Clean your pool naturally; minimize the need for chlorine with these alternatives - Home and Family - Brief Article

CHLORINATED WATER CAN IRRITATE your eyes and skin, and some studies have linked chlorine to cancer. Fortunately, new technologies can kill bacteria in backyard pools using 50 to 90 percent fewer chemicals like chlorine, according to Alan Sanderfoot, former editor of the pool industry publication Aqua Magazine.

The three most popular alternatives are the following:

1. Ultraviolet light generators, which kill bacteria with UVC light.

2. Ozonators, which generate ozone to wipe out bacteria.

3. Mineral purifiers, which emit trace amounts of copper to kill bacteria, and silver or zinc to prevent algae growth.

You can find these products at many pool supply stores. How well they work depends on variables like pool size, and none of them will work without a little added chlorine. The initial cost for each is between $500 and $1,000, but you should save at least that much in chlorine costs over the lifetime of the device.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group