Active oxygen is one of the most recent solutions for effectively treating your pool in an environmentally friendly way. But it must still be associated with other less environmentally friendly products such as chlorine or bromine for example. It has serious advantages, but is not entirely free from disadvantages and it is only suitable for certain uses. Let’s see what active oxygen is more precisely, when and how to use it, its advantages and its weak points.
What is active oxygen?
This term refers to a product used for purify swimming pool water because it has the ability to kill all algae and other micro-organisms thanks to the principle of oxidation. On the other hand, unlike other treatment products, it does not present no toxicity. Active oxygen is therefore classified among the ecological products for swimming pools.
It can be marketed either in the form liquidor in the form solid (mini-pebbles, pastilles, granules) and be composed of:
- D’oxygenated water which is its main component, namely the aqueous formula of hydrogen peroxide (liquid form): it is a powerful oxidant that attacks algae spores and organic waste, which is used to catch up with green water in addition to bromine or chlorine.
- D’potassium hydrogen persulfate or monopersulfate (solid form), which reactivates the action of chlorine. It is very active on organic waste and chloramines. We refer to the dosage indicated on the packaging and which implies beforehand calculate the volume of your swimming pool. It is recommended to follow the supplier’s instructions. Note that the water must be below 10 mg/l, a concentration that can be measured using test strips.
When and how to treat your swimming pool with active oxygen?
Active oxygen can be used regular way because it does not risk causing an overload of stabilizer. He is, in fact, totally lacking in it. But it is just as appreciated when you want to apply a shock treatment in case of green water for example.
In a large pool, it may be more economical to combine active oxygen with a chlorine-type treatment product whose chloramine particles are transformed – under the effect of active oxygen – into active chlorine. But if you want to have a fungicide effective for bacterial sterilization of water, it is advisable to combine active oxygen with a chemical molecule well known to pool owners, namely PHMBa persistent destroyer of germs and microbes allowing to disinfect bathing water.
It should be noted that active oxygen alone does not provide pure water. We must therefore also use a flocculant or a stabilizer to completely treat the water.
Active oxygen for the swimming pool: its strengths and weaknesses
Here are the main advantages of this treatment product for the swimming pool.
- Non-irritating to the mucous membranes, eyes and skin of swimming pool users,
- Odorless,
- Respectful of swimming pool coatings of any type,
- Removes certain stains on polyester coatings,
- Does not modify the Hydrogen potential (pH),
- Perfect to complete a water treatment with PHMB,
- Catches green waters well, so it is ideal for a shock treatment when colonization of swimming pool water by algae is deplored,
- Is compatible with all chemical treatment products for swimming pools.
Active oxygen still has disadvantagesto know :
- Should not be used in natural swimming pools,
- Involves the use of a pH regulator so that it is always between 7 and 7.6,
- Gives less good results in hot water and no longer has any effect when the water temperature is at least equal to 30°C,
- Has a limited action in time, in particular because it is very sensitive to UV,
- Risk of burns if handled pure without gloves,
- Requires running the filtration system constantly, which leads to an increase in the energy bill,
- Does not allow the chlorine level indicated by the strips to be read in the days following its use because it causes a chemical reaction,
- Its high price.
It is necessary to renew the water treatment very regularly if active oxygen is used, and this is quite expensive. As a result, you may be tempted to use chlorine when you have a large swimming pool because it is economical to buy. This cost problem explains why it is mainly to treat swimming pools with a volume of less than 30 m3 that consumers opt for active oxygen. In conclusion, it is resorted to on an ad hoc basis as in the case of a shock treatment, or more regularly only in a small swimming pool.