ECOsmarte blog

Hi,

I have a ECOsmarte on my pool and it works well except for a bloom of algae every month. I pour some bleach and it takes care of the problem but my question is; why the copper does not take care of the algae?

Justin L.

Justin, thanks for visiting the blog and posting your question.

First off...PLEASE do not put Chlorine in the pool ! Chlorine is incompatible with the system and can precipitate out the copper, staining your pool. That is why we advertise as Zero Chlorine and Zero Salt. Your owners manual clearly states this - give it a thorough read to familiarize yourself with the differences between a Chlorine pool and an ECOsmarte pool.

The good News - The copper ionization and natural oxidation should indeed take care of the algae as long as you pay attention to the rest of the pool formula. That would be circulation and filtration, for starters.

Call home office and ask them about the size of your filter in relation to your pool and pump. Sufficient circulation is critical in an ECOsmarte pool, and is determined by your pool size, pump size and how well the pool was built with inflow ports in the proper place and direction. I am not a pool construction expert, but I do know that older pools sometimes suffer from insufficient circulation due to a collapsed bottom drain or too few/too small/bad direction inflow/outflow ports.

Type of filter is critical as well. A discussion on filters is here. Ideally you have a sand filter with glass filtration media - the best choice for an ECOsmarte pool, moving you in the direction of less maintenance and better water clarity.

Environmental factors will also come into play. Phosphates getting into the pool from fertilizers, soaps, shampoos, detergents, organic material (grass, leaves, sticks), and even soda pop. Best thing to do here is to take your water to the local pool store to have it tested to see what you are dealing with. In fact the water test would be a great thing to have when you call home office at 1-800-ION-SWIM.

Sometimes getting the balance just right takes some time. When you do have everything set, though, your use of a non-chlorine shock or a non-metal algaecide (home office can give you some brands) should be only occasional. Regular algae is a clue that something in the formula needs adjusting.

Good luck with your pool and let us know how it goes!

Wendy

Oh man, I just found this on the website of a purveyor of salt pool systems:

"What makes the ******* Salt Purification System, by ********, the best choice for your pool? It’s salt…it’s natural… There are no harsh chemicals, nothing damaging to you, your children, or your pool. Salt is also environmentally and ecologically friendly."

How can they actually get away with saying stuff like that?

First of all, salt pools are CHLORINE pools. Nice use of the phrase "purification system", but the reality is that every salt system uses salt to produce CHLORINE. So all you people out there who smugly say - "oh, I have a salt pool", when other pool owners complain about chlorine...hello, you have a chlorine pool, too! Less chlorine, but still chlorine, and the same toxic by-products that come with it. "No harsh chemicals?" What the heck would you call CHLORINE?

Second, for all you people who doubt that salt pool systems damage pools and equipment, I have never found a more thorough investigation into the salt pool issue than this blogger, The Pool Guy. He has pictures and explanations and links and as much information as you care to digest about why and how salt pools harm your pool, your pool equipment and even the waterfalls and expensive decorative stone tile surrounding it.

Last but certainly not least, "Salt is also environmentally and ecologically friendly." What? Since when? Tell that to the folks in Santa Clarita, CA, who can't install new salt-based water softeners because the chloride level in the Santa Clara River is affecting the crops and throwing the local fauna out of balance. Tell that to the folks in Australia who lose more than $130 million of agricultural production annually from salinity. When you have to drain that pool at some point, where is it all going to go? When you backwash the filter, where does the water go? It is illegal in Santa Clarita for new or existing salt pools to be connected to the sewer system. Does anyone out there seriously think they did that just for fun? Apparently the purveyors of the aforementioned salt chlorine generator (I like to call things by their proper name) don't get it. Or maybe they will just say whatever they think will sell you a system. For shame.

The Pool Guy also brought to my attention this article in the Florida Sentinel asserting that salt pools are ecologically friendly pools.... Huh?
Particularly interesting are these two lines, that really truly do come one right after the other:

A salt system converts salt into chlorine, eliminating the need to transport and handle chlorine tablets or liquid. "Chlorine is a toxic chemical," said Tracy DeCarlo, a Florida Green Home certifying agent and a home-design function analyst with Detailed Solutions Inc. "I don't believe we should be drinking it or swimming in it."

The worst thing about this article is that the Florida Green Building Council is stating that a salt system is one of the choices to satisfy the green pool prerequisite to qualify for the "Florida Green Home Standard". Other choices include a competitor of ours that reduces the amount of Chlorine instead of eliminating Chlorine like ECOsmarte Pools will.

So...all you ECOsmarte dealers in Florida are hereby put on notice - straighten those people out down there!

I am a member of the Green Building Council of Ventura County. We just merged with San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties to create the California Central Coast Chapter of the US Green Building Council. We hold no such misconceptions about salt pools here. Probably because I would loudly take issue with any such assertions from a salt chlorine generator rep - I've done the research.

(And I have to admit The Pool Guy made some of my research much easier. Thanks for the links, Pool Guy.)

I found some information about anti-bacterial soaps - way scary!
The common ingredient in anti-bacterial soaps is Triclosan, which is poison, can be absorbed into your skin/body and stays in the environment roughly forever. Read about it here and if you are like me...never buy anti-bacterial soap again. I hate the fear mongering that goes with advertising, sometimes. Fear the Germs!! They will kill you!!! Come to find out the "solution" offered is worse than the cure, for you and for the Planet. Geez!