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SALT CHLORINE and CYANURIC ACID PROBLEMS

Short Version on Salt

Salt generators make chlorine
Salt is backwashed into the environment
Salt is a CORROSIVE that ruins your pool equipment
Produces a by product that is the ingredient in Drano
Salt systems are being outlawed

Short Version on Chlorine and CYA

Chlorine is a toxic pesticide
Sunlight removes chlorine from the pool
Cyanuric acid is added to chlorine to make chlorine last longer
CYA never goes away
Your pool is full of pesticide and acid
People in your pool absorb these chemicals

Long Version on Salt

Since salt water pools produce chlorine, the sanitizing effectiveness of the system is affected by sunlight, rainfall, bather load, phosphate levels, temperature and calcium buildup. Changes in any of these conditions can lead to an algae bloom and require additional ‘shocking’ of the water.

Backwashing salt water pools will sterilize soil and kill plants. Many municipalities prohibit salt water backwashing in the U.S. and Australia. Salt water systems started in Australia and that country has now outlawed them.

There is also a growing body of evidence that salt – through chloride damage – accelerates the destruction of stone and cement. The electrolysis process has been cited as causing rapid deterioration of metals in your pool, like heater parts, ladders, handrails, light rings, anything that is in your pool will deteriorate.

Salt systems are under much criticism because the expensive high amperage process of creating pure concentrated chlorine in its acid form in a pool’s return line has come under critical review quite a bit in recent studies.

Fact: Very high concentrations of corrosive salt are added to water (usually 40,000 times more chemical product than healthy alternative systems). Scaling, staining, corrosion to heaters, pumps, pool equipment and surfaces is a serious problem. The reaction necessary to break down the salt into hypochlorous acid chlorine and caustic soda uses expensive amounts of electricity and creates a breakdown of electrodes (replacement frequently costing upwards of half original equipment cost). Caustic soda (NaOH) or sodium hydroxide is the other byproduct of this chemical manufacturing process. This caustic chemical is the main ingredient in Drano and Liquid Plumber, which is used to breakdown hair clogs in sinks and drains. These chemicals breakdown fats and skin cells as well as damage hair and swimsuits.

The support of the old way of caring for pools requires dosing of shock, use of chlorine stabilizer (cyanuric acid) algaecide, clarifier and sequestering/chelating agents. All of these are expensive and require extensive time consuming maintenance. A main cause of concern is that backwashing of salt water to drains results in pollution of our streams and lakes, and kills lawns and plants.

Salt systems are being outlawed by an ever increasing number of jurisdictions due to the damage it does to the environment. This includes the entire country of Australia, which invented the system.

Salt is as opposite of "Green" as you can get.

Long Version on CYA

Cyanuric acid's main responsibility is to protect chlorine from UV. While chlorine is an effective sanitizer, its exposure to UV, warm temperatures and heavy bather load make it volatile. Chlorine readily dissipates into the air and is also absorbed by the human body. Without the use of a cyanuric acid to protect it, the chlorine level in a pool can diminish to dangerously low levels over the course of a summer day, leaving pools vulnerable to bacteria and algae growth.

According to a DHEC mandate, all South Carolina public swimming pool operators will be required by law to gradually decrease the levels of cyanuric acid found in swimming pools.

Cyanuric acid is a byproduct of stabilized chlorine. High levels of cyanuric acid prevent chlorine from doing its job. According to DHEC, the presence of high amounts of cyanuric acid is a huge problem for pool operators, causing repeated instances of pools being closed. The only way to solve the “poison” pool issue is to partially drain the pool and thoroughly clean and scrub the walls, then refill the pool with fresh source water. The current “acceptable” level of cyanuric acid is 150ppm and in 2011 it will be 100ppm, in 2012 50ppm and in 2013 0ppm.

Question for Commercial Pool Operators: What is your plan to handle your CYA problem?

Coastal Pure can be a part of the solution to your CYA problem

In an effort to respond to the inevitable algae and bacteria problems that will arise from reducing the use of stabilized chlorine, DHEC has opened the window of acceptable levels of available chlorine from 1-5 ppm to 1-8 ppm. This is great news for the pool chemical industry and suppliers who will see this as an economic boost for their bank accounts and pocketbooks. Pool operators will be forced to buy more unstabilized chlorine and find new ways to distribute it into their pools.

Our affordable system allows pool operators to use at least HALF the amount of chlorine during the summer months and much less than that during the winter months. This greatly reduces the swimming pools exposure to cyanuric acid. You will not have to keep your pool 0perator on speed dial. Cost savings are enjoyed year after year in reduced chemical and maintenance costs.

This is GOOD for you and BAD for the pool chemical companies.

The bottom line goal of every pool operator is to protect their pools from possible bacteria and algae outbreaks, while keeping the water sparkling clear for bathers.