What is pool water ozonation and what are its benefits?

What is ozone?

We remember the concept of ozone from school: it is most often associated with the ozone hole, which is a depletion of ozone in the Earth’s atmosphere. Ozone plays a very important role in natural conditions. It significantly reduces the amount of harmful UV radiation.

Ozone is an allotrope of oxygen. It is a gas with a characteristic, slightly metallic odour that is mainly associated with atmospheric discharges of electricity. Typical properties of ozone include the ability to oxidise and good solubility in water. Years of research on ozone have also confirmed its biocidal and disinfecting properties. That discovery is used, for instance, by companies that deal with water purification in pools and water treatment in water supply and industrial installations (food, pharmaceuticals, etc.). Ozone is also known as ‘active oxygen’.

What is water ozonation?

Water ozonation is a sort of disinfection. It is possible with the use of an ozonator (ozone generator). It is a device that produces active oxygen and doses it into the water at appropriate amounts, eliminating bacteria, fungi and algae. Ozone generators are often also used as chlorine dispensers, so they act with double force against any microbes.

Ozone in capsules or liquid does not exist, so the ejection of gas with a generator is the only effective way to dissolve active oxygen in water. How long is the ozonation process? The time required to perform it depends on the size of the pool and the efficiency of the generator.

What does water ozonation in a home pool or spa look like?

Water in garden pools is ozonated with the use of small ozonating devices. When the water flows through such a device, dirt and bacteria are neutralised, and the purified water is returned to the pool. Ozone in a pool quickly disappears in contact with the air, so we do not have to worry about poisoning.

Ozonating larger pools, pool complexes or spas is more complicated. To effectively remove microorganisms from the water, commercial facility owners install high-efficiency ozonators (some of them produce up to 500–600 grams of ozone per hour!). Ozonating large pools is more complicated than ozonating water in a small pool; it can only be done with the use of additional equipment that removes excess ozone.

What are the benefits of ozonating pool water?

What do we achieve by regular ozonation of pool water? The benefits of using ozone certainly deserve our attention! That gas quickly destroys any pathogenic microbes, including dangerous E. coli bacteria (responsible for food poisoning, diarrhoea and other diseases). Active oxygen also removes algae, mould and fungi that cause water to become cloudy, smell unpleasant and change its colour.

Ozone improves water clarity and neutralises its smell. The pool will look nice, and it makes the property look elegant. Importantly, ozonation carried out according to the rules has no negative impact on the human body. The procedure does not cause environmental pollution. As a gas that penetrates into the air, ozone generates no waste.

Disadvantages of ozonating pool water

Water treatment by ozonation seems to be an ideal ecological solution and one of the best ways to quickly disinfect a pool. However, ozone also has a downside: it quickly dissipates and disappears, so harmful microbes and algae again start to develop in the treated water. Therefore, the owners of home pools are forced to use additional pool chemicals that support the effect of ozonators.

Ozone used improperly can also cause unpleasant symptoms such as headache or concentration problems. This only applies to closed, covered pools with faulty ozone systems.

What can be used instead of pool water ozonation?

Water ozonation is obviously not the only effective way to clean a pool and restore its nice appearance. Instead of ozone generators, we can choose devices with UV lamps, which also efficiently disinfect the water. The downside of this solution is the relatively high price of the lamps, which have appeared on the Polish market only recently.

In home and large-size pools, chlorine can also be a good addition to ozone. This proven and highly effective agent is versatile: it removes bacteria and destroys fungi, algae and viruses. Shock chlorination effectively cleans the water and can be used as an alternative to ozonation.