Are Alternative Sanitizers Worth It?

Everyone is “going green” nowadays, people are trying to conserve more by using less electricity and buying products that require the least amount energy and produce the least waste. This is also true for people that have pools; they are using alternative sanitizers to clean their pools, but is it really worth it to use these products (from a economic standpoint)?

Chlorine is a great way to clean your pool and probably also the cheapest way to keep your water blue. But it does come with regular maintenance and adding of chemicals, which means purchasing those chemicals. Along with that comes the time it’s going to take you to properly balance and maintain your water, this varies depending on how much you know or want to learn and stick with.

Depending on how far you want to take your use of alternate sanitizers (from a salt chlorine generator to using as little chemicals as possible), we need to realize that alternative sanitizers reduce the amount of chemicals necessary to keep your water clean, they don’t replace them completely. The initial cost is more with a salt chlorine system which is the most expensive item, but what you get from using the salt system is much higher quality water that feels better on your skin and actually looks better. You also won’t have to worry about the water balance getting off resulting in a strong chlorine odor or red irritated eyes. The salt gets recycled through the pool so you don’t need to add very much after the initial amount.

After experiencing both types of pools and being in the water, I would recommend any kind of alternative pool sanitizing system. The initial cost might be more but not having to deal with harsh chemicals and less maintenance is worth it. In the long run it costs money both ways to keep up a pool and whether it is chlorine or alternative, the costs are close to the same. But the added benefit of not using as many chemicals to better the environment and my families swimming experience is well worth it.