Why does UV pools still use chlorine?
Let’s clear the air and get the facts out: a UV pool is still a chlorine pool. It must still maintain a certain level of chlorine in the pool to sanitise the pool. The UV unit isn't a substitute for chlorine, but it does help with chloramines reduction and bacteria elimination at the point of contact. You still need to maintain the level of chlorine in the pool to achieve sanitation for all the pool water that isn't going through the UV unit at that moment. Continuously running a UV unit can also be very costly.
UV sources were originally developed for spas and indoor pools that absolutely needed secondary disinfection sources to handle the complex bather load problems associated with them and the chloramine build up in the pools. The pool industry took the concept and tried to add it on to the equipment pad of outdoor residential pools with little thought to its effectiveness.
Another potential issue with UV systems is the difficulty of correctly setting the system up. Sanitation only happens while the water is directly in contact with UV light, if the light misses some of the bacteria, it can get back into the pool. The UV light becomes less effective over time, so you’ll need to replace it regularly to keep the pool clean. At the end of the day, chemicals are still required as UV is a point of contact only sanitation, the water that goes back into the pool needs to be sanitized using chemical cleaners.
Have a look at our freshwater pool systems Natureswim Classic or the NatureSwim Advance.
