Pool System Comparison: UV-Ozone AOP vs Clear Comfort AOP

To keep up with pool and spa owners’ demands for a healthier, chlorine-free or low-chlorine pool, many pool companies have researched and developed chlorine alternative pool sanitation products.

In search of a solution, some pool companies have paired their existing pool technologies together — and one increasingly common solution has been to combine UV and ozone to create a form of AOP (Advanced Oxidation Process). To understand how the two technologies work together, you must understand how they work individually. 

What is UV pool sanitation?

In a typical pool setting, UV sanitation systems operate by flowing pool water over UV, or ultraviolet, lamp in the pool plumbing. The UV light from the bulb denatures bacterial DNA that passes over it at whatever efficiency possible. This essentially sterilizes the bacteria, so it can’t reproduce, but it still leaves bacterial cells intact which means they can potentially make their way back into the pool.

Additionally, UV pool sanitation can only sanitize water and can’t oxidize it. Since UV pool systems only treat water as it passes by the system’s UV lamp, they don’t provide continuous, residual pool sanitation. This is why UV pool systems require chlorine for a residual sanitizer in pool water at all times. 

What is Ozone pool sanitation?

Ozone pool systems work by injecting ozone gas (O3) into the pool circulation system. Since ozone systems don’t provide complete oxidation or sanitation they also require a residual sanitizer in the pool water at all times. Ozone is toxic gas that can accumulate in pool pump rooms and under pool or hot tub covers. Due to the toxicity of its gas, ozone pool systems require degassing to protect swimmers’ health, pool equipment and surfaces. Additionally, ozone gas can be corrosive to rubber gaskets, covers and other pool equipment.

What happens when they’re combined?

By combining an ozone pool system and a UV pool system, some companies have labeled their hybrid pool products as a form of AOP sanitation and claimed they can produce cleaning molecules called hydroxyl radicals (OH-). UV-ozone AOP pool systems use two technologies to try to boost hydroxyl radicals, while creating ozone (O3) in the process. In a UV-ozone AOP pool system, these hydroxyls are produced in a round-about fashion, but the water doesn’t have a continuous, residual sanitizer. This means that even with the two pool systems working together, chlorine is still required for residual sanitation. 

UV-ozone AOP pool systems also require maintenance for both UV and ozone systems, which can take up to 12 hours of maintenance per year. Maintaining an energy-consuming UV pool system requires gloves to handle lamps, special tools and training.

How Clear Comfort AOP compares to UV ozone AOP hybrids

Similarly, hydroxyl production is a part of Clear Comfort’s Hydroxyl-Based AOP pool sanitation process. This patented Hydroxyl-Based advanced oxidation sanitation process begins with creating a high concentration of hydroxyl radicals to eliminate unwanted organics in the pool. Rather than combining two systems treat water as it passes through the system, Hydroxyl-Based AOP pool treatment uses patented process to treats ambient air and directly air-inject excited atomic oxygen (O1) into the pool plumbing to produce high concentrations of hydroxyl radicals. With complete sanitation, Clear Comfort’s residential customers are able to have the lowest chlorine levels possible with drinking-water chlorine levels of 0.5 ppm or less.

While Clear Comfort and UV-ozone are both AOP methods, they operate very differently. Clear Comfort’s patented AOP produces high-amounts of hydroxyl radicals, without O3 or required degassing. Hydroxyl radicals are inspired by the way our atmosphere naturally cleans our air making them safe and non-corrosive to pool surfaces. They are the most powerful oxidative compound available for recreational water treatment.

Instead of using special tools and professional servicing to maintain two UV and ozone technologies, the only system maintenance needed with a Clear Comfort AOP pool system is an easy 5-minute cartridge exchange.

Download a full comparison of Clear Comfort compared to a common UV-ozone AOP combo system.