| Keeping pool water clean and free of bacteria is | | | | The chemicals are loaded into "pacs" that dispense |
| the best thing a pool owner can do for their | | | | the chemicals as needed. This goes a long way to |
| family's health and safety. However, the chemicals | | | | alleviating the stress and worry over what is in |
| used to keep the water looking its best can also | | | | the water. Homeowners should still check up on |
| cause health problems on their own if they are | | | | the water with a test kit, but it will be rare that |
| not used correctly. Many people have found all of | | | | any action will need to be taken to correct the |
| the water chemistry involved with pool | | | | chemical balance. |
| maintenance to be a little too much to risk | | | | Alternative Treatment Methods |
| harming family members or the pool equipment | | | | Many pool owners choose to forgo using |
| itself. | | | | chemicals completely. In this case, some look to |
| To remedy this problem, there are many | | | | using salt to keep the water clean. Normally, just |
| automatic pool cleaners available that take the | | | | adding salt is not enough for a truly clean pool. |
| guess work out of pool chemicals. Systems like | | | | Many salt systems are supplemented by a |
| the pool frog automatically dose the necessary | | | | powered cell that converts the salt into a more |
| chemicals, keeping their levels at the right spot to | | | | effective, natural sanitizer. After time, the |
| keep the water clean without irritating skin or | | | | sanitizer reverts back to salt for the safety of |
| eyes. There are also automatic pool cleaners that | | | | the swimmers. |
| do not utilize chemicals and clean the water with | | | | Other automatic pool cleaners utilize electronic |
| alternate methods. | | | | water purification. This occurs by using an |
| Dosed Chemicals | | | | electrical current to ionize water, destroying |
| When using chemical sanitizers like chlorine or | | | | bacteria and algae. This safely occurs in an |
| bromine in a pool, there is a real risk of harm to | | | | enclosed system, no electricity is introduced to |
| swimmers and pool equipment if the water's | | | | the pool itself. This technology is similar to drinking |
| chemistry is not correct. Concepts like pH can be | | | | water purification and has been utilized by local |
| difficult to master; a low pH will lead to corrosion | | | | governments and even NASA for use to purify |
| of the pool's water pump and any metal parts, | | | | water on the space station. These systems can |
| which a high pH will cause scale buildup. It is a fine | | | | even pay for themselves over time by saving |
| line between maintaining the water to kill bacteria | | | | money on chemicals and testing kits. |
| without harming anyone in the process. Most | | | | For those homeowners who do not feel |
| chemicals are irritants at the very least, so any | | | | comfortable with turning their swimming pools into |
| excess amount will ultimately be detrimental. | | | | chemistry experiments, the many alternative |
| The pool frog is one type of the automatic pool | | | | automatic pool cleaners offer safe methods for |
| cleaners that handles chemical dosing on its own. | | | | maintaining a pool. |