Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

1. Do any kibkommers still have a pool that is "zerochlor" if so, has your pool like mine been changed into a zerochlor with chlorine? I have asked the question why the change and been told that they can use potassium something or chlorine, they are using chlorine, but I can buy the potassium at a cost of 120 Sterling for a 20kg bag.
I was also told that this is how my pool was always maintained. Which is untrue, I know when there is chlorine in the pool, the water is different, it looks and feels different and my skin lets me know when it has been in contact with it. The whole point of "zerochlor" was because it didnt use chlorine.
2. If you have a pool without chlorine can you give me the details of who/how you care for it. pm me if you want.

Thanks in advance

When the merits of Zerochlor were discussed on Forum 44 it always caused arguments rather than discussion ! Say as you find. I have used Zerochlor for several years now and it has been much appreciated by the many who use our pool as they enjoyed the freedom from smell, sore skin, and sore eyes which often comes with Chlorine. The financial savings on chemicals and electricity has been immense and time spent cleaning more than halved. Assuming that your water supply is of reasonable quality you need only PH down used sparingly to accompany the Zerochlor but that is needed also with Chlorine. Zerochlor has halved the time spent on hoovering and backwashing and also the amount of water expended. My routine is not to introduce a bottle of Zerochlor at a time but for a 10x5 m pool introduce approx one third of a bottle every fortnight with, if necessary, a small amount of PH down. This keeps the water at a constant level of quality. I also add less than half a small cup only of Chlorine into the balance tank which seems to create a reaction of sparkling clear water. At the height of the Summer the pump is not used for more than 4 hours a day and there has never been any sign of algae though the pool is in full sunshine. Inspections of the filter sand have also shown improvement and it has needed only 1 small top up in the past 2 years and no evidence whatsoever of it degrading to large lumps of rock like congealment which Chlorine use can bring.

On the subject of algae, I am aware that Zerochlor claim that your pool will never go green again but does anyone know whether it can cope with suntan lotions?. My future son in law is very pale skinned and therefore always wears high factor lotions. He is a fitness fanatic and swims a lot in our chlorine pool which usually leads to our pool going green. My pool maintenance man says that it is because the suntan lotion envelops the sand grains in the filter which is then unable to properly filter the water and thus algae are free to grow. Is it possible that Zerochlor could help prevent this problem?
OR
Does anyone know of any suntan lotions that are pool friendly??

Our visitors, children, and grandchildren use only creams such as Piz Buin 1 day long lotion which comes in varying levels of UV protection and has proven to be a total defence against sun burn. It is necessary to await 20 minutes or so until it has been absorbed into the skin before going into sunlight or pool. Do not know how it works so well but evidently it boosts the skin's under layers of natural oils which defend against damage from the sun. There is no staining to fabrics and poolside mattresses etc if the 20 minute advice is observed. With up to eight persons in the pool daily on fortnight holidays we have not incurred any algae or green water.

Deputy quote" I have used Zerochlor for several years now and it has been much appreciated by the many who use our pool as they enjoyed the freedom from smell, sore skin, and sore eyes which often comes with Chlorine"
This is my point, when I first changed to a Zerochlor pool it didnt have chlorine, my pool people are now saying it has always had chlorine added, and if I want to be totally chlorine free then I need to purchase this pottasium to oxidise the water. Even the water dosent sparkle like it used to, yet they say it has never had the pottasium, I also know that my skin improved when we changed over, and now it is back to being red, itchy, and drying white and skaley. When we first changed the pool over Dave told us that we would have a totally chlorine free pool and explained the pottasium against the Chlorine. Then in a post on 44 he stated that Chlorine will work just as well, but to use the potassium if you wanted a chlorine free pool. But I have never instructed my pool people to use the chlorine and complained about the smell over a month ago, but they told me that they had to put a small amount in this time around to get rid of some bugs, so I thought it was a one off. Long and short of it is, I dont want chlorine in my pool.
Can you recommend any other pool company that will give me pool maintenance without the chlorine. Thank you for your detailed reply Deputy Lor

Have always been personally suspicious of Zerochlor. The main arguments pro are the long term health effects of using chlorine whereas there have been no studies on zerochlor whatosever, in fact it is not used anywhere other than here in the TRNC. It also strongly reminds me of racasan the stuff we used in chemical loos when I was dragged off caravanning as a kid which I hated!

I am the TRNC sole agent for Aligator Systems.
The Aligator uses copper and silver to produce ions which attack algae, bacteria and viruses.

I have installed over 40 of these systems and the pool owners have always been delighted with them.

Take a look at:

http://www.aligator.co.uk

Vaughan
0533 845 8494

Thanks for the reply Vaughn, I have looked at the website and I am interested. I have a problem with my phone so cant call you right now, can you send me a pm so I can give you my number, I would like to chat about the costs involved and also your charges for maintenance, or you could put the prices on here as I am sure there are others who might be interested in your product.

Lor51. Zerochlor maintenance of pools can be used with absolutely no Chlorine, only the PH down which you refer to and rarely, if at all, use of PH up. The later two treatments are needed in Chlorine pools in any event and often "shock" treatment, and chemicals to remove algae. Proper pool balance and a constant level PH cannot be achieved by chucking in Chlorine twice a week.
Jonnie. Zerochlor is only a brand name used in Cyprus for ion based systems which have been in use all over the world for many years. TRNC Vaughan is offering a similar but sophisticated system which avoids the use of chlorine. In my view Chlorine is nothing but a very strong bleach and does not compare with the water quality which can be achieved by other more natural means. I base my instincts on only 8 years of looking after a pool but over 40 years of maintaining Koi ponds with a stock of 40 fish 25 years old less 2 fatalities. The Koi which I bought in Cyprus 8 years ago survive today large and in gin clear water. Any formal testing of water that I do only confirms what my eyes, nose, and fingers tell me. If you are happy with Chlorine then obviously do not consider any other options but I would rather swim in Napisan than Chlorine. I worry much more about diseases such as Typhoid, Cholera, Legionnaires, etc whilst living in a country where there is little or no main sewage systems with household and body waste flushed into the ground to varying depths with no heed whatsoever to adjacent well facilities which are increasing in numbers, many unauthorised.

