Caribbean Clear provides drinking quality water for their swimming pools. This is done by a technology developed by NASA in the 1960s for purification of drinking water on board the Apollo space craft and was conveyed to use with swimming pools in the early 1980s by Caribbean Clear – which is – and has been for more than 25 years – the world’s leading manufacturer of copper/silver ionization systems for pools, spas, and ponds. It is NOT SALT based – salt water chlorinators simply make chlorine from salt water, while with Caribbean Clear you can reduce your chlorine demand on average by 80-90%, making your pool virtually chlorine free and enjoy much better quality water.

The major benefits are:

• Safe, toxic free water resulting in
• no offensive smell
• no bleached hair
• no destroyed swimsuits
• no burning eyes, and
• no accumulative carcinogenic effect of chlorine on the body by this insidious poison.

Other benefits are significant reduction in the need of algaecides and other supplemental chemicals as well as much less corrosion of the pool equipment caused by the presence of corrosive chemicals and salt: in other word –

• Caribbean Clear cuts the cost of maintaining pure water while protecting your equipment and health.

Customers state that once got used to “swimming in drinking water”, they never sat foot in a chlorinated pool again. Ditto yours truly – especially public pools that some times are nothing but dangerous, toxic ponds, where especially children are so exposed to ear infections and waterborne diseases.

What is it?

Caribbean Clear is a computer controlled system that produces copper and silver ions in a minute quantity for pool water purification. This process is called ionization and is accepted as an alternative way of treating pool or spa water all over the world. The technology was developed by NASA in the 1960s for purification of drinking water on board the Apollo spacecrafts and was conveyed to use with swimming pools in the early 1980s by Caribbean Clear.

Is Ionization safe?

Yes. Copper and silver are natural minerals. The amount used for purifying pool water is much less than EPA standards for drinking water. In 1994 the National Safety foundation (NSF) published its standard for copper/silver and our systems were immediately tested to the new standard and continue to carry the NSF mark.

How does it work?

A safe low DC current is passed through a set of copper/silver alloy electrodes. As the water passes through the chamber which houses the electrodes, metallic ions are generated to purify the water. The microscopic action of the ions with the algae and bacteria are twofold. First, the algae and bacteria are destroyed through a change in their enzyme processes. Second, all these charged particles floc together and are therefore more effectively pulled out by the filter. The ions maintain a stable sanitizer residual in the water until they are used by this process.

No salt

This is not a salt based system, so there will not be any corrosion from salt and chlorine fumes.

Who uses the Caribbean Clear system?

Thousands of private pool and spa owners as well as public facilities, hotels, parks and recreation sites worldwide rely on Caribbean Clear to purify their water. From Olympic swimmers to the neighbor down the street, satisfied customers have built Caribbean Clear’s reputation.

What about the company that makes these systems?

Caribbean Clear is the trademark for the products manufactured by Fenix Ltd. In South Carolina, USA State-of-the-art Caribbean Clear systems have been in continuous operation since 1984. Thousands have been installed all over the world in all climates from desert heat to tropical jungles.

Caribbean Clear is the world’s largest producer of computerized control equipment for the swimming pool industry. Other manufacturers offer similar systems, but none can match the quality and performance of Caribbean Clear.

Chlorine Generators

Salt is a rather mystifying compound with a dual personality. It preserves our food and rusts our cars. It melts the snow and freezes our ice cream. It flavors our meals and damages our hearts. Salt water remedies a sore throat but shouldn’t be drunk. How can these tiny crystals sit on our table one moment and become something as controversial as chlorine the next?

This process is fairly simple. When current-carrying electrodes made of non-reactive material such as platinum are introduced into water containing sufficient levels of chloride ions (Cl from NaCl), these ions migrate towards one electrode. At some point they begin forming what some chlorine generator manufacturers refer to as pure chlorine. Pure chlorine is basically chlorine gas, however, has been banned by most health departments for treating swimming pool water, as leaks have caused numerous fatal accidents over the years.

Chlorine gas is not the final product needed to keep your pool clean. A compound called hypochlorus acid (HOCl) must first be formed. The conversion  rate from the deadly chlorine gas to this sanitizing agent and even the worthless hypochlorite ion depends largely on pool water chemistry and proper circulation.

Will chlorine generated from salt keep your pool clean? Sure it will. It will do the same job as any other form of chlorine. It kills algae and bacteria, burns eyes, dries skin and destroys swim suits.

Applying chlorine by the gallons or handling the highly concentrated chlorine tablets is one of the least pleasant experiences of having a pool. This prompts us to search for other methods of water treatment. While chlorine generators reduce the need for handling the stuff, only copper/silver ionization allows for a reduction in the chlorine level itself. Let’s not kid ourselves – with chlorine generators, or salt water chlorinators as some refer to, we are still swimming in chlorine!

Other considerations are:

• Corrosion – with salt water you add insult to injury by adding salt to the already highly corrosive water and fumes in the pump room that destroy your pool equipment.
• Cost – although the Caribbean Clear costs a little more initially, the electrodes cost only a fraction of those used in chlorine generators to replace.
  Copper/silver ionization is also very kind to the electric bill compared the kilowatt-hours needed to convert salt to chlorine.
• Hot, sunny days burns off chlorine, leaving the water with no sanitizer, while copper/silver residuals continue to work for days and weeks even when the pump is turned off.
• Chlorine is absorbed by the body when swimming, not doing us any good, and again leaving the water with little or no sanitizer, depending on bather load.
• When properly maintained with a Caribbean Clear clear system, you are safe should you swallow pool water. Salt and/or heavily chlorinated water should not be drunk.

A general cost comparison of Caribbean Clear vs. chlorine generators

The benefits Caribbean Clear Copper/Silver Ionization over chlorine generators are plenty fold – health, maintenance and cost.

• The Caribbean Clear Ionization system is the best on the marketand compared to the high-end chlorine generators the purchase price is similar.
• Now consider the secondary costs; power consumption and electrode replacement which are both significantly higher for chlorine generators.
  Power: If we base our calculations on a fairly large home pool, say 120m3 water, the Caribbean Clear system will use less than 0.04 Amps at 240 VAC, which equals less than 10 Watts. (Normal light bulbs are 40-60 Watts). A similarly sized chlorine generator will use 1-2 Amps at 240 VAC which equals 240-480 Watts, or 24-48 times as much.
  Electrodes: Copper/Silver electrodes for Caribbean Clear for the above pool cost 6,000 Baht. Platinum/Titanium electrodes for chlorine generators cost 16,000 – 20,000 Baht, or 3 times as much. Caribbean Clear electrodes normally last longer than those for chlorine generators, which brings that cost to 4-5 times as much.
• There are no corrosion problems with ionization, i.e. no premature replacement of pumps and other electrical equipment. Pump motors and electrical panels that should last 10 years are breaking apart after 1-2 years from severe corrosion caused by chlorine fumes and salt. Replacing this equipment costs several thousand Baht each time.
• With chlorine generators – at the end of the day you are still swimmimg in chlorine – your pool water is loaded with salt. Neither chlorinated nor salt water is healthy to drink and especially kids do tend to swallow plenty of water and submerge when having fun in the pool. Bathing suits and hair also suffer from the bleaching of chlorine, so let’s throw in a few thousand Baht per year for women’s swim wear; hair care; doctor’s visit for kids ear infections, etc.