Eco-FriendlySwimming Pools

Do Eco-Friendly Pools Exist?

Eco Friendly Pools

Swimming pools are one of the most sought after additions to a home, but can they actually be eco-friendly? If the summer is getting to you, making everyone in your household hot and uncomfortable, it’s hard to resist the urge to install your own pool. But it’s not hard to imagine how a swimming pool in every backyard would quickly become a catastrophe for the environment.

That cooling, calming water that so delicately washes away stress and boredom comes with some nasty secrets. The typical swimming is kept clean using chlorine. This is meant to keep swimmers safe by killing germs and preventing a buildup of other hazardous denizens from forming in the water.

Chlorine is not only an irritant to human skin and eyes, but it can be harmful to respiratory function. Kids who regularly go in swimming pools that are treated with chlorine, have a higher chance of developing asthma or allergies. In adults, being exposed to chlorine can possibly lead to rectal cancer, bladder cancer, and perhaps even a higher chance of heart disease.

Not only can this substance harm people who get in the water, but it can get into the very air you breathe under some conditions. It can then react with other substances, like organic materials, turning into chloride salt. When you drain your pool for cleaning, or at the end of summer, what do you think happens to all of that toxified water? It can wind up in water systems near your home, bringing great risk of harm to animals and plants alike.

Environmentally Friendly Swimming Pools

Ozone Cleaned Pools: Do you have an existing pool that you would like to convert away from chlorine? There are ozone cleaning systems for pools that use one of the most powerful forces known to the human race, the sun, to clean your water. Sunlight itself is a strong cleaner of germs and bacteria. Ozone sterilization systems use its power to transform oxygen into a bacteria killer, all using electricity. There are different types of ozone cleaners. Some will simply reduce the amount of chlorine needed in your pool, while others can eliminate the need to use them completely.

Salt Water: You have most likely been to the beach, so you will know what it’s like to swim in salt water. And you will also notice that the water in the ocean doesn’t require and nasty chemicals to keep it clean. Using salt in pools has been practiced for a long time, but the trend has started to increase with all of the people starting to think about their impact on nature.

Special chlorine generator cells are used in salt pools, along with bags of regular salt. So, don’t just grab salt on its own and try to use it to keep your pool clean. The salt will make electrolysis and undergo a process to create a type of acid that destroys bacteria and algae. Saline pools are not only better for the environment, but they are easier on your skin too.

Moss Filtration: You might cringe at the idea of moss growing in your swimming pool. However, the right type of moss can actually be wonderful for keeping the water clean in an eco-friendly way. Sphagnum moss is commonly used as a decorative plant, but it’s also great at cleaning out germs from bodies of water. It comes naturally from New Zealand, and can simply be turned into compost when it needs to be replaced. That happens about once every month.