Why should you consider a Natural Clarifier in your pool or hot tub?
Natural Clarifiers have been in the pool and spa market for several years at this point, but still, there is a lot of confusion surrounding what they do, and how they are different to more traditional clarifiers and flocculants.

What makes them Natural?
Natural Clarifiers use minerals and compounds that are found in nature, not synthesised in a lab environment. In the case of Lo-Chlor’s Ultra Pool Clarifier+ and Ultra Spa Clarifier, this compound is called Chitosan and is found in the shells of shellfish, mainly shrimp and prawns. Our Chitosan is also a byproduct of the shellfish industry and would otherwise end up as waste.

What do Natural Clarifiers do?
As the name implies, natural clarifiers use the natural properties of organic material to clarify water in pools and hot tubs.
Clarifiers are formed of Cationic Polymer Chains that look like this:

Now this may look complicated, but it is a