The Benefits of Water Ionizing in Swimming Pools

Why should you use water ionization in swimming pools?

There are many advantages to using water ionization instead of chlorine in swimming pools. When you use ionized water in your pool here are a few of the benefits you can expect to enjoy:

• It kills bacteria such as listeria, algae, e-coli and cryptosporidia
• It is not hazardous to the lungs and will not cause breathing problems or asthma attacks
• Healthier for young children and older adults to swim in
• There are no harmful gases being let off into the air
• Easy on the eyes, ionized water will not cause eyes to get red, itchy, puffy or irritated.
• It will not make peoples hair turn green from swimming in the water
• Does not cause itchy skin, rashes or irritable skin conditions
• Does not cause swimmers ear to occur
• Effectively gets rid of bacteria in the pool water
• It is not altered if the water is too hot or too cold
• UV rays and evaporation does not have any effect on it
• It utilizes green technology which is better for the Earth and leaves a smaller footprint on the world
• There are no scum lines along the sides of the pool

What does it do?

An ionizer uses a microprocessor and electrodes composed of copper and/or silver. When pool water passes over the chamber the electrodes generate a low-voltage DC current that causes some of the outermost atoms of the electrodes to become positive ions. The water that runs through the chamber collects the ions which then help kill algae, bacteria and viruses. Copper is a key ingredient used in algaecides and the silver ions take care of the bacteria and viruses. With an ionizer you reduce the amount of chlorine required for your pool even following a larger pool party or a heavy rainstorm.

The ions remain in the water and offer residual protection for long-term maintenance. As well they offer nontoxic purification and continue to prevent against recontamination. Copper and silver ions remain in the water and create masses that work to continuously collect algae and other contaminants such as bacteria that can then be removed by your pools filtering equipment. You can keep track of the proper ion levels using a test kit.

How it works: The role of Copper and Silver

Copper and silver will attack an algae cell and the amino acid residues in the proteins used for photosynthesis. By stopping the process algae is unable to grow and therefore the cells die. Even if the cell does manage to live the ions will stop the reproduction process so that the algae are unable to spread. As well bacteria are killed right out instead of being suppressed from chemicals. That means dangerous things such as E-Coli, the most potent contaminant found in public pools and other water sources cannot survive in a chemical free pool that uses an ionizer.

Why don’t we see more of these systems installed globally?

When most people think about how they can keep their pools clean they immediately think about chlorine. But in recent years people have discovered how toxic and dangerous chlorine can be. Overexposure to chlorine can cause a myriad of health conditions and increase the risk of children developing allergies or asthma. Excessive exposure to chlorine can also lead to bladder problems, cancer and heart disease.

There seems to be an active lobby in the Western world against the use of ionization systems for cleaning water: chlorine is one of the most purchased chemicals in the world, and the top three producers alone of Chlorine earn more than 200 billion dollars annually in sales of chlorine. Thus, it is understandable why these companies would lobby against products or systems for pool sanitization, including the misinformation that the use of ionization can cause Wilson’s disease, which is the over accumulation of copper in the liver. Bear in mind that the drinking water in many cities is delivered via copper pipes. The copper quantities in ionized pools is les than .3 ppm!