the pool. After, the agents used to sanitize, reverts back to salt. Using a salt-based purification system gets rid of viruses, algae and bacteria in the water and are environmentally friendly.

 

When you're installing your pool you might want to talk to your contractor to see what type of pool cleaning system they recommend. Shop around and ask friends and family what kind of systems they use and how they perform for them.

 

  

About the Author:

Robbi Hess is a blogger/editor for www.poolinfosite.com where she blogs about all things pool-related.