Similar substances are used elsewhere but in my view this product is not recognised anywhere other than here. it is interesting you mention Legionnaires which is a problem in Cyprus. One of the main methods of treating water to prevent legionnaires is good old chlorine as approved and recommended by The European Centre for Disease Control, ELDSnet and the WHO

Thanks for the replies. Lor

Hi Deputy, I quoted your first few lines in your post and sent them in an email to my pool company and they in reply have told me to find another pool cleaning company. You must have hit a nerve.

Chlorine is the only substance widely used in pools that disinfects AND oxidizes.
Oxidization is needed for water clarity. This can be achieved with chlorine at 1ppm leaving disinfection by other methods, i.e. copper/silver oxides. Mains tap water in the UK is treated with chlorine at 1ppm, hence the Aligator statement that you can swim in "water you can drink".

At 1ppm chlorine, pool water contains no more chlorine than the water we drink and bathe in, in the UK.

Lor51. I am sorry if I have raised hackles at your expense but I did write that this can become an emotive subject especially for some who make their living cleaning pools with chlorine. TRNC Vaughan has explained to you in eloquent and exact manner what can be achieved with a minimal amount of Chlorine. The "tad" of chlorine which I referred to earlier is introduced via the balance tank so it visits the filter and it's value is dispersed by the plumes throughout the pool with the granular form negated. In winter months, when I use bottom drain, and the balance tank water levels are lowered to prevent flooding into the pump room in the event of heavy rain, the water in the balance tank which remains static could become stagnant without a small amount of Zerochlor or Chlorine treatment. With regard to worries regarding diseases and the uncertain quality of water supplies here I adopt a policy of containing the levels of risk by never swimming in air conditioning systems, hot tubs, spas, under shower heads, or hotel swimming pools etc. My epitaph may well become "A total prat all his life but he died by falling into his pond whilst hand feeding his Koi who survive him." Perhaps even gunned down by a pool cleaning company !

TRNC Vaughn, That amount I wouldnt mind, as it wouldnt make my skin irrate. Please give me some prices. thanks

Deputy, dont worry about it, I will hopefully get a reply or pm from Vaughn. Thanks for all your input.

Hi Lor51,

I have pm'd you separately, ref the supply and installation costs of an Aligator system.

If anyone else would like details, please contact me here and I will pm you.

Vaughan

Thanks for your replies we have decided to try the Aligator system with Vaughn.

One other benefit of the Aligator system is that it is "foolproof" in operation, once programmed.
Of the dozens of Aligators we have supplied only a few are maintained by us. The others are maintained by the resident pool owner, many of whom have never considered maintaining their own pool.
Obviously, there is a cost saving attached to maintaining your own pool. At around 600 pounds per year, the Aligator soon pays for itself.

Deputydawg. Just thought I would let you know that my new pool maintenance man came today for the first time to clean my pool, the chlorine level was off the tester, and as it is 11 days since the chlorine was added by the other lot he estimates that the tester would have shown orange at that time. So no wonder my skin was so bad. Vaughn came to see me today and I should have the aligator installed within a couple of weeks, with only a tad of chlorine added

Lor51. So glad to hear that Vaughan will soon be curing your water problems. Unless you are one of those hardy souls who swims right into the Winter months I guess that you will not gain the full benefit until late next Spring. You should be able to feel the silkiness of the water with your fingers and believe that you are bathing in Lanolin !! Obviously if you choose to have your pool managed you will not be able to make the savings of DIY and it may be that your system requires a little more electricity usage as the maintenance of the mineral levels requires sufficient oxygenation. As I said earlier, years of looking after a stock of £60,000 worth of Koi, with their exacting needs for quality water, has made it easy for me to learn how to care for a pool, I enjoy the little work it involves, particularly having a pool broom which is redundant and not having to swim in high levels of Chlorine. Enjoy.

For those who might rightly be concerned about the power consumption of an Aligator system, the typical figure is about 2Watts.

Pump runs are are about or 6 hours in high summer and 2 or 3 in winter.

What is the cost of this zerochlor per year please ... for a 10x 8 pool...

Have read all the posts but am not clear on how many times would you need to clean a pool in the winter months ? how is this stuff put into the water, is it each week?

We use a Floatron, which is an ioniser foer the pool. We do use chlorine tablets, but very low doseage.

I take in supplies once per year and have not bought any since Feb this year. There are of course many variables with weather season on season and other factors as to whether or not pool is in full sunshine or is at times in the shade of adjacent buildings, etc. A 10 by 5 pool needs approx 1 bottle every six weeks introduced into the water by hand into the pump filter so that is dispersed via the plumes in the pool. After the initial dose I have preferred to add it to the pool approx one third of a bottle every two weeks to keep a constant level and stay at the recommended usage. It is used in harmony with PH down. Earlier this year a bottle was £22 but the supply company has now changed so it could be dearer now . If bottom drain is used in the Winter the usage should be less so therefore approx less than £200 per annum. PH down should be perhaps £50 per annum. I also add a tablespoon or two of Chlorine once per fortnight so the cost of that is negligible and no noticeable smell or discomfort. If you manage to maintain good water quality and what I call "pool balance" you will not need a broom, your tiles will not stain, and the amount of backwashing and rinsing the filter should be half of that when using Chlorine as the main cleaning agent.