Having a pool in your backyard is a great way to enjoy the summer in more northern areas of the country, and to enjoy a much longer swimming season throughout the south. If you have a spa, regardless of where you live, you may be able to enjoy it year round, which is a great way to relax and unwind.
Traditional Options
However, having a pool or a spa is also a lot of work, at least when you are using traditional pool treatment methods. These include testing the water and then using a variety of different types of chemicals, including chlorine, which acts as a sanitizer.
In addition to chlorine, which gives off that distinct odor and tends to irritate the skin and eyes, you may also choose bromine, which is more common for the hotter water in spas. This is expensive, and it can be difficult to regulate to necessary levels, particularly if the spa or pool is exposed to direct sunlight that burns off the chemical. Cyanuric acid will need to be added to protect chlorine, but it will not protect the bromine.
You will also need to “shock” the water as part of a routine pool treatment. This is an unstabilized form of chlorine that is used every 7 to 10 days to completely eliminate some potential contaminates. Typically you will need to avoid using the pool for up to 24 hours after using the shock chemical, or you may choose a non-chlorine alternative that allows you to use the pool much faster.
The New Option
With the new option in pool treatment, you can avoid these chemicals that can cause damage to the skin and make your pool or spa very challenging to maintain. Instead, these systems use electrodes of copper or a copper and silver combination that sends a low-voltage DC current through the water passing through the self-contained unit. This unit is attached to the water line between the filter and the return line to the pool.
The copper and silver ions actually kill bacteria, algae and viruses, which will reduce the need for chlorine in the pool. Just a very small amount will need to be added to the water if there is a heavy rainstorm or when the pool is in heavy use.
This is a very simple way to limit the number of chemicals required to keep your pool maintained. Since the control box runs on the same timer as your pool pump, water is constantly being run through the electrodes, and silver and copper ions released is both an immediate as well as a residual protection for the water.