What’s the best chlorine alternative for easy pool care?

If you want to spend more time swimming and less time squeezing pool maintenance into your schedule, now is the time to upgrade your pool sanitation.

In addition to the regular maintenance involved with traditional chlorine pool systems, the current chlorine shortage has made it more time-consuming (and expensive) for pool owners to swim. The good news: with the right chlorine alternative, you can enjoy your pool easier and make the water healthier than before.

Why are we in a pool chlorine shortage?

It seems as if everything that could have gone wrong in 2020 did, and the pool industry’s chemical supply chain disruption was no exception. In August 2020, Hurricane Laura struck the largest trichlor chemical plant amidst a pool season when people were using their pools more than ever before.

However, with every storm comes a silver lining. For the chlorine shortage, that silver lining was the push to find new means of sanitation that were not only healthier but more effective and easier to manage.

With chlorine in short supply, here are some other pool sanitation options:

● Salt water systems
● Ozone systems
● UV systems
● Combination ozone-UV AOP systems
● Hydroxyl-based AOP systems

5 things your pool chlorine alternative needs

Just like free two-day shipping or ordering groceries online, the right chlorine alternative could leave you wondering how you owned a pool without it. But, not all chlorine alternatives are equal and some can even leave you with more maintenance than you had before.

Look for these five things that the best chlorine alternatives tend to have.

1. A true chlorine alternative

When looking for pool chlorine alternatives, many pool owners mistakenly start by looking at salt water pool systems as the next best option. Despite the common misconception, salt water pools sanitize water by producing chlorine with an electrolysis process. Since salt water pools rely on chlorine to sanitize, chlorine’s accompanying issues and health risks are still present.

On top of being corrosive to surfaces and equipment, salt water pools require time-consuming handling and dosing. By choosing a true chlorine alternative, like hydroxyl-based Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) pool treatment, you can dodge a new set of tedious maintenance tasks.

What is hydroxyl-based AOP?

When it comes to choosing an alternative pool sanitizer, hydroxyl-based AOP stands out from the rest. In the pool water, AOP systems work by producing hydroxyl radical molecules that oxidize and kill unwanted contaminants, even chlorine-resistant cryptosporidium.

These hydroxyl radicals are highly reactive, short-lived and the most powerful oxidative compounds available for recreational water treatment.

With sanitation power beyond chlorine, hydroxyl-based AOP systems can reduce the need for chlorine down to drinking-water levels or less. Additionally, the only system maintenance required for Clear Comfort’s hydroxyl-based AOP is a five-minute cartridge exchange each year.

2. No water chemistry battles

A wise person once said, “Work smarter, not harder.” This saying is certainly relevant to the chlorinated pool care formula of the past.

To protect high quantities of chlorine from the sun, traditionally chlorinated pools use a stabilizer, like cyanuric acid (CYA). But the more CYA you add, the less effective the chlorine is as a sanitizer. Pretty soon, you’ll need to drain and refill the pool to get rid of the CYA buildup — and the cycle repeats all over again.

Look for a pool chlorine alternative that has powerful oxidation and can reduce your chlorine down to drinking-water levels. If your pool doesn’t have to rely on chlorine for sanitation, then you can avoid the chlorine water chemistry battle.

3. Proven on hot tubs and in water parks

If you’re looking to spend more time in your pool, your alternative should go above and beyond home pool sanitation capabilities.

High-quality chlorine alternatives that are designed to last the lifetime of your pool are proven to work on home hot tubs and even water parks. For example, chlorine stood the test of time because it works on nearly any pool size – but that’s not the case for all methods, like ozone-UV AOP.

By choosing an alternative that is proven to scale up to water parks, like hydroxyl-based AOP, you can avoid increased toxic chemical use, reduced water quality and another sanitation method search.

4. Easy to install and maintain

Time is money. Avoid complicated chlorine alternatives that require difficult installs with complicated plumbing reconfigurations. Easy-to-use pool chlorine alternatives have plug-n-play one-system installs that easily integrate with your existing plumbing system.

Remember, your chlorine-alternative pool system should fit your lifestyle and schedule, not the other way around. Before you commit to a chlorine alternative, make sure its system maintenance doesn’t require hours of professional servicing, lamp handling or special tools. Today’s best chlorine alternatives will only need 5 minutes of system maintenance each year.

Pro Tip: To take the guesswork out of maintenance, select a chlorine alternative company that has its own live customer support team.

5. Industry-leading product protection

You shouldn’t feel like you’re taking a risk on a pool chlorine alternative that’s new to you. Simple money-back guarantees and substantial system warranties lasting three to five years are proof of trusted quality and security for your purchase.

For example, unlike chlorine, salt and ozone-UV systems, Clear Comfort’s AOP is built to last as long as the lifetime of your pool. To communicate this value, Clear Comfort’s AOP pool system comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee and a five-year system warranty.

Start swimming and stop searching

There’s no reason to waste time maintaining a traditionally chlorinated pool, while paying extra for it during the shortage. After all, your backyard pool is there to enjoy and fit into your lifestyle.

If your pool relies on chlorine sanitation, now is the time to find a chlorine-alternative pool system that meets the five qualifications mentioned. In addition to avoiding chlorine surge pricing and stockouts, you’ll have easier, healthier, and fresher pool water than before.

In two years, you’ll thank yourself for saving time, money, and the headache on being left high and dry from the chlorine shortage.

Looking for an easier and healthier way to swim during chlorine shortages? Clear Comfort’s chlorine-alternative AOP pool sanitation meets the five qualifications mentioned. Learn more at clearcomfort.com/rosie.

Sponsored By Clear Comfort’s award-winning AOP sanitation system delivers the healthiest, freshest and easiest pool water with drinking-water chlorine levels or less. For a limited time, Rosie listeners can get 2 years of FREE Cartridge Exchanges by upgrading to Clear Comfort’s CCW100 AOP Pool System & Install Kit. To get promo access, please visit clearcomfort.com/rosie.

Join Rosie on the House every Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on KTAR News 92.3 FM. If you’d like to send us questions or comments, email mailto:info@rosieonthehouse.com. Follow us on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook. For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert since 1988, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program. Call 888-767-4348 with questions and comments.