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Advantages Of
UV Pool Sanitation Over Chlorine
The use of chlorine, in one form or another,
has been the common method of swimming pool water disinfection.
While not perfect, it has done a reasonable job. The various
shortcomings of chlorine use have been, for the most part,
accepted by the pool owning public. With new emphasis in the
world today on various micro-biological agents that were unfamiliar
to us only a few short years ago (Legionnaires Disease, SARS,
Rota Virus, Bird Flu, Mad Cow, E-Coli, etc), the public is
now more acutely aware of their environment and is seeking
the best environment for themselves and their families.
We all know that water, if left untreated, will stagnate and
a variety of micro-organisms will flourish and cause health
hazards. The same holds true if water is not properly treated
or under dosed with a sanitizing agent. Therefore, in our
pools, we all strive for the best environment possible. Are
we successful? Well, when one sees algae in a pool, or water
that is not clear and sparkling, or plaster that is being
etched and eaten away, or plaster that is turning green, or
the smell of chlorine is present in the pool, it is easy to
see that manual addition of chlorine is not the solution to
a safe pool water environment all the time. Even so called
“automatic feeders” which add some chemical all
the time are not the solution as they do not take into consideration
fluctuations in bathing load, temperature changes, sunny days
(which dissipates chlorine) etc.
So how does one ensure their families health when using the
backyard swimming pool, without being a chemist or constantly
tending to the pool water chemistry? The answer is “Ultraviolet
(UV) Sanitation”. This is the same technology used by
cities, towns, counties and municipalities throughout the
US and abroad, to ensure the public health of the drinking
water delivered to your sink. Why do they choose UV as a preferred
method of sanitation over chlorine? The fact is that chlorine
doesn’t remove pesticides or many other chemicals now
in plentiful supply. Research shows that chlorine in water
can react with naturally-occurring materials to form unintended
disinfection byproducts which may pose health risks (a)
UV, on the other hand, is required by the US Public Health
Service to provide a 99.9% minimum kill rate to produce Class
A (Drinking) water. And, UV does the job better than any other
single form of sanitation technology. There are other very
distinct advantages of using UV for pool sanitation over chlorine.
1. Consistent Sanitation Level – The Delta Elektra UV
Sanitizer is ON and doing its job whenever the pool circulation
is operating. Thus, 100% of the pool water entering the UV
chamber is sanitized before leaving the chamber and returning
to the pool By contrast, chlorine is broadcast into the pool
during different intervals, such as once or twice a week.
Thus, the pool is charged (when the chlorine is added) with
a large dose of sanitizer, and then it dissipates until the
next dosage. So, there is no consistent level of chlorine
(unless one tends to the pool on a daily of more often basis)
and over-chlorination is present part of the time and under-chlorination
is present at other times.
Below, you will find three graphs illustrating the differences
between once a week manual addition of chlorine, twice a week
manual addition of chlorine, and once a week manual addition
of chlorine when a Elektra UV system is installed. The first
two graphs illustrates this over and under dosing condition,
one on weekly pool service, the other on twice weekly pool
service. Note that it takes a larger dosage of chlorine to
carry the pool through the following week’s dosage. The
third graph illustrates what happens when the chlorine dosage
requirement is lowered by the addition of the Elektra UV Sanitizer
to the pool, the amount of chlorine to be added is reduced,
and without the presence of Chloramines (see item 3 below),
the lower dosage provides all the necessary sanitation required
to enhance the UV system and provide near perfect pool water.
2. Elimination of “Chlorine Smell”
– Chlorine exists in both a “Free state”, and
a Combined state” in pool water. The Free chlorine is
the chlorine that is available to oxidize organic soils and
kill bacteria. The Combined chlorine is chlorine that is combined
or “locked up” with nitrogen-ammonia compounds to
allow the formation of Chloramines. Chloramines are the chlorine
odor producing byproduct of the chlorine/nitrogen-ammonia
hydrolysis process, and leave the pool water in the form of
an off-gas that is not only unpleasant to the smell, but has
been shown in tests to cause respiratory distress, especially
to asthmatic persons or persons with other breathing difficulties..
