Quote Originally Posted by mykidsintow
To have a chemical free pool?? If so, how? If not, what is the "least chemical" method?
Short answer is no. What you really want is to find what sanitizing chemical will be easiest on your daughter. If you try some of the "alternative" solutions, most of which don't work or don't work very well, you risk exposure to bacterial and viral pathogens which would probably be far worse than the chemicals.

A pool can be safely maintained at a chlorine level in the same neighborhood as tap water. A chlorine generator is probably the best option for control of the level. The salt in the pool makes the water feel better on the skin and eyes because it is closer to the body's natural salinity.

You will probably have to be more meticulous than the usual pool owner in measuring chemical levels, but this wouldn't be a huge burden. You would also do well to ensure that your fill water is good to reduce the chemical additions that would be needed to compensate for high alkalinity, calcium or other dissolved solids.

I'm sure most people on this forum can tell you about having visitors comment on their water not smelling like a typical pool. I think Ben's philosophy is simple and easy to follow. Public pools operate at high chlorine levels with a strong smell due to the high biological contaminant load. Home pools can be like cool bathwater with a little care.

One last word: Don't believe anything a pool store employee tells you. They aren't necessarily crooked, but many of them have no real pool experience. The folks on this forum are selling nothing in the way of chemicals or treatment systems here, and those who have an interest in selling anything have to identify their interest in all of their posts.