With the world’s best quality water on tap, Aussies appreciate the benefits of fresh water. Yet when it comes to our nation’s favourite pastime, we’ve all accepted that chlorine and salt water were the natural order of things.
For the past 30 years, most swimming pools have had the ‘Aussie’ invented Salt Chlorinator installed on their pools. For some time, people with a salt-chlorinated pool assumed they were swimming in nothing but salt, where in actual fact the use of that salt (sodium chloride) is used to produce chlorine as the residual sanitiser in the pool.
However, in the past decade, we have seen the introduction of new Aussie innovations, or smart technology where manufacturers are combining different methods of sanitisation, which in turn reduces or in some cases removes the need for having a high residual of chlorine in the pool. Some of these processes, such as the use of copper and silver, have been used for thousands of years and even used by NASA for drinking water but are now adapted to suit the domestic swimming pool. Other products are combing ozone and UV to help lower chlorine levels while still providing a very effective method for killing germs and bacteria in the pool water.
So what are some of the benefits of these new hybrid pool systems?
They’re healthier — As consumers, we are all looking for fewer chemicals in our lives, whether in the food we eat, cosmetics, cleaning materials and more. These new systems can reduce chemical consumption by up to 70% compared to salt- or liquid-chlorinated pools.
Ideal for allergy sufferers — Today, one in every three Australians suffers from asthma or some form of skin allergies such as eczema or psoriasis. Chlorine aggravates these symptoms to the point where some children cannot swim in public or highly chlorinated backyard pools. freshwater pools are ideal for these conditions as there is nothing in the water causing breathing difficulty, dry skin or even red eyes. You will come out of your pool feeling fully refreshed, with no need to shower or even wash bathers after swimming.
Better for the environment — Freshwater systems typically require 70% less chemical and 80% less salt or mineral salts than traditional swimming pools. Some also state up to 50% savings in power consumption. So not only are they better for you, they are better for your pool equipment and pool surrounds, and the water can even be recycled for use on the garden or other storage tanks.
With the amount of information now freely available on the internet, consumers can be better educated about the alternative options available and seek further advice from builders they may choose to invest with. Do your research when buying or renovating your pool as to what is going to be the best solution for you, your family and the environment you live in.
Aussies are world leaders in both developing and adopting new technologies and, although these new systems being released into the swimming pool industry are not completely reinventing the wheel, they are becoming very clever in combining well-proven technologies in water treatment to provide you with the ultimate swimming experience.
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