That is the sort I have, it is excellent. We can swim from the end of April until the end of October
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We installed a new pool, put in a Bio-UV system and a roller cover - and part way through the first season, we started to get green in the pool. I then decided it would be a good idea to read the instruction manuals for both bits of kit. BOTH said when the temperature gets over 28 degrees, you must run the pool pump 24/7. Of course the people who had installed it had given me the advice they normally give for pools in terms of how long to run your pump - so suggest you read your instructions very carefully. This could be the reason for your problems.
The second season we did exactly as the instructions said, and have had a perfect pool all year round now for 3 seasons. As winter approaches, and when the pool gets down below 15 degrees C, we clean, chlor shock, and add the winter treatment - that keeps it right through the winter. A few leaves and bits get down the sides of the cover, but we have situated the pool well away from trees, so not that many.
A quick manual clean at the beginning of summer soon fixes what is there, and a gentle kartcher to the pool cover gets that looking pretty good.
Hope this is of helpâŚ
Sandra, what sanitiser do you use with your UV system?
I stick with the BioUV products, so at the beginning of the season, Filter Clean to make sure sand filter in good order, Chlore Shock to the pool and Algicide. Then a daily dose of Oxygen Ramenant. This is very low, and akin to the chlorine that gets put into your drinking water. I also backwash for at least 3 minutes every week, and make sure that skimmer baskets are super-clean by removing them and washing them in the house.
Automatic pool cleaner does the rest, and I just swimâŚ
Makes for a really lovely pool. Extremely pleased with it.
Interesting what you say about the green, the issue for us is that we have a green water line, the water itself is crystal clear. However, when I test the water (admittedly with dip strips) it says there is next to no chlorine. The pool shop assure us this is normal with salt water systems and that if you want a reading you have to take it directly from in front of the return jets?? I have no idea if this is correct. Stabiliser also seems low to me. I think I will get a proper test kit and see where things really are. I need to find out what the free chlorine should be in saltwater.
No itâs absolute bullsh1t
Chlorine should be exactly the same as another Chlorine pool.
Make sure new test kit can measure CYA stabiliser, the most important chemical in the pool
Until you get a test kit take a sample of your pool water, note down water temperature, to a pool shop.
They should test it for free and give you a printout.
Thank them and if you have any concerns ask John Withall, donât let the pool shop advise you.
I thought about whether to post my thoughts on this without wishing to cause offence to Sandra. I decided to do so as others reading this may believe Bio-UV is the way to go.
Sandra has a great regime, starting with a thorough cleaning of the filter and a chlore choc.
I personally wouldnât bother with the algaecide and I havenât got the MSDS on Oxygen remanent to know exactly whatâs in it, could be peroxymonopersulphate or hydrogen peroxide, both popular non chlorine oxidisers. My money would be on monopersulphate as that can work with chlorine and is not effected by the sunâs UV degredation. Then weekly backwash.
Personally I belive that regime would work perfectly without the UV.
Indeed the Bio-UV website goes to great lengths to decribe how the pool water âThe water is disinfected and disinfecting, to prevent the appearance of algae and avoid excess dosing.â
" Bacteria, viruses and algae are subjected to the UV-C chlorine-free treatment : UV-C lamp radiation are destroying them, without causing any side effects or creating any harmful by-products.
âChoosing UV-C treatment for your swimming pool or spa water, means choosing an effective and entirely automatic disinfecting solution. No more manual treatment of swimming pool water. The system adapts to the previously installed equipment and is easy to maintain, saving you money and ensuring optimal bathing comfort.â
Note this is marketing material, no more manual dosing? Sandra?
Saving you money? their chems are more expensive and running the average pool 24 hours is more expensive and not all pumps are specified for continous running. (my pool costs less to run for 24 hours than a conventional pool costs in 2 hours)
As I posted in another thread after 4 turnovers of your water filters around 98% of the water, 5 turnovers, 99% of the water so 24 hour filtering would allow most of the water to travel through the UV chamber. I donât have UV but I do filter for 24/7 and my pool doesnât go green with just a little chlorine in it 0.2-0.5ppm keeping the water moving mixes the sanitiser and filters your water and that is the job done.
