Just over one year ago, I switched over to using natural enzymes to keep my swimming pool clean. It was something I had been interested in, then necessity gave me that final nudge to educate myself and make the change. I was hopeful after it went so well for a few weeks, but I knew the real test would be how it did over a prolonged time period and at different times of year. Now, I can happily report that it has been fantastic
I swim in my swimming pool year round, keeping it around 81-82°F. I was warned that this was an optimum temperature for things to grow. However, I have seen no signs of this.
My swimming pool is also set up to be a convertible indoor-outdoor pool, so has a tent over it during the colder months. This means a lot of humidity kept in and around the pool. During the summer, I have to deal with a regular accumulation of debris from our large trees. I try to vacuum every week or two during this phase, but don’t always get to it that often.
The recommended schedule for adding the little capful of enzymes is every 10-14 days. I do lean toward the 10 days, but have fairly often gone the full 14 days without adding any. It may seem like an expensive little bottle, but it is a little cap and it is basically all I need to keep the pool very nice.
I was told to expect to need to add a couple of tablespoons of granular chlorine every couple of weeks for a light shock, but I have chosen to use the potassium for the same reason I used it with the chlorine system. It degrades quickly and doesn’t build up in the water. I have only had to do it about 3 times in the year.
- One time was after my husband tested paddle board he was making that had also been to the local lake,
- one time was after a frog made it’s initial visit to my pool, and
- one time had no defining cause, but I was suspicious of a minimal amount of white, filmy “floaters” in the pool.
Speaking of the frog, it has stuck around and seems to have reached a stasis of some sort with my swimming pool water. We frequently find it swimming into hiding when we roll back the cover. Once, I decided to help it out with the net, because it was not getting out, but then was getting whipped around by my Fastlane current. It was humorous for me and apparently terrifying for the frog, but I wasn’t going to swim with it knocking into me! Only one frog, so far, but I am keeping my eyes open for tadpoles.
I haven’t kept records of how often I have needed to scrub the surfaces of the swimming pool, but it definitely seems like I need to do it LESS with the enzyme cleaning system. My biggest problem area is around the ladder, probably because the water doesn’t move as much under it. It is also worth noting that various tree seeds sprout readily in my pool, but they get caught in the filter or vacuumed up and haven’t been any more trouble that the rest of the debris.
All of this tells me that my swimming pool water is very healthy and conducive to life, while still staying clean with minimal effort. The only other thing I have to check and add semi-regularly is muriatic acid to keep the pH low enough. Again, I was advised that 7.2 – 7.4 was the optimum range, but for whatever reason, my swimming pool water tries very hard to stay at 7.5 – 7.6. This is the only “level” I have had to test with the natural enzymes. I buy the kit from Walmart, but only need to use the red drops.
After a while, I gave up fighting it and found that especially during the winter, it just stayed there and all stayed clean. When debris gets in it in the spring, I have to add muriatic acid once in a while to keep it down, but it still seems to settle toward the 7.5 mark. I purchase the muriatic acid in the paint department of Home Depot. It is always in some obscure lower shelf location, and sometimes the department representative has no idea what I’m talking about, but we always find it. It is very inexpensive.
My skin seems to be perfectly happy with the new enzyme system. There is none of the dryness associated with chlorinated water, no chlorine smell, and no chlorine wearing out my swimwear. The only smell is a very, very slight one that reminds me of a fresh lake. If it were significant, I would be having trouble feeling nauseated when I swam.
It is a wonder to me that more people don’t use natural enzymes to keep their swimming pools clean, and that it is not an option in any pool supply store I visited. I expect it doesn’t make them as much money, because it doesn’t take as much to make it work or keep everything in balance. It might be that too many people think it won’t work. That is their choice as a business and as customers, but I highly recommend you check out Water’s Choice as your source of natural enzymes. They are very good about answering questions and get your orders to you promptly.
(I do not at the time of writing this have any advertising connection with Water’s Choice. I offer this recommendation purely based on my own experiences.)
