FIRST: IF YOU OWN AN OZONATOR, AN IONATOR (SILVER, COPPER ...) OR SOME OTHER TYPE OF AUXILLARY SYSTEM, YOU MUST KEEP THE EXACT SAME SANITIZER LEVELS AS A POOL WITHOUT THESE SYSTEMS. ALL THESE SYSTEMS DO IS LESSEN THE AMOUNT OF “SANITIZERS” THAT YOU NEED TO USE TO KEEP THESE READINGS, AND INCREASE YOUR SANITIZERS EFFECTIVENESS WHEN THE SAME REQUIRED LEVELS, AS POOLS WITHOUT THESE SYSTEMS, ARE MAINTAINED.

        I have worked with dozens of these systems, on pools and spas, over the years. When I take over an account with one of these systems in a pool or spa, the customer is almost always upset about how the previous pool professional did not understand their system, or failed to maintain their pool and spa correctly. The customer is laboring under the "assumption" that either very little, or no, sanitizers(Chlorine or Bromine) need to be added to their pool and spa, and the previous pool man tried to add too much Chlorine or Bromine, or added what they wanted and their pool or spa turned green or gave everyone an infection of some sort.

For those of you in this category, read the statement right after the word, "FIRST:", just above this paragraph. If you are laboring under ANY belief other than you are going to see a slight decrease in the amount of sanitizers you need, over what you would have needed without that add on system, correct your beliefs now. If you don't, you are going to keep firing pool men who don't know their business, because they either add too much in chemicals to properly maintain your pool and spa, or they do as you request and your pool and spa either become film shooting sights for the remake of the "Monster from the Black Lagoon", or you and your family make the headlines of the latest medical journal on the new breed of bacteria now growing in your bodies as a result of climbing into that warmed petri dish you call a spa.

          KEEP IN MIND THAT THE OZONATORS, IONATORS ... SOLD IN THIS COUNTRY WILL PROBABLY ONLY REDUCE SANITIZER CONSUMPTION BY 20-30%. (ON AVERAGE) THAT'S IT! To translate this to something understandable, if, in the summer months, your pool requires 5 Chlorine Tabs to maintain a proper sanitizer level, you will "probably" need only 4 with your additional system. Yes, your pool/spa may be less likely to grow algae because of your system OR (Not "and") your pool/spa may have killed more bacteria and viruses than a pool without your system, BUT YOU WILL STILL NEED TO KEEP THE SANITIZER "LEVELS" EXACTLY WHERE THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN WITHOUT YOUR SYSTEM.

       So the salesman lied to you? Ok, let's go over what you were told. You were told that you could have up to a 90% reduction in the amount of sanitizer (Bromine or Chlorine) that you would need to add to your pool or spa. Is this true. Yes, IF . If what? IF you keep your pool/spa at 40 degrees Fahrenheit, maybe... IF you run your pool/spa 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you MIGHT see a 90% reduction in the amount of sanitizer that you need to add to maintain the same reading in a pool without one. Here's the point, the salesman didn't know. He is telling you what he was told. What he was told, "Is accurate", in that your savings in sanitizer usage could be as high as 90%. He also stated that he could not guarantee what your savings would be.  

        Now for reality. You aren't going to operate your pool or spa 24 hours a day. If you average 8 hrs. a day, all year long, you are close to the average for most pools. 8 Hrs. out of a 24 hour day = 1/3 of the operating time = about 1/3 of the effectiveness. Now we are down to a sanitizer reduction of not 90%, but 1/3 of that, or 30%. Most spas run at 100 degrees plus, given what this does to the likelihood of both bacteria and algae growth, a 20-25% reduction in sanitizer usage, up to around 30%, if you got lucky, is what you are probably going to see. AND YES, YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE LESS CHANCE OF ALGAE GROWTH OR BACTERIA GROWTH THAN A POOL OR SPA WITHOUT YOUR SYSTEM IN IT. Keep in mind, I am not saying that they offer no benefits. I just don't believe the benefits outweigh the costs.

       Now let's do the math: Let's say that the average pool uses about $100 in chlorine in a year. It's a bit higher, but that's a good round number. This means that if the average sanitizer reduction is 25%, with a high of 30%, that every year you will save $25 - $30 in pool or spa chemicals. Now how much did that ozonator, Ionator ... cost? How much was the installation? How often does it need service? Replacement Cartridges? What is the Cost over 5 Years? Your Savings over 5 Years is $125 to $150 dollars. Most initial installation fees exceed that.

       If your pool is properly maintained, without one of these systems, I cannot justify adding one, for the cost/benefit ratios these units have "so far" offered. (Who knows, maybe they'll come out with one that will give a much better performance ... next year.) If you still want to spend the money some place, and you wanted to spend it on one of these units, you can just send half of what you saved by not buying one of these units to me, and you can still save money.

Why do people sell these things to people? First, the salesmen believe what they were told, and don't know better. (Same reason you bought it from them, right?) Second, since they believe in this product, because they believe what they were told, their arguments are very convincing. (You believed in it because they believed in it ... )

Most people do not know better and sell these. (Again, don't look around, but someone bought it because they didn't know better before this either.) What it all boils down to is doing the research yourself, PRIOR to doing the buying. Look for actual results. Look at the negative comments on the products on the web. Do your homework. If you do, your chances of getting burned by getting less than you were led to believe, are far less.