UV is usually more benficial for indoor pools to breakdown the chloramines (thatâs the pool smell and eye irritating compounds) UV could help in a heavy batherload pool and although rare should crypto etc occur, UV can crack their shell but they can also survive this low dose of UV. Itâs the swimming pool industries dirty little secret that low presure UV can actually damage the cell causing the bacteria or virus to multiply through the wish to preserve their life/offspring. There is also the time the bacteria etc is exposed to the UV, too quick and it just hurts them! Medium pressure commercial UV is different, nothing survives that!
Nothing wrong in what Sandra is doing but companies seldom tell the whole truth or any truth in some cases. There should always be an active sanitiser in the pool as UV, Ozone etc only work when the system is running. I have contacted Bio-UV for the chemical MSDS documents to see what is actually being added to the pool.
Hi John,
No worries, no offence taken! When we did the renovations here, and built this new pool, I went to our supplier to order all the bits for a salt system, and they said âwhy are you not using Bio-UV Mme Shadrachâ and I said ââCos I have never heard of it.â He said that they had several clients who were extremely happy with this system, so he thought he should mention it to me. They have no real preference either way - they were going to sell me some kit whatever we decided. As they have been extremely good and knowledgable suppliers of a lot of kitchen, bathroom and plumbing materials etc, I went off to investigate.
We came to the conclusion that this saved lugging bags of salt around, and it was an easy decision to reverse if we made a mistake, so we went for it.
I love the fact there is no chlorine. I have annoyingly sensitive skin, and it does not really like chlorine, so this pool suits me down to the ground. It is also lovely for children who spend more time under the water than on top, as their eyes donât sting. No silly effect on dyed hair either!
You are quite right in pointing out that it is not inexpensive. We do spend quite a lot of money on chemicals, but buy in bulk at the beginning of the season and get decent discounts. Automatic dosing also makes sure the right amount is used, rather than âchucking some inâ a bit at random.
I do feel that the algicide is a good idea - after all, you only treat the water that goes through the UV tubes, you do NOT treat the water actually IN the pool. So, with a hubby like mine that gets his strimmer out and cuts the grass not very far from the pool edge, then gets his blower going and blows it away from the pool (well, most of the timeâŚ) we do get grass in there, even if he thinks we donât. Also frogs, hedgehogs, swallows, guide dog puppy in training, and bats have all decided to share the pool with us at one time or another, so I feel that the algicide helps ensure that the basin itself does not suffer and go green. I donât base this statement on any science, just that I have an enviable permanent pristine clear pool now in its 4th season, so donât plan to change anything. This is not expensive, and I only put it in at the beginning of the season when it is not turning for 24 hours. We only put it onto that when it reaches 27 degrees.
Overall, my take on pools (this is the 8th pool we have had the pleasure of looking after in the last 30 years, in the UK, Dubai and France, so we are not new to this game) is that nothing beats good regular weekly maintenance, and keeping the chemical levels correct, whatever chemicals they may be! I appreciate that if the pool is in a second home, and you spend limited time there, this can be difficult - and may have to call on the services of a good pool maintenance company to help when you are absent.
I can send you a photo of the labels on the product if Bio-UV donât respondâŚ.
August 16
SandraFrance:
I stick with the BioUV products, so at the beginning of the season, Filter Clean to make sure sand filter in good order, Chlore Shock to the pool and Algicide. Then a daily dose of Oxygen Ramenant. This is very low, and akin to the chlorine that gets put into your drinking water. I also backwash for at least 3 minutes every week, and make sure that skimmer baskets are super-clean by removing them and washing them in the house.
Automatic pool cleaner does the rest, and I just swimâŚ
Makes for a really lovely pool. Extremely pleased with it.
I thought about whether to post my thoughts on this without wishing to cause offence to Sandra. I decided to do so as others reading this may believe Bio-UV is the way to go.
Sandra has a great regime, starting with a thorough cleaning of the filter and a chlore choc.
I personally wouldnât bother with the algaecide and I havenât got the MSDS on Oxygen remanent to know exactly whatâs in it, could be peroxymonopersulphate or hydrogen peroxide, both popular non chlorine oxidisers. My money would be on monopersulphate as that can work with chlorine and is not effected by the sunâs UV degredation. Then weekly backwash.
Personally I belive that regime would work perfectly without the UV.
Indeed the Bio-UV website goes to great lengths to decribe how the pool water âThe water is disinfected and disinfecting, to prevent the appearance of algae and avoid excess dosing.â
" Bacteria, viruses and algae are subjected to the UV-C chlorine-free treatment : UV-C lamp radiation are destroying them, without causing any side effects or creating any harmful by-products.
âChoosing UV-C treatment for your swimming pool or spa water, means choosing an effective and entirely automatic disinfecting solution. No more manual treatment of swimming pool water. The system adapts to the previously installed equipment and is easy to maintain, saving you money and ensuring optimal bathing comfort.â
Note this is marketing material, no more manual dosing? Sandra?
Saving you money? their chems are more expensive and running the average pool 24 hours is more expensive and not all pumps are specified for continous running. (my pool costs less to run for 24 hours than a conventional pool costs in 2 hours)
As I posted in another thread after 4 turnovers of your water filters around 98% of the water, 5 turnovers, 99% of the water so 24 hour filtering would allow most of the water to travel through the UV chamber. I donât have UV but I do filter for 24/7 and my pool doesnât go green with just a little chlorine in it 0.2-0.5ppm keeping the water moving mixes the sanitiser and filters your water and that is the job done.
UV is usually more benficial for indoor pools to breakdown the chloramines (thatâs the pool smell and eye irritating compounds) UV could help in a heavy batherload pool and although rare should crypto etc occur, UV can crack their shell but they can also survive this low dose of UV. Itâs the swimming pool industries dirty little secret that low presure UV can actually damage the cell causing the bacteria or virus to multiply through the wish to preserve their life/offspring. There is also the time the bacteria etc is exposed to the UV, too quick and it just hurts them! Medium pressure commercial UV is different, nothing survives that!
Nothing wrong in what Sandra is doing but companies seldom tell the whole truth or any truth in some cases. There should always be an active sanitiser in the pool as UV, Ozone etc only work when the system is running. I have contacted Bio-UV for the chemical MSDS documents to see what is actually being added to the pool.
Hi Sandra,
I thought I would update this section as I have been sent the MSDS for the Bio-UV chems.
The algaecide is a copper sulphate based product with a polymer additive to probably act act a flocculent.
Copper is the only algaecide capable of killing and preventing algae but be warned it does build up in the water and can cause blond hair to go green and can stain the liner at a high levels.
The filter cleaner, that is hydrochloric acid and Ethylene Glycol, that antifreeze and nasty stuff around animals especially cats. A bit of non chlorine sanitiser is included to.
The oxygen remanent is hydrogen peroxide hence why non chlorine sanitiser is used in the filter cleaner. Hydrogen peroxide is a stronger oxidiser than chlorine but a lot worse as a bactericide, hence why when it turns warm the need to run the system 24 hours so the lamp can try to kill anything passing through.
You could, use a low dose of chlorine with this system and it would be about equivalent to the level in tap water but more effective than hydrogen peroxide and a lot less cost than hydrogen peroxide and running for 24 hours (lamp and pump)
Hi John
Have tried to PM you a couple of times in relation to a new pool construction we will undertake spring next year, but both times it seems to want to start a new post/topic?? Operator error on my part no doubt but wanted to have a private chat regarding your services.
Mark