Bromine . . .

Chlorinating, maintaining the right chlorine levels,
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Guest

Bromine . . .

Postby Guest » Sun 05 Aug, 2007 20:29

Nothing works better than bromine. Will never use chlorine.

The difference between the chemical chlorine and the chemical bromine is that once chlorine combines with bacteria to kill it, most of the chlorine is used up and will no longer work to sanitize your pool. This combined chlorine is burned off along with the bacteria by the weekly shock treatment, and filtered out of the pool water. Bromine combines with bacteria in pool water to neutralize it in the same way that chlorine does, however a good portion of the bromine stays active even after combining with the bacteria. The weekly shock treatment will burn off the bacteria and harmful contaminants, and leave the bromine behind in the pool water to sanitize the pool again. The result is that the volume of the chemical bromine needed to sanitize a pool is less than the volume of chlorine needed to do the same job.

The advantages to using bromine are obvious, and bromine is very beneficial to many people with naturally sensitive skin. Unfortunately bromine is chlorine based, and it is not an alternative sanitizer for people who are allergic to chlorine. The disadvantage to bromine is the cost of the chemical. Bromine costs a good deal more per pound than chlorine, which prevents most pool owners from using it.

But it doesn't matter to me . . . the pros outweigh the cons!


Backglass
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Postby Backglass » Mon 06 Aug, 2007 14:40

Good luck with your Bromine sales career!

:lol:
===============================
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chem geek
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Postby chem geek » Mon 06 Aug, 2007 15:01

Bromine is not appropriate for use in outdoor pools exposed to sunlight because it gets degraded by sunlight (though not as fast as chlorine without CYA, but faster than chlorine with CYA). It is quite reasonable (though more expensive) for use in indoor pools or in spas and hot tubs.

You are incorrect that bromine does not get consumed when it attacks bacteria. Actually, very, very little bromine OR chlorine gets used up when attacking bacteria. Most chlorine gets broken down to chloride by sunlight, then by oxidation of organics and a small amount by preventing algae and killing bacteria (though with an algae bloom, most gets consumed by algae). The difference is that with bromine that gets converted to bromide, the bromide can get reactivated back to bromine by adding a shock.

And what can shock bromide back to bromine? Chlorine! Yes, adding chlorine is one form of shock in a bromine pool. Adding non-chlorine shock, potassium monopersulfate, is another. So you are right that you don't need to continually add bromine except to replace that removed from dilution (splash-out, backwash, etc.), BUT you still need to add a shock to reactivate the bromine. A bromine pool is not free and is in fact more expensive to maintain and, as I said, is inappropriate for outdoor pools exposed to sunlight since there is no Cyanuric Acid (CYA) equivalent to protect the bromine from destruction by sunlight to the same degree as with chlorine.

Richard
Guest

Postby Guest » Mon 06 Aug, 2007 19:36

Why worry about expenses? If you own a pool, then you can obviously afford the chemicals, maintenance, etc.

If you can't afford the best chemical, bromine, then close your pool!

Good luck with your Bromine sales career!


I don't work in the pool business. If I did, I would leave a link for you to purchase products!

:lol:
chem geek
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Postby chem geek » Mon 06 Aug, 2007 19:44

I don't know why you believe that bromine is better than chlorine. There are far more people allergic to bromine than chlorine and most problems in chlorine pools are due to too little chlorine rather than too much (i.e. due to chloramines). A properly maintained chlorine pool has virtually no odor and if at least periodically exposed to sunlight it usually registers no combined chlorines. With CYA in the water, the disinfecting chlorine concentration is very, very low so the production of disinfection by-products is minimized (bromine produces some by-products as well).

I looked at using bromine for our pool initially since my wife is sensitive to chemicals in general, but after researching it I realized that properly maintaining a chlorine pool should work and in fact she has no problems with it at all. Unfortunately, the indoor pool she uses in the winter uses chlorine without CYA so in that pool it smells more and degrades her swimsuits so in that situation they should either use CYA or should use bromine, but I already said that bromine is more appropriate for indoor pools and spas.

Do you use bromine in an indoor pool (with no sunlight, obviously) or an outdoor pool exposed to sunlight?
Backglass
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Postby Backglass » Mon 06 Aug, 2007 21:26

chem geek wrote:Do you use bromine in an indoor pool (with no sunlight, obviously) or an outdoor pool exposed to sunlight?


He doesn't worry about that, he's rich! After all he owns a pool! He pays several young pool boys to SHADE his bromine pool from the sun with umbrellas! No CYA needed!

:lol:
===============================

I'm no expert...just a long time pool owner. The real experts are at www . troublefreepool . com



Download Bleachcalc free at troublefreepool . com /files/BleachCalc262.exe and start saving money on chemicals.
ltrain6666

bromine usage

Postby ltrain6666 » Wed 08 Aug, 2007 23:16

HOW MUCH BROMINE DO YOU GO THROUGH A MONTH????
I USE 25 LBS. EVERY 3 WEEKS??????
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Postby pucklordofchoas » Mon 13 Aug, 2007 13:19

It's true, when bromine combines with organic waste of contaminants it create bromamines that still have dissinfectant properties, but it really is best for a hottubs, your dealing with a much smaller volume of water in much higher temp, as well has water that is constantly covered up when your not useing it. I know in my store, we would never recoment bromine for an out door pool, but we would always rcomend bromine for our spas.

each chemical has a great many strengths and weaknesses and are best suited for their specific jobs, but to each their own there are so man sanitizing alternatives out there
cjblu5

Bromine . . .

Postby cjblu5 » Fri 17 Sep, 2010 10:24

This was my first season using Bromine in my above ground pool. Loved it had no signs of algea and it was unbareably "HOT ". I will continue to use Bromine. The cost is a little more but the results were great.
chem geek
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Bromine . . .

Postby chem geek » Fri 17 Sep, 2010 12:25

Not that it matters that much in low bather load pools as with most residential pools, but brominated organics such as the brominated trihalomethanes (THMs) have a greater genotoxicity and mutagenicity (i.e. are more harmful) than the chlorinated THM (i.e. chloroform). That might be a consideration for spas though keeping oneself clean and not using lotions should help.

Bromine isn't as strong an oxidizer as chlorine so you might find that over time you need to use a non-chlorine shock or to shock to a high level with chlorine on occasion to maintain water quality.

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