poolnerd

Since the last post on ozone and its use in pools, there have been a lot of questions and comments about salt water chlorine generators. Seems that alternatives to the old-school way of checking and adding chemicals is a hot topic. So, perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at salt systems. How they work, the sales pitch accompanying them, the perception, the reality. Examine plusses and minuses, let the informed consumer decide for him/herself.

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In my never-ending quest to make pools easier to maintain, I’ve been experimenting with ozonators. These little units seem to have a lot going for them. I’ve used them on a handful of jobs over the last year and a half or so, and I’m fairly pleased with the results to date: much lower levels of chlorine are needed; no irritating chloramines in the water (as in none whatsoever); and not as much fussing with pH since ozone is pH neutral. As an added bonus, the water looks crisper, brighter, clearer.

As with anything in life, though, there is the downside to consider, too. But to come to grips with the good and the bad of ozone generators, we need to first understand what they are, how they work, and the nature of ozone, especially as it relates to pools.

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Have you ever been in a pool that made your eyes so bloodshot that you looked like a refugee from a Cheech & Chong movie? Or took a dip in a spa that overwhelmed you with a chlorine odor? A lot of pool owners want to cut down on chlorine usage to avoid some of these issues.

In both of the above examples, though, excess chlorine is not the problem. Let’s take those two common assumptions about chlorine and toss them aside. “Just the facts, ma’am,” as Joe Friday would say.

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