Disinfecting a pool can be done in numerous ways. Unlike waste water, which requires heavy duty and long term protection from bacteria through a rigorous mechanical and chemical filtration and disinfection system, pool water only needs to worry about the formation of algae and stray bacteria that may be harmful to human health.
Killing these pathogen, then, is a matter of finding an effective way to clear the water of organic matter without poisoning yourself and your family afterwards. The most common way to do that is through chlorine – and sometimes, ozone treatment.
Chlorine and Ozone
Chlorine, once it hits the water, breaks apart into separate compounds that oxidize organic matter. After a certain amount of time, the compounds become useless.
However, chlorine by itself can be harmful. Either due to improper use or too much chlorine in the water, or through extended exposure of acceptable levels of chlorine, one can suffer damage to the skin, eyes, nasal membranes and hair.
As per WebMD, continuous use of chlorine pools can have an effect on your health, due to swallowing pool water or contaminating your eyes.
Ozone is a more costly, yet healthful approach. While dangerous – just like chlorine – it’s less stable, and breaks down more rapidly. Furthermore, unlike the crystalline chlorine, ozone is created and injected into a pool through an ozone machine. A chemical reaction occurs between compressed air and ultraviolet light, creating O3 – which then dissipates into normal oxygen after clearing out a pool.
Pool Ionization as an Alternative
Another option to reduce your chlorine use without resulting to ozone machines is through swimming pool ionization solutions, built by companies like Clearwater Pool Systems.
Instead of trioxygen or chlorine derivatives, copper ions – that is, tiny metal molecules with positive or negative charges – kill bacteria in the water. That’s where a pool shock machine comes into use.
