Ozone kills 99.9% viruses and bacteria

Ozone can be viewed as the most powerful oxidising and disinfecting agent available for pool & spa water treatment*. Ozone will act as the primary oxidiser and disinfectant destroying impurities and microorganisms allowing the pool owner to reduce the chlorine demand needed in their pool.

• Ozone destroys 99.9% of viruses and bacteria

• If pool water is treated only with chlorine takes approximately 16 minutes for viruses to be killed.

• Ozone Swim is 3,500 times faster at killing bacteria

• Ozone can be viewed as the most powerful oxidising and disinfecting agent available for pool & spa water treatment

Ozone, is the key component of a Mineral Swim system that destroys 99.9% of viruses and bacteria and has been proven to kill viruses including SARS which has an almost identical structure to COVID-19. Ozone is widely used in many industries where germs are likely to spread, including Aquatic Centres, Hospitals and the Airline Industry.

Ozone Swim is 3,500 times faster at killing bacteria than chlorine making it one of the most powerful and effective sanitation systems on the market.

If pool water is treated just with chlorine alone, at certain levels, it will take approximately 16 minutes for viruses to be killed.

Viruses are chlorine resistant, meaning they are not easily destroyed by chlorine alone. However, when combined with a secondary sanitation system like Ozone Swim the risk of contracting a virus is significantly decreased.

“Ozone is a stronger oxidiser than chlorine, it substantially reduces chlorine demand and allows chlorine to be more efficient in residual disinfection allowing for lower chlorine levels…”

Effect of Ozone on Bacteria & Viruses

Ozone is a water purification system that’s 10 x stronger than chlorine as a disinfectant & kills bacteria on contact leaving no residual traces as chlorine does. It’s the residual from chlorine (combined chlorine/chloramine) that’s responsible for that nasty smell and irritating the skin and eyes.

Viruses are different, unlike bacteria, they multiply only within the host cell and they transform proteins of that host cell into proteins of their own. Ozone destroys viruses by diffusing through the protein coat into the nucleic acid core resulting in damage to the virus.

What about other Health Benefits?

Ozone has many other well-documented health benefits, the water feels softer to swim in, it's gentle on the skin and the eyes, particularly for the 1 in 4 Australians that suffer from a skin condition like eczema & psoriasis and finally, it’s a natural flocculant so your water clarity will be crystal clear.

Fun Fact: All bottled water is treated by ozone!

*Recognised by The World Health Organisation (WHO)

Which pool type is best for you?

Which is chlorination (sanitation) type is best for your pool and your family? There are a multitude of different options available to choose from so we break down the benefits and drawbacks of each one along with our preferred options, allowing you to make a more informed choice when choosing your type of pool.

Chlorine

A Chlorine only pool (in this instance), is one where either liquid or powdered chlorine is manually or automatically added to the water regularly. Liquid chlorine is the cheapest way to chlorinate your water, however, it is also the bulkiest and most hazardous. The use of an automatic feeder will monitor your pool chlorine level and adjust accordingly. These however are expensive and due to the highly corrosive nature of liquid chlorine, can require a lot of maintenance.

Powdered chlorine is more efficient, safer and easier to handle, however, it is more expensive. It also cannot be manually delivered, with the exception of chlorine tablets, which are compressed forms of powdered chlorine.

All other balances still need to be maintained especially the pH as this is easily affected by the addition of chlorine. Maintaining proper stabiliser & calcium levels with powdered chlorine is also necessary.

Pros - Potentially cheaper

Cons - More work to maintain levels, bulky, hazardous, throws out other balances quickly.

Saltwater

By far the most popular type of pool sanitation in Australia. The use of a saltwater chlorinator to produce chlorine regularly throughout the filtration cycle is both efficient and practical. The constant production of chlorine gas begins to work instantly in the pool water to neutralise algae, bacteria and other organic matter. The process requires the pool water to have a minimum amount of salt in the water, usually anywhere from 2,500 ppm (parts per million) to 5,000ppm depending on the brand and model. If the salt level falls below this level, the production is reduced or even stopped to avoid damage to the unit.

Saltwater chlorinators have an approximate lifespan of about 5 years depending on how long they're used each day and at what output its set to.

Pros - Tried & tested, efficient chlorine production, great if you like salt water!

