This information this will help you decide which sanitizer is best for your pool and your budget.

IONIZERS

Pool ionizers use a mineral cell to build up minerals in the water. These cells have a lifespan that ranges from 6 to 18 months.

Everyone wants less chemicals in their pool and they prefer the water treatment to be as automated as possible. There are many kinds of  ‘pool sanitizers’ on the market including the traditional but expensive T.C.C.A. chlorine powders and tablets for pools,  salt water chlorinators, and UV systems.

Expensive chlorine has to be regularly purchased; Saltwater chlorinators need salt which is cheap but expensive and cumbersome to transport or buy online, and the cells which need to be replaced every 2 to 3 years are very expensive. The high energy consumption - often up to 500W - of the electrolysis is rarely mentioned in the marketing documentation  Replacing a UV lamp every 2 to 3 years is not expensive but must be done very carefully to avoid breaking it or its quarz envelope.

Over time, an ionizer offers one of the best values for money and needs the least attention and maintenance of all the automated systems. The cell is extremely easy to replace and is not expensive.

Early pool ionizers and solar ionizers developed a bad reputation many pool professionals will tell you not to use them. However, the ClearBlue Ionizer, for example, is much more sophisticated than these cheaper 'gadgets'. It precisely controls the minerals and keeps them at a consistent level.

Pool ionizers offer great value

Most pool ionizers recommend maintaining a residual of 0.5 – 0.6ppm of chlorine, vs.  around 5.00mg if  using chlorine alone. This is a 85 - 90% reduction of chlorine and is the same amount permitted in drinking water. With this reduction, there is no chlorine smell and the water does not dry skin or fade bathing suits. If the chlorine level is safe enough for drinking water, you can be sure it’s safe to swim in.

Replacement cells range from ฿2,000 to ฿4,000+, compared to salt water chlorinator cells that can cost nearly as much as the complete system, so you need to account for this when you are budgeting your pool maintenance. However, since the chlorine, algaecide and pH balancing chemicals are reduced, you should recover most or all of this additional cost very quickly when using an ionizer.

Energy consumption: Also, ionizers only use around 20W compared to other systems (saltwater chlorinators up to 500W or more) and therefore have no impact on a monthly household electricity bill.

There are several ‘alternative sanitizers’ that help you reduce the chlorine requirement in swimming pools. The most common ones are ionizers, UV and ozone. Each of these solutions allows you to reduce the chlorine requirement down to 0.5ppm, according to NSF, EPA and other governing bodies. While they all take a different approach, the net reduction is the same and no combination of systems will allow you to safely reduce chlorine lower than this.

Effective

Pool Ionizers are highly effective at controlling algae. Almost every pool in the tropics will suffer occasionally suffer from algae, and most often if sufficient chlorine is not added regularly. Just two or three days without chlorine is enough for the water to turn green, and during this time the water is not being disinfected against the germs that can make people unwell.

Environmentally friendly

The ClearBlue Ionizer sold by SwimmingPoolsThailand uses a 'cell' that contains metal anodes (also known as electrodes) that are an alloy of silver, copper, and zinc. The cells of less expensive pool ionizers only contain simple copper rods or bars. By using these natural minerals, ionizers do not add chemicals to the pool and they are environmentally friendly. ClearBlue ionizers and the Naked pool disinfection system reduce the use of chlorine to the safe drinking water level.

Algicide

Ionized pools very rarely need algicide. They only need small quantities of chlorine or other oxidisers to break down sweat, lotions, makeup, etc.

One of the main uses of chlorine is to oxidize organic matter. Copper and silver-copper ionizers are great at fighting bacteria and algae, but all pool ionizers need some form of oxidizer for a complete system, either chlorine or ozone. The most common one is chlorine at a reduced level.

Some pool systems use oxygen or ozone to take care of the organic matter. Ozone is a very powerful oxidizer but does break down lotions and other organics.

Well known and proven

Copper and silver have been known since the antiquity (ancient Greeks and Romans) to be extremely effective at killing virus and bacteria cells. During the coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis, the Smithsonian published this article about the amazing anti-viral properties of copper. Silver is used in creams and natural hand sanitizer because it kills bacteria on contact.

In medicine

Copper-silver ionization is used in hospital water supplies because it is proven to be the best way to combat Legionella bacteria which causes Legionnaires disease – a lethal respiratory illness. Wound dressings are impregnated with silver. Ionizers, UV, and ozone significantly reduce the risk of asthma attacks that are often triggered by chlorine in swimming pools

Copper as a sanitiser

Copper-alloy touch surfaces have natural properties that destroy a wide range of microorganisms (e.g., E. coli O157:H7, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Staphylococcus, Clostridium difficile, influenza A virus, adenovirus, and fungi). Some 355 copper alloys were proven to kill more than 99.9% of disease-causing bacteria within just two hours when cleaned regularly.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the registrations of these copper alloys as "antimicrobial materials with public health benefits"; that approval allows manufacturers to make legal claims to the public health benefits of products made of registered alloys.

In addition, the EPA has approved a long list of antimicrobial copper products made from these alloys, such as bedrails, handrails, over-bed tables, sinks, taps (faucets), door knobs, toilet hardware, computer keyboards, health club equipment, and shopping cart handles. Copper doorknobs are used by hospitals to reduce the transfer of disease, and Legionnaires' disease is suppressed by copper tubing in plumbing systems.

Adapted from Wikipedia.