A Clean Pool Without Nasty Chemicals – It’s possible!

by Todd
(Oregon)

If you own a pool, you’re probably familiar with the process of utilizing chemicals to achieve proper water balance. Unfortunately, one of the biggest downfalls to how “environmentally friendly” pools can be is impact of the chemicals that are used to keep them clean. I’ve recently come across a few options that make great chlorine alternatives and might be worth checking out if your looking to lower the impact of owning a pool.

UV Pool Systems: Pools that utilize a UV system for sanitizing still require a small amount of chlorine (or other sanitizer) to be used, but the amount of chemical needed can be reduced by as much as 70%. The UV light is used to destroy unwanted particles, while the small amount of pool chemicals needed sanitize water that does not pass through the UV filter.

The Power of a Salt-water Pool: While not totally chlorine free, pools that utilize a saltwater sanitization system can greatly reduce the amount of chlorine in your pool. Essentially, a chlorine generator is used to transform salt into chlorine. Maintenance is key here if you want the true benefit of running this type of system.

NAP Pools: While not for everyone, NAP or Natural Aquatic Plant pools are quite extraordinary. By effectively combining moving water, natural plant life, fish, and other elements of a healthy pond eco system, these pools manage themselves and provide you with a beautiful, natural swimming environment. I’d highly recommend considering this option if you are building a new pool and want something that will be extremely environmentally friendly.

While there are other options for greenifying your pool, these three more common methods are great items to consider when looking for ways to improve. Also, it should be noted that these systems sometimes require additional costs for setup and maintenance, but do help cut down on monthly pool expenses. Depending on your solution and setup you might even save a bit of money over time!