Ozone and in-floor cleaning
Hi everyone,
You've got quite the anti-spam system in place here! I'm a seasoned IT guy and it took me a bit to figure out what I needed to do... I almost gave up! I don't really have any questions (yet)... I just came here to learn as much as I could about pools. I've never had one before, and the amount of information I need to learn is boggling. My PB starts digging in my back yard soon so I want to be as informed as possible in order to ensure that I've done everything right.
We've got everything squared away right now, but the only thing sticking in the back of my mind is that he swears by ozone and has spec'd out a Paramount ClearO3 ozonator system with chlorine. I always thought SWCG was the way to go, but I guess every system has good and bad points. It seems that the problem with ozone is the lack of information from actual owners who have used it. There are tons of threads where pool builders are for or against it, but only little snippets of information from users who state that the water is clearer, they use less chlorine, etc.
In the end, I'm just going to go for the ozone system and hope that it'll allow me to use less chlorine in the pool. The pool will be a free-form 15K gal in-ground with sealed paver deck under screen enclosure in Central FL. I cannot wait to go swimming in my own back yard!
Jose
Re: Yet another new guy here!
Well, Jose;
Yes, the registration process is awkward. I've got some changes scheduled; we'll have to see how they go.
I hadn't looked at the ClearO3 system before. Now that I've downloaded all their manuals and such, from here:
http://www.paramountpoolproducts.com/products/clearo3/
I am NOT impressed.
They are selling a UV based ozone system for use in Florida. They've got a fascinating ClearO3 vs Salt brochure here, that lists all the problems the O3 system does NOT have. Ironically, the list is mostly accurate . . . but the reason their unit does not have those problem is that it really doesn't do much of anything at all!
UV Ozone systems pass air past a short wave UV lamp, and turn a tiny amount of the oxygen present into ozone. Ozone is dangerous -- it's considerably more toxic than chlorine gas! -- but these systems are intrinsically safe, because they don't produce enough ozone to be dangerous OR do much of anything to your pool.
So, they don't have the problems salt systems do, because they don't DO anything, much, except cost money. There is one exception: they put a lot of tiny air bubbles into your pool. This tends to strip your carbonate alkalinity, with the result that PLASTER or CONCRETE pools with such systems installed, often show plaster damage after several years. Of course, if you are faithful about adding sodium bicarbonate regularly, you can avoid that, but you'll have to stay on top of it.
I'd recommend that you skip the system -- those types of systems can easily be added after the fact, if you change your mind. But it won't really save you any money. They talk about 70% savings -- well, compared to typical pool operation, you can save 50% - 80% WITHOUT any devices or new chemicals, simply by following the methods we teach here.
Re: Yet another new guy here!
Thanks for the fantastic info Ben! I do understand that ozone is a supplemental system at best and should never be used as a primary sanitizer, but the few people I've found online who use them on a day-to-day basis seem to think their water is crisper with the ozonator installed. Could it be a placebo effect, or perhaps they're simply trying to justify spending the money on it? People also report having to add chlorine less frequently, which is a big plus for me, and is the only reason I'm even considering it. My PB swears by this system, and while I understand that they want to keep their profit margins as wide as possible, they are a very reputable company here in Central FL so I doubt he'd try selling it to me if he didn't believe in the technology at all.
No worries on the registration thing, I just think that while it's great for keeping spammers away, it could potentially turn good people away who may want to contribute to the community. Heck, just tell me where to send my blood sample! :)
Thanks again!
Jose
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PoolDoc
Well, Jose;
Yes, the registration process is awkward. I've got some changes scheduled; we'll have to see how they go.
I hadn't looked at the ClearO3 system before. Now that I've downloaded all their manuals and such, from here:
http://www.paramountpoolproducts.com/products/clearo3/
I am NOT impressed.
They are selling a UV based ozone system for use in Florida. They've got a fascinating ClearO3 vs Salt brochure here, that lists all the problems the O3 system does NOT have. Ironically, the list is mostly accurate . . . but the reason their unit does not have those problem is that it really doesn't do much of anything at all!
UV Ozone systems pass air past a short wave UV lamp, and turn a tiny amount of the oxygen present into ozone. Ozone is dangerous -- it's considerably more toxic than chlorine gas! -- but these systems are intrinsically safe, because they don't produce enough ozone to be dangerous OR do much of anything to your pool.
So, they don't have the problems salt systems do, because they don't DO anything, much, except cost money. There is one exception: they put a lot of tiny air bubbles into your pool. This tends to strip your carbonate alkalinity, with the result that PLASTER or CONCRETE pools with such systems installed, often show plaster damage after several years. Of course, if you are faithful about adding sodium bicarbonate regularly, you can avoid that, but you'll have to stay on top of it.
I'd recommend that you skip the system -- those types of systems can easily be added after the fact, if you change your mind. But it won't really save you any money. They talk about 70% savings -- well, compared to typical pool operation, you can save 50% - 80% WITHOUT any devices or new chemicals, simply by following the methods we teach here.
Re: Yet another new guy here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Z06Boricua
My PB swears by this system, and while I understand that they want to keep their profit margins as wide as possible, they are a very reputable company here in Central FL so I doubt he'd try selling it to me if he didn't believe in the technology at all.
Unfortunately, you are probably correct: he probably DOES believe that it works. I wrote a web page, about 15 years ago now, about pool industry "TEKTATs" -- Things Everybody Knows That Aren't True.
The sales and marketing people from the pool chemical companies and pool gizmo companies have pulled the wool over a lot of people's eyes, and a some of them are IN the pool industry. I'm sure you've seen it happen in IT -- if you are old enough, you know how long people have been promised natural language voice recognition that REALLY works (for really, real, this time!), and yet after 20 years OCR has never gotten much past 95 - 98% on unprepared text. I gather that Apple's SIRI may be fairly functional, but I know the voice recognition on my DroidX is not.
But, suit your yourself. A UV ozonator won't HURT your pool, so long as you keep your alkalinity up.