Cons - No testing of chlorine levels so can build up chlorine too high if left unchecked.

Mineral Pool + Ozone

Fast becoming a very popular option among pool owners, Mineral pools such as Mineral Swim, utilise a two-stage sanitisation process. The first is similar to the saltwater chlorinator which uses minerals instead of salt to produce a small amount of chlorine as well as make the water softer and clearer. It works in conjunction with the Ozone system to neutralise organic material such as algae and bacteria in the water. The Ozone component is 3,500 times faster at killing bacteria than chlorine alone.

Pros - Softer & clearer water, low chlorine levels, no 'chlorine smell' perfect for sensitive skin & asthma sufferers.

Cons - More expensive than traditional saltwater systems

Freshwater

The typical 'freshwater' system uses a combination of copper to prevent algae growth and silver to disinfect the water which is infused into the water neutralising bacteria. This type of water purification has been around since the Ancient Greeks discovered that algae wouldn't grow in copper water pots! There is still a very small amount of chlorine that is required to keep the water safe.

Pros - Very low chlorine levels required, soft free water feel

Cons - One of the most expensive options for residential pool water management.

Ultimately, the type of pool comes down to your personal preferences. Do you want ease of maintenance or an amazing swimming experience? Whichever you decide, we can help you find the right system to your pool and ensure it works for you and your family!

Benefits of a Mineral Swim System

Mineral Swim or Magnesium pools are all the rage at the moment. If you haven’t heard about the benefits of this new type of pool sanitising system, we’ve outlined what you need to know and the benefits you can expect below!

How does it work?

The Mineral Swim System combines magnesium-rich minerals found in the world-famous Dead Sea, known for its health benefits, with ozone water purification from Ozone Swim.

The minerals used in a Mineral Swim pool are 100% naturally occurring with NO synthetic additions.

The chlorinator cell uses electrolysis to convert the Magnesium Chloride in the water into small amounts of chlorine (approx. 0.5ppm in a standard pool), which is necessary for keeping the pool water free of bacteria and organic material after the filtration system has turned off.

This level of chlorine is significantly less than a typical salt of chlorine pool that usually sits at 2.0 - 3.0ppm. With this small amount of chlorine present in the water, it’s almost undetectable by swimmers and doesn’t require showering afterwards to the 'remove ‘sticky’ chlorine feel.

The minerals are added to the pool water manually and only need replacing when the water has been lost or freshwater added. They also provide many health benefits on top of being used to produce low levels of chlorine to sanitise the pool, they also act as a natural flocculant, so any debris clumps together and drops to the floor of the pool, all ready to be vacuumed up by your automatic cleaner.

Mineral Benefits:

• Stimulates hydration

• Relaxes muscles

• Crystal clear water

• Detoxifies & regenerates the skin

What is Ozone?

The Ozone system is 3,000 times more effective at killing organic contaminants than chlorine alone. It does this through a process called Oxidisation which kills organic material by stealing its oxygen atoms.

Almost all bottled water goes through an ozone process to purify it before being bottled & sold

A more scientific answer: Oxygen is O2 (2 x Oxygen atoms) whereas Ozone is O3 (3 x Oxygen atoms). When Ozone is injected into water it wants to break back down into Oxygen. It does this by leaving a lone Oxygen atom to ‘steal’ (oxidise) other oxygen atoms from harmful water contaminants like organics, impurities, bacteria and viruses. This is a natural and safe process.

The increased oxygenation in the water also helps maintain water freshness and clarity, leaving the water feeling noticeably softer.

Ozone Benefits:

• Safe water purification

• Odour-free

• Soft on the skin & gentle on the eyes

• Compatible with any existing pool system

How to make the switch to mineral swim

Now you know how the minerals and Ozone of the Mineral Swim system work together to make your pool water healthy and crystal clear, it’s a really easy process to make the change from your current system.

Having one of our service technicians install the Mineral Swim system is super quick, taking only about 1-2 hours. It can be installed on an existing pool regardless of if it was a chlorine or salt pool previously. Once installed, the system works exactly the same as any other pool system on a timer.

After the first year, the minerals cost approximately $400 annually (this is less than what you would normally spend on salt, clarifying chemicals and flocculants used in a salt pool). Mineral Swim also comes with a 12-month Customer Service Guarantee as well as a 10-year warranty on parts.