January 2025
For homeowners looking to save money while enjoying a clean, safe, and sanitary swimming pool, an Ozonator should be the next thing to invest in after adding a saltwater generator to your swimming pool.
It All Starts with Ozone
To understand how an Ozonator offers you a better alternative to traditional pool sanitation, it is important to understand what ozone is and where it comes from.
You have likely heard of ozone before but may not know much about it. Ozone, like oxygen, is a gas that can exist as three different molecules: O₃ (triatomic), O₂ (monoatomic), and O₁₀ (singlet).
The triatomic form of ozone is the kind we are most familiar with: it is the same molecule that exists in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. This ozone layer filters out ultraviolet light from the sun, which helps to protect our planet from radiation damage.
Ozone is a natural part of our environment that forms when oxygen molecules in the air come into contact with ultraviolet radiation from sunlight. The normal amount of ozone present in the Earth’s atmosphere provides us with protection from ultraviolet rays, which can cause sunburn and certain cancers.
How Does Ozone Clean and Sanitize?
Ozone is a powerful oxidizer that helps break down contaminants in the water. When ozone comes into contact with organic material, such as dirt, debris, and bacteria, it converts this material into carbon dioxide or water.
Ozone does not leave behind any by-products after this process occurs. In turn, you are left with nothing but clean, healthy water after ozone sanitizing has been completed.
What is an Ozonator?
An Ozonator is a device that creates ozone from oxygen. It uses electricity to separate molecules of oxygen, which are then released into the water as free-floating ozone.
(Of course your sales person for K&D Pools will recommend the unit and kit for your pool needs.)
This process provides continuous protection against bacteria and contaminants in your pool’s water, making it a more effective method than traditional sanitizing chemicals.
Ozonators have revolutionized how homeowners maintain sanitary pools. They are smaller, easier to use, and more reliable than other means of pool sanitation.
Ozonators work best as an add-on to saltwater pools because they improve the sanitation process and work automatically to maintain levels safe for swimming.
How Ozonators Work
An Ozonator will typically connect to your pool’s pump and filter system.
When the air is agitated, it will create a high-voltage charge that turns this oxygen into ozone. This ozone can then be released directly into the water through an atomizer, which breaks down the molecules just enough so they can mix with other chemicals in your pool.
While there are other methods that can be used to inject ozone into the water, this is typically the safest and most effective.
Are Ozonators Safe to Use?
Europe has been one of the leading countries in successfully using ozone pool systems. The biggest reason people love ozonators is because it adds zero contaminants to the water and it is not harmful to use. The ozonator is a generator that oxidizes substances that come into contact with it, such as algae, viruses, or bacteria! This filtration process kills off the invader, and then the unstable state of O3 reverts back to regular oxygen so that you don’t need to worry about breathing concentrated gases.
Keep in mind, not all ozonators are made the same! Some are NOT safe to use. This is why we recommend calling an expert like K&D Pools so we can help you set up the right ozonator that is safe for you and your family to use!
The Problem with Chlorine and Bromine
The chemicals used for water sanitation are typically chlorine or bromine. However, these traditional pool sanitizer methods have several drawbacks, including:
1. Strong Chemical Odors
Chlorine pools can lead to a strong chemical smell that can often be mistaken for sewage or dirty diapers. The harsh scent also causes eyes to sting and skin to dry out. Chlorine is not safe for pregnant women, children, or people who suffer from eczema. Nobody wants to swim in a pool that smells this bad and also is not safe to swim in!
2. High Costs
Using chlorine or bromine for your pool’s sanitization can be expensive, especially if you are using products like shock treatments to keep your water clean.
3. Toxic Gas Buildup
The high chemical levels in a pool can result in toxic gas buildup in your home, which is often indicated by a yellow or orange haze on the surface of the water. This becomes even more dangerous if you have any sort of ventilation system running through your home.
4. High TDS Levels
Many pool owners often struggle with high TDS levels in their pools, which can affect your pool’s pumps, tiles, and filters. This will ultimately cause you to spend more money on upkeep than you should.
5. Algae Growth
If the pH level of your water is not balanced correctly, it can lead to algae growth throughout your pool, which can be difficult to clean up. This also causes your tile and pool surfaces to become discolored and unattractive.
Benefits of Using an Ozonator
With many homeowners looking to move away from the harmful effects of chlorine and bromine, the Ozonator has become a popular alternative. While it does not eliminate the need for chlorine altogether, this method of sanitation allows you to use a reduced level of traditional chemicals while still achieving sanitary water.
This is why rather than using an ozonator by itself, it is best used as an add-on to an existing saltwater pool system, so that you can no longer have the need to use chlorine or bromine in your swimming pool.
An Ozonator offers a number of benefits over traditional methods of sanitizing your pool, including:
1. Effective Sanitizing
Unlike traditional pool sanitation methods, the power of ozone is more effective at sanitizing your pool.
Ozone not only kills bacteria and contaminants on contact, but it also leaves no by-product behind. In turn, this means that there is nothing else for you to worry about in terms of water maintenance.