Thus, when Chlorimines are eliminated, the chlorine smell
disappears. UV has the ability to produce a photo-oxidation
effect that destroys chloramines and other toxic by-products
of chlorine. This results in much less chlorine needed to
be used for bacterial control. This converts to greatly improved
water conditions, and especially when the pool is indoors,
the atmospheric conditions are improved also.
Using hand dosing of chlorine to the pool, will create the
under/over chlorination condition noted in the graphs above,
and will always allow the formation of Chlorimines. By contract,
however, using its photo-oxidation effect, UV has the ability
to eliminate Chlorimines just as it does bacteria etc. This
means that you can enjoy a chlorine smell free pool and breathe
safer air while using your pool
3. Hazardous Materials – Chlorine produces by-products
such as TOH that are known carcinogenic and requires special
handling and care in use. Some types of chlorine (sodium hypochlorite)
have only a 30 day “half life” (50% of the original
strength after 30 days), and others are extremely flammable
and can explode and burn if not handled properly (spontaneous
combustion can occur if the material becomes wet inside a
sealed container). When you add chlorine to a pool, extreme
care must be taken not to overdose the pool water and cause
harm to the bathers.
Here again, UV has the advantage over Chlorine in that UV
does not add any chemical to the pool water. UV is the common
method of sanitizing Koi ponds, as it does not harm the fish
as chlorine would. All disinfection of the pool water is achieved
within the Elektra UV’s wet chamber and is 100% safe.
There is no storage issues to be addressed, as in chlorine,
and the regular trips to the pool supply store for more chlorine
are eliminated. In addition, unlike chlorine that must be
supplemented with an algaecide to control algae in the pool
(adding ye another chemical to the pool water), UV kills algae
spores as they pass inside the UV wet chamber, to keep your
pool algae free Simply stated, UV allows for the least toxic
pool water and can get you very close to chemical free water,
which we all want for our pool guests and family
4. Reduced Chlorine Levels – As discussed previously,
it is desirous to reduce or even eliminate chlorine in the
pool. However, a greatly reduced amount of chlorine (70% to
85% less than normally used) is necessary to oxidize the organic
soils (improving filtration) and for sanitizing areas (such
as in the pool piping or filter) of the pool where the pool
water does not pass through the UV chamber. With a dramatically
reduced chlorine level, being required due to UV’s ability
to cut costs by releasing the chlorine the rapid burn off
of chlorine that occurs in very warm climates, such as Phoenix,
is reduced which adds to further reduction in the need for
high chlorine levels.
5. Immediate Killing of Micro-organisms – While chlorine
requires a long retention time of 20-45 minutes to sanitize,
UV sanitizes the pool water in 1-3 seconds of exposure. And,
this occurs at all times the pool circulation system is in
operation.
6. Filter Bacteria Eliminated – While pools utilizing
chlorine sanitation have bacteria laden water entering the
pool directly from the filter effluent, the Elektra UV system,
which is placed in the plumbing system between the filter
and the pool, treats and sanitizes 100% of the water leaving
the filter before it enters the pool. This pre-treatment enhances
the water quality for the swimmer, and also is a major contributor
to the reduction of the need for high chlorine levels and
lowers operating costs.
7. Lower Operating Costs – Your pool operating cost is
greatly reduced through the installation of the Elektra UV
system. Using less electricity than a 40 watt bulb, the system
is one of the lowest operating cost method of achieving high
water sanitation quality.
8. Algae Control – Chlorine resistant algae that normally
require additional algae control chemicals added to the pool,
are eradicated as they pass through the UV system. The cost
savings is obvious when these chemicals are no longer needed,
but more importantly, your pool begins to approach a more
“chemical free” state.
As you can now see the advantages that Elektra UV Sanitation
Systems have over old fashioned chlorine sanitation are varied
and impressive. In a time when we are all concerned about
our families health, can we really afford to not have the
best sanitation products protection our loved ones? Now, you
can have the latest technology for a clear, clean, healthy,
and sanitary swimming pool water and air environment.
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