CHLORINE ALTERNATIVES: BUYER’S GUIDE & FAQ

As you consider each option, you’ll want to think about what best fits your needs and your budget. Upfront costs and your budget for maintenance throughout the summer should also be considered. As you narrow down what sanitization system best fits you and your pool consider each system’s specific attributes, along with their strengths and weaknesses.

Choose a Salt Chlorine Generator if you want to stop buying chlorine — except occasional shock — and don’t mind having to replace the cell every 3 to 5 years.

Choose Bromine Tablets if you want to put it in your spa, have a hard time stabilizing your pH or have your pool in limited sunlight. It’s also a good option if you don’t want to plumb more equipment onto your pump and filter system.

Choose an Ozone System if you want to prevent scaling, severely limit your chlorine usage and don’t mind the higher upfront cost.

Choose a Mineral Sanitizer if you want to switch to an environmentally friendly option and don’t mind still needing to use some chlorine to serve as an oxidizer.

Choose an Ultraviolet Light Sanitizer if you want to kill over 99% of microorganisms and bacteria but don’t mind using a little bit of chlorine as a residual. [Shop All Chlorine Alternatives]

Switching systems is not a difficult process but you should allow plenty of time for it to be complete. Any method will start with the same first step, allowing the chlorine to completely dissipate from your pool before introducing any new chemicals or sanitization system.

As your chlorine is dissipating you won’t be able to swim in your pool since it has nothing cleaning/sanitizing it. Once all of the chlorine is gone you’ll be able to implement your new system or chemical and balance your pool!

The best time to make the switch from chlorine to a new system would be right when you take your cover off in the spring since your pool will have low levels of chlorine due to dissipation over the winter.

If you’re switching to bromine and use a feeder, you’ll want to replace your feeder so you don’t mix the bromine with any residual chlorine. [Shop All Chlorine Alternatives]

Most chlorine alternatives — UV light sanitizers being the exception — require you to know what size your pool is to get a system that can handle your pool. To do this, you’ll need to find the volume of your pool. Here’s a quick formula you can use:

Length x Width x Average Depth x Multiplier = Volume in Gallons

• Multiplier for rectangular and square pools is 7.5
• Multiplier for oval pools is 6.7
• Multiplier for round pools is 5.9

Note: All measurements should be in feet, including the depth. For above ground pools, assume that the water depth is 6” less than the wall height, so if your pool height is 48”, assume the depth is 3.5’, and for a 52” pool, use 4’.

If math isn’t for you, there are many online calculators to determine how many gallons are in your pool; you just need to do a quick internet search and they’ll pop up in the first several results.



For more help with calculating your pool size, visit our blog, How to Calculate the Number of Gallons in Your Pool.