Water care without chlorine

Chlorine is reliable and cheap in a swimming pool. In hot water it has two problems: above 30 °C it breaks down quickly, so you have to dose far more often, and with sweat and cosmetics it forms chloramines – that typical “pool smell” which irritates eyes and airways.

In a whirlpool, where there is little water for a lot of people and the temperature is high, that shows up much more than in a pool.

Bromine copes with hot water considerably better than chlorine and does not smell. It is gentler on skin and works across a wider pH range.

Downsides: it costs about twice as much and does not break down in sunlight – so in an outdoor whirlpool it keeps working, but it is harder to get rid of if you overdose.

Oxygen chemistry is the gentlest on skin and produces no smell. In exchange it acts briefly – you dose after practically every bath, and during a longer break the water goes off.

It works best combined with a UV lamp or ozone, which disinfect the water physically. Our IDOL SPAS whirlpools have a UV system as standard, so chemical consumption is markedly lower.

A salt system produces the disinfectant itself by electrolysis. The water is soft, does not irritate, and you dose almost nothing.

Note that salt is aggressive towards some metals – with whirlpools that have stainless frames and jets this is fine, but on cheaper models it can shorten the lifespan.

We supply salt treatment for the IDOL SPAS whirlpools as an option.

• Measure the pH. Ideally 7.0 to 7.4. Outside that range no disinfection works properly, whatever you paid for the chemicals.
• Shower before bathing. Most of the contamination arrives on you – creams, deodorants, soap residue.
• Clean the filter weekly and replace it twice a year.
• Change the water every 2 to 3 months. You cannot keep topping up chemicals in water that is full of dissolved matter.