are pioneering a non-chlorine sanitizer in Costa Blanca.

If you have a "problem" pool (with heavy bather load), a community facility or would just prefer not to swim in chlorinated water, the Bromine System could be the answer.

For Pool Professionals: Bromine is a far more efficient sanitizer than Chlorine, slightly more complicated in use and slightly more expensive. However, your labour is the most expensive element in any pool plan. Once you become familiarised with the use of Bromine you would most certainly find that the frequency between visits can be reduced dramatically and those time consuming problem-solving visits eliminated completely.

Please study the following comparison of the two plans.

Also see the Bromine Annual Schedule for precise usage instructions.

If you need help or advice regarding the use of Bromine in Costa Blanca please contact CB-Swim. clean@costa-blanca-clean.com

To B . . .
		. . . or not to B!

Both Bromine and Chlorine work well as sanitizers.  Both have good and bad points.
Important to remember with both is that the normal dose, whilst bathing is going on, should not exceed certain limits (for safety and comfort). Within these limits both products are only able to kill bacteria and contain (by combining with) the bather waste and other extraneous matter in water.
Both need occasional or regular shocking (according to climate and bather load).
Bromine will not work at all until it is released by an oxidising agent. Chlorine will oxidise Bromine.

Perhaps this all sound complicated but below you can compare the two products individually.

CHLORINE

BROMINE

GENERAL QUALITIES

Chlorine is a gas and can only be used for domestic pool sanitation by combining with other chemicals.

Additionally it is destroyed by UV light of which we have a lot in Costa Blanca.

Bromine is a solid and a very similar chemical element to Chlorine.

Bromine is also affected by UV light but, unlike Chlorine, it remains in the water for reuse.

chlorine products are stabilised with Cyamuric Acid which helps to "hold" them in the water for a time.

Chlorine kills bacteria, controls algae and combines with the remains and other debris in the water (bather waste, dust etc.) to form Chloramines (Chlorine + Nitrates and Ammonia).

bromine product has to be oxidised (or shocked) with chlorine or oxygen to produce the bromine sanitizer.

Bromine kills, controls and combines with debris (just like chlorine) and forms Bromamines (Bromine + Nitrates and Ammonia)

Cloramines are smelly and POOR sanitizers.

Bromamines have little smell and are VERY GOOD sanitizers.

Shocking also removes the Bromines by breaking down the Nitrates into Nitrogen but the Bromine element remains for re-use.

For optimum effectiveness with chlorine sanitizers the pH of the water is critical and must be kept between 7.4 and 7.6

With Problem Pools (with heavy bather load and/or general abuse) the only way with Chlorine is regular (sometimes daily) shocking and long filter running times as this is the only way to control the Combined Chlorine (Chloramines).

Taking a typical problem pool scenario: There is a gross bather overload & abuse, the filter is small and the pump under-powered.
Within 3 days of shocking, although the Total Chlorine is 3.0 ppm, around 2.0 ppm is Combined.
The pH has drifted to 7.8 and, because so much Chlorine is going in, the Cyamuric Acid level has exceeded 150 ppm.
The little remaining Free Chlorine no longer sanitises and the water is a dangerous culture for bacteria and virus - that's if it's not already green or swimming has stopped due to the bad odours and sore eyes!

Bromine systems are often the answer for Problem Pools because the Combined Bromine (Bromamines) are just as effective killers of virus and bacteria as the Bromine Sanitizer whereas Cloramines are quite useless.

The pH can go as high as 8.0 and, with Bromine, the sanitizer is still working.

Nevertheless it is still necessary to shock the Bromamines occasionally because, if they are allowed to build up the water becomes turbid.

Cyamuric Acid build-up is not such a problem (as long as it is tested for frequently) because liquid chlorine (Sodium Hypochlorite) or CB-OxoShock (Potassium Monopersulfate) will release (oxidise) the Bromine Sanitizer without introducing Cyamuric Acid.

PLEASE NOTE: Once a pool is treated with Bromine it is always a Bromine pool - until it is drained.

BATHER EXPERIENCE

A lot has been said about Chlorine being smelly and an irritant but, in fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
The fact is that Chlorine, at the correct level, is virtually undetectable.
It is the Chloramines that cause all the trouble and these are usually caused by poor pool maintenance or lack of knowledge about shocking.
There is no doubt that some people are allergic to Chlorine.
Others, possibly with a mild allergy, suffer from sore eyes and skin irritations after prolonged bathing.
If shocking is neglected smells, sore eyes and skin irritations are virtually guaranteed.
Consequently, before deciding on Bromine you should question if any problems are due to lack of proper shocking.

Bromine is commonly use in the USA and many pool owners, once they have tried it, would use nothing else.

Bromamines, like Chloramines, cannot be avoided.
However Bromines have no taste or smell, do not irritate and go on sanitising the water.
Water balance and pH are not so critical but then good balancing protects the pool cladding & equipment and enhances bather experience.

If you use a chlorine product to re-vitalise (oxidise) the bromine, you may think that you are back to having a chlorinated pool but this is not the case.
The chlorine oxodises the bromine ion to form Hypobromus Acid (the sanitizer) and the chlorine is liberated.

EASE OF USE

Nothing could be simpler than a Chlorine system. The Chlorine level is easy to measure and control. The only real requirement is that the water is shocked regularly and the alkalinity correctly balanced.

Using Bromine is slightly more complicated and requires support initially from the pool supplier.

CB-BromoBase has to be added, and replenished (usually twice a year) to allow for water loss, in order to establish a "Bromine Bank".

Any chlorine product (or CB-OxoShock) is then added, on a regular basis, to maintain the "Free Bromine" level.

RELATIVE COST AND TIME

Chlorine is cheapest, without a doubt, both in terms of product cost and time spent.

A chlorinated pool is pleasant and safe for bathing as long as it is maintained correctly and there is no bather overload or abuse.

Bromine is probably the only option for "problem" pools with an excessive bather load.
For normal pools the annual product cost is about the same. However a bromine pool needs less frequent visiting for water testing. Therefore is an economical option for pool professionals.

Most certainly, joy of swimming in Chlorine free water makes it all worthwhile.

Study the Bromine Annual Schedule for precise usage instructions.

Understanding bather load and "abuse".

Even without the bathers the pool purification plant has to deal with a certain amount of extraneous material (dust, leaves, insects, pollen, air-born algae etc.) but it is also designed to cope with bather load.
This refers to the extraneous material introduced by bathers and includes dead skin cells, make-up, sun oil, dirt & dust from the feet, sweat, urine (yes, the little one do!) and even excrement.
Therefore it is obviously important for pool users to consider certain commonsense precautions, such as -

Showering-off BEFORE bathing.

Keeping the pool terrace swept and free of dust.

Cutting back tress and plants close to the water.

Talking to the children.

Putting fresh "Pampers" on babies and waterproof pants.

Now that's fine for the villa owner and friends but, when the property is let to holidaymakers "bather abuse" can easily occur.
A colleague of CB-Clean maintains one of the largest community pools in Moraira and discovered that the bathers actually thought that the shower was just for cleaning up AFTER bathing. The pool is on a Bromine System but it was still hard work to keep the water perfectly clear.
The management committee put up multi-lingual signs and instructed the life-guard to blow his whistle when anyone broke the rules.
Within a few days the water quality improved and there was a significant reduction in chemical demand.

Bromine vs Chlorine Technical Comparison

Chlorine

Effective Disinfectant Form

Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl)

Reaction with Ammonia

Reacts to form Chloramines

Major compounds present are NHBr₂ and NBr₃

Considerably reduces disinfection ability

Bromamines or Chloramines as Bactericides

Chloramines are poor bactericides
and have only 5% of the activity of HOCl.

Bromamines or Chloramines as Viricides

Chloramines are not effective viricides.

Ammonia removal

Bromine is an effective disinfectant in the
presence of NH₃. Low levels of NH₃
are therefore acceptable.

Disinfection pH dependence

Chlorine is strongly pH dependent and is only
22% effective of its active form of HOCl at pH 8.0.

Eye Irritation

Chlorine disinfection can produce eye irritation
from the formation of Chloramines.

Halogen Odours

Study the Bromine Annual Schedule for precise usage instructions.