ControlOMatic has updated the specifications for the amount of chlorine per day for their spa chlorine generators. They originaly tested at 70 degrees F which gave low chlorine production rates and since most spas are at 104 degrees F that is where the rates should be specified.

ColorChlor and TechniChlor: 33 grams / day, or 0.07 pounds / day
ColorChlor HP and TechniChlor HP: 53 grams / day, 0.12 pounds / day
The tests were performed at 100 degrees F and a salt concentration of 3000 ppm.

ControlOMatic is nearing release of an official above ground pool chlorine generator. Currently the ColorChlor HP or TechniChlor HP can be used for pools up to 10,000 gallons or about 18 foot round. The ChlorSimple is designed for above ground pools up to 24 feet round or about 15,000 gallons. For larger pools you can use two ChlorSimple and should position one on each side of the pool.

There are also two versions of the ChlorSimple. The ChlorSimplehas no light shows, you can’t set the power level and does have self cleaning. If it is making too much chlorine you can add a standard timer and plug the ColorChlor into the timer to lower the chlorine production.

The ChlorSimple Ultra has light shows and includes 6 high output LED red/green/blue LED’s. It also has three output levels that can be set by turning on the ChlorSimple while it is out of the water making it hard to accidentally change the power level while using the pool. Since most above ground pools don’t come with lights the ChlorSimple Ultra makes the pool much more usable at night. The light shows are similar to the ColorChlor with single color and fading between colors.

The chlorine production of the ChlorSimple is between 0.2 and 0.3 pounds per day of chlorine and depends on the water temperature and salt concentration. The power supply is 12 volts and can provide 5 amps for 60 watts of chlorine producing power.

Chlorine Generators: These devices contain titanium plates with a special coating and generate chlorine from salt that was added to the pool water. After the chlorine is used it reverts back to salt to be reused. This device is really not an ‘alternative’ system, as free available chlorine (FAC) is produced and reacts the same as adding chlorine from a purchased bucket without the added byproducts that come with packaged chlorine and are dissolved in the water.

 Ionizers: These are usually copper and or silver electrodes which introduce soluble copper and or silver ions to the pool when an electric current is passed through the unit. Copper is used for algae control and silver for bacteria control. While once touted as “chlorine-free” systems, they are now mainly sold as devices to be used with low levels of chlorine. These ‘heavy metal’ devices (so-named because of the high density of elemental metals) are sold in the pool industry as ‘alternative’ sanitizers.

 They have several shortcomings, however. First, in Canada, silver is not allowed as a sanitizer and is not even allowed to be listed in any accompanying literature. Second, silver is relatively slow in its ability to sanitize. Third, although copper is an extremely effective algaecide, it has the propensity to precipitate and discolour pool surfaces with a tenacious stain. Finally, these devices are not oxidizers, so 90% of the workload of chlorine is not fulfilled.

 Magnets: Using magnets as water conditioners, mainly for pH and scale control, is possibly a scam. Aggressive marketing and threats of legal action often silence the opponents of magnetic devices. These devices are also sold as a way to increase gas mileage when attached to the gas tank and as a way to increase blood circulation when attached to the body by adhesive tape.

 Oxygen generators: These devices pass current between two electrodes resulting in the electrolysis of water creating two volumes of hydrogen at the cathode and one volume of oxygen at the anode. The word “nascent” oxygen is often used to give them a scientific flair. The sanitation properties of oxygen are flaunted. This weakly soluble oxygen has little – if any – ability to kill bacteria or oxidize organics and the failure of such systems was once the topic on the TV show ‘Hard Copy’.

 Ozone Generators: These create 0³ by passing air through either Corona Discharge (CD) or Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation. Ozone – an extremely powerful oxidizing agent – is so unstable that is must be generated at the point of entry into the pool. Due to its activity and low solubility, it does not leave a required residual past 22 minutes in the water and must be used with chlorine or bromine. It is not a stand-alone system. Allowing ozone to accumulate in enclosed areas can also compromise the health of the individual.

 UV Devices: It is known that bacteria are killed when subjected to certain wave lengths of ultraviolet light. You may have seen surgical instruments sterilized under UV light. Having UV irradiate water passing through a transparent pipe in the return line may kill the bacteria in the pipe, but it has no effect on sanitizing the remaining water in the pool. UV leaves no residual and no ability to oxidize. Trojan Technologies of London, Ontario, which sells UV generators, dismisses the use of UV technology for use in pools.

Oxidative Catalysts: These devices use a cartridge attached to the return line which contains metallic copper and finely divided elemental silver. There are no electrical components. The copper and silver dissolve by erosion or corrosion. Finely divided silver is known to be an oxidative catalyst in the synthesis of certain hydrocarbons. These devices claim that they can control algae and can assist chlorine in killing bacteria. This device is incompatible with bromine sanitizers. It has no ability to oxidize. While little staining occurs with copper, it is often difficult to measure any copper residual in the water. Some critics of this device say it is a form of homeopathy, a branch of medicine, which dilutes the drug to a point where it cannot be detected and yet claims medicinal results. Claims for silver efficacy are not allowed in Canada.

The nice folks over at ControlOMatic have made videos demonstrating the operation of the ColorChlor and TechniChlor. In fact, the videos are award winning and are very well done. Make sure to check them out if you have any questions on the operation of the ColorChlor.  You can see all the videos at (http://www.controlomatic.com/videos.html).

Here is the overall introduction to the ColorChlor and TechniChlor.

ControlOMatic (www.controlomatic.com) has released TAP technology for both the ColorChlor and TechniChlor line. Now they operate by gently tapping the ColorChlor or TechniChlor against the side of the spa or your hand instead of taking them out of the water.

Here is a videw demonstrating changing the power level using tap technology.

Chlorine generators make chlorine from salt in your pool or spas water. You simple add salt to the water and the chlorine generator does the rest. The typical salt concentration is 2000 to 4000 ppm, at 3000 ppm that is about 2 pounds of salt per 100 gallons of water. Chlorine generators are very popular because they eliminate the buying, storing, transporting and handling of chlorine as well as provide a dramatic reduction in the maintenance demands of your pool or spa.

Self Cleaning

The chlorine generator has titanium plates with a special rare-earth coating that can have a build-up of calcium or other compounds over time. That is because during the electrolysis process current goes in one direction from plate to plate. Chlorine generators with the feature of self cleaning periodically reverse the direction of the current which helps to break up the compounds that have attached to the plates. If the hardness of the water is very high even self cleaning chlorine generators may still need to be cleaned, but not as often as those without self cleaning.

Adjustable Power

Chlorine generators typically operate at full power. To adjust the power they adjust how long they are on. A chlorine generator operating at half power may be on for 12 hours in a day, and off for 12. Chlorine generators without adjustable power usually need a timer added so you can externally control the amount of chlorine produced. Without controlling the chlorine production you can end up with too much chlorine. You can also adjust the chlorine production by increasing/decreasing the salt level but this can be a hassle.