Moss Alternative To Chlorine

A friend from my old state Minnesota sent me article below. Is the moss really working, or is it the ozone in combination with chlorine?

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(WCCO) Sunshine and warm summer days make homes with pools popular places this time of year. The upkeep of a pool or spa can be so time-consuming. The chemicals used to treat pools can be pretty corrosive.

Now, some guys from Minnesota managed to find away to bypass a lot of the chemical treatment and still have crystal clear water to lounge in.

Tom Ryan loves his pool, but wasn't too fond of the upkeep.

"I used to constantly check water and add chemicals. It was hard for the kids to keep their eyes open and swim in it and enjoy it," said Ryan.

Keeping his pool chemically balanced was time consuming and messy. He hated dealing with the chlorine.

"It's the kind of stuff when it splashes on you, it discolors your clothes and that's what you're swimming in," he added.

Since he agreed to give the guys at Creative Water Solutions a crack at it, his attitude on upkeep has changed dramatically.

"Now, literally I have them open it in the spring and I close it in the fall," he said.

Ryan is sold on using moss to keep his pool clean and clear. Moss, the kind we find in bogs on Minnesota lakes.

"This is like a tea bag that's filled with the moss from New Zealand," said Dr. David Knighton, Founder and Chairman of the Board for Creative Water Solutions.


"This is like a tea bag that's filled with the moss from New Zealand," said Dr. David Knighton, Founder and Chairman of the Board for Creative Water solutions


Ryan still uses a salt generator to supplement the filters, but says his new system cuts chemical use by 90 percent or more.

"It's really the first totally green product for pools and spas, because it's totally renewable, the moss grows back. It's not processed, we sterilize it, so there's no question that you're not putting anything in your pool. And that's it. And when you're done you can put it in your garden," said Knighton.

Knighton came up with the idea of using moss to treat water after reading an article in a magazine six years ago. It talked about the use of sphagnum moss to treat wounded soldiers in World War One, before the use of antibiotics. The article credited the absorbency of moss.

"I have a background as a trauma surgeon, and a biologist and a vascular surgeon. I take care of non-healing wounds. I knew that that couldn't work and made the hypothesis that it had to control bacteria," he said.

A flight over Northern Minnesota heightened his suspicions.

"It was this time of year, it was August. The lakes south of Highway 8 were all green like Chisago and those places, and the lakes north of Highway 8 turned clear," he said.

Knighton remembers making the connection of moss bogs up north and called a biologist buddy with his hunch.

"As a scientist, I'm immediately skeptical. My first reaction I think is 'gotta prove it before we believe it,'" recalled Vance Fiegel.

"So we took it into our lab and found out that there's two species of the hundreds we've tested that won't let bacteria, fungus, mold or yeast grow in their presence. One is from Minnesota and one's from New Zealand." Knighton recalled.

Creative Water Solutions filters now treat pools and spas across the country. They get most of their moss from New Zealand which has a thriving moss harvesting industry, but they say the moss in northern Minnesota works just as well.

The big plus for pool and spa owners is that they get crystal clear water without people complaining about the smell or it irritation of the skin.

"We use the lowest amount of chlorine that's acceptable by the EPA, which is really undetectable. You can't smell it. You can open your eyes under the water. Your hair doesn't turn color. Your clothes don't smell," said Knighton.

EPA regulations mandate some level of chemical treatment, but the company says most customers use 70 to 80 percent less, and guests give rave reviews.

"That you don't leave with that chalky smell, and you don't leave itchy, and hair dried out, and people's hair changing colors and stuff from bleach," said Ryan.

The team is now working on a moss filtration system like Knighton is already using at his home to treat the water that comes out of his faucet.

"The ramifications are enormous. Pools and spas are great and it's a great business, but in terms of ability to potentially clean water all over the world," said Fiegel. "Having the ability to potentially use sphagnum moss to treat water could be a huge potential for mankind, not to be too grandiose about it."

So far, the moss filters aren't available to commercial facilities like public pools and spas because of varying regulations from state to state, even city to city, but they're working on it.

Using the filters for a spa will cost about $20 a month. It could cost anywhere from $30 to $60 a month for a pool, depending on how large it is.

This was talked about at Trouble Free Pool here. Basically, the moss is not a sanitizer in the bulk water so you still need chlorine (or other EPA-approved sanitizer) for that purpose. Notice that the example has someone with an SWG system yet they complained about having chlorine splashed on their clothes as if adding it manually. They also talk about a significant reduction in chlorine usage so presumably lower SWG on-time, but they could just as easily supplement their pool with 50 ppm Borates for algae prevention (or $2-3 worth of PolyQuat 60 weekly) for the same efffect allowing for a lower FC level.

Richard

Exactly what I suspected as I read the article -- the complaints of burning eyes and green hair (which we know chlorine does not independently cause in the first instance) etc. etc. tells us he was having "issues" by not using proper (simple) testing and maintenance. Notice the swg and chlorine don't get any of the credit, the moss does. Marketing tool indeed.