Your swimming pool deserves the best. Ozone is a fantastic swimming pool cleaner.
What exactly is ozone?
Ozone, or O3, is three oxygen atoms that are produced in nature via sunlight and lightning. In nature, ozone is a sanitizing agent that breaks down organic substances before reverting back to oxygen. Ozone is prominent in the atmosphere as it blocks out UV rays and has been used for a century as an air and water purifier.
How does ozone work?
UV energy from lamps can split the O2 molecules into oxygen atoms which then combine with another oxygen molecule to make O3. This UV method can be used in residential pools as it allows enough ozone to effectively clean water. The ozonized air is pulled into the pool water via the suction side of the pump and is pressurized into the water creating small bubbles. Ozone kills bacteria on contact and the dead bacteria is deposited in the filter. This allows clean water to circulate back into the pool.
What is the difference between chlorine and ozone?
Chlorine combines with organic compounds like body oils, sunscreen and cosmetics; thus, removing chlorine from the pool and stopping sufficient sanitation. Unlike chlorine, ozone does not combine with these organic compounds and breaks them down instead. This differential in byproducts is a crucial difference as chlorine leaves harmful chemicals like chloramines while ozone leaves simply oxygen. You may not be concerned with these “harmful chemicals”, but you should be because chloramines are responsible for skin and eye irritation.
Why use ozone?
Ozone itself will not clean your pool. Ozone is used as an oxidizer and is actually used in combination with smaller amounts of chlorine. This may sound paradoxical as we just stated the harmful effects of chlorine, but this is only at high levels. With ozone, you can use very small amounts of chlorine and ozone will boost its effectiveness while preventing harmful chemicals. Ozone will keep both your pool and the environment clean while protecting you from the negative effects of chlorine and other chemicals.
Fun fact: Ozone, whether produced by lightning or UV, smells a lot like chocolate! Who doesn’t love the sweet smell of cocoa over chlorine?