If you have a swimming pool somewhere around your home you will probably have noticed the copious amounts of chlorine that your pool requires. Chlorine and other sanitation chemicals have a bad reputation with consumers on the basis of their health risks and their apparent harmful impact on the environment. This bad reputation is unearned and there is little evidence of the amount of chlorine in the average pool having any sort of long-term harmful effects. The simple answer to the question of ‘Do pools need chlorine’ is yes or at least yes chlorine or any other chemical sanitiser such as bromine, if you’re considering the importance of chlorine in your swimming pool, read on for information on why chlorine in pools is a necessity.
Safety
While many believe that chlorine is a harmful chemical with the chance to cause long term damage this couldn’t be further from the truth, chlorine has been used to sanitise drinking water for well over a hundred years meaning that the majority of the water we will drink through our lives contains some portion of chlorine. If long-term exposure to chlorine caused damage it wouldn’t be used as a part of many products that we use today.
Health Implications
The leading reason behind the use of chlorine within swimming pools lies in its ability to eliminate water-borne viruses and bacteria. Stagnant water is one of the most dangerous things on the planet and is one of the leading causes of death worldwide with the chief reason behind many deaths in third world countries due to the lack of chlorine in the drinking water.
Alternative Sanitisers
Many people that own swimming pools are now looking toward sanitiser alternatives for chlorine. A popular choice is bromine, an alternative that offers exactly the same chemical properties as chlorine and has essentially the same impact. Bromine is commonly used in hot tubs and other smaller bodies of water due to its more costly price.
Reducing Chlorine Usage
If reading this has made you realise that getting rid of chlorine in your pool may not be the best idea but still want to limit your exposure to it this is a perfectly acceptable idea and there are multiple ways in which you can carry this out. UV lights and O Zone generators are a popular choice to go with for many pool owners with both working toward lowering your chlorine usage by as much as 90% without totally eliminating its use. This allows you to capitalise on the benefits of chlorine without feeling like you’re using an excessive amount.
Chlorine is an essential part of the swimming pool maintenance procedure and trying to completely remove its use can potentially lead to many issues, there are alternatives in place that can be used but offer pretty much the same effect. Removing chlorine from your pool completely is against recommendation, instead, look to reduce the amount of chlorine that is used within the pool.
Contact Us for Swimming Pool Maintenance
Contact AG Budget today to speak to one of our Pool Maintenance specialists with any questions you may have. Call us on 0208 941 6618 or contact us.