2. Prevents Scale Buildup
One of the most common issues with pool owners is scale buildup in their pools. This scale can affect your pool’s pumps, tiles, and filters, which will ultimately cause you to spend more money on upkeep than you should.
An Ozonator can help prevent this issue by reducing the total dissolved solids (TDS) in your water. Without TDS, there is nothing for scale to attach to, thus preventing it from occurring.
3. Helps Keep pH Balanced
Pretend that the ozonator is your 24/7 designated swimming pool person. Now instead of having to balance the PH level every week, the ozonator helps keep the PH at a set, safe level!
If you are not properly adjusting the pH level of your pool, it can lead to stain damage on your pool’s surface.
4. Prevents Bacteria Growth
Ozone is powerful enough to not only kill bacteria on contact but prevent any future growth as well.
This prevents the need to constantly use dangerous chemicals or chlorine tablets in your water, which often lead to annoying side effects, such as stinging eyes and an abnormal taste.
6. Prevents Chlorine Loss
Unlike traditional methods of water sanitation, ozone will prevent chlorine loss entirely. This means that every ounce of chlorine will remain in your water until it has been used up to destroy bacteria and other contaminants.
7. Can Be Used in Saltwater Pools
If you have a saltwater pool, it can be difficult to find an effective solution for sanitizing your pool. An ozone generator is one of the only devices that can provide the same benefits without increasing your TDS levels or decreasing the pH level of your water. This is why it is the PERFECT add-on to an already existing saltwater pool. They ARE the dynamic pool cleaning duo!
8. Less Work for You
All of these benefits will save you an incredible amount of time and energy and prevent pool upkeep issues that might needlessly cost you money.
An ozone generator is one of the most effective and efficient pool sanitation methods currently on the market and is a great replacement for traditional chlorine.
9. It Will Remove the Odors That Come With Your Pool.
Ozone reacts to anything that it comes into contact with. At the point of contact, it breaks down whatever it bonded with, and as a result, also removes the bad odor that it might have had!
It is such a good sanitizer that it even helps kill mold that is attempting to develop in your pool’s pipe lines! This process is what helps leave your swimming pool with a fresh and clean water smell that isn’t overly chlorinated. This is why customers LOVE ozonators!
How to Enjoy the Benefits of an Ozonator with CoPilot®
If you want to bring the benefits of ozone to your pool’s water system, the best product on the market is the Jandy Pro Series Ozone Generator.
The saltwater systems designed by Jandy, works with the Pro Series Ozonator to provide you with the advantages of both. You get the benefits of salt chlorination combined with the power of ozone, which destroys up to 99.99 percent of microorganisms in your pool.
The Pro Series Ozonator can help you remove many of the most harmful bacteria and unwanted contaminants in your pool, including:
E. Coli
Cryptosporidium
Giardia
Legionella
The use of ozone helps to reduce the need for you to utilize chlorine in your pool and by nearly 90% – a difference that can save you hundreds of dollars each year. Plus, you can enjoy your pool without worrying about chlorine or bromine side effects that can irritate your skin and eyes.
Cons to Keep in Mind:
Needs To Be Installed By Pros:
Ozone is harmful to humans. Installing an ozonator requires a licensed pool professional to ensure it is not installed on a pool with metal piping. It is also very important that the pool technician ensures that the ozonator is well contained. Once these are taken care of, you can enjoy your ozonator without the fear of harmful byproducts! This is the most important step in installing an ozonator.
An Ozonator By Itself is Not Good:
Without a salt system, you will still need to add additional chlorine to your swimming pool. If you really want to have a clean and safe swimming pool, having a salt water system and ozonator together is the best bet. It can take anywhere between 3 to 4 days to fully ozonate a pool, and even then, once swam in, it won’t be enough to keep your pool clean. This is why it is better as an add-on rather than a stand-alone solution.
Only Works With PVC, Stainless Steel & Plastic Pipes:
Ozone is highly reactive, which is why when used with copper pipes, it would actually corrode the lines! This is why you can only use ozone with swimming pools that have PVC or stainless steel pipes.
Saves Money, But Also Costs Money:
The initial upfront cost of an ozone generator isn’t too bad, but it does require running the generator around 8-10 hours a day, and that can result in a higher electric bill. Most pools run between 8-12 hours, but for those who are looking to only have the pool motor running for less than 8 hours, than this solution might not be for you.
How Much Does A Pool Ozone System Cost?
A pool ozone generator can cost anywhere between $250-$3,000 dollars, the higher priced ones are for pools without an existing salt water pool. Generally, the bigger the pool, the more an ozonator will cost to install. The Pro Series Ozonator integrates directly with your salt system, so it is better of a combo than any other brand out there!
Learn More with K&D Pools
If you want to be able to enjoy the benefits of an Ozonator , then look no further than K&D Pools
We offer personalized service for every customer, so you can rest assured that you will receive exactly what you want.
Call us today and let’s see how we can help you create your outdoor Oasis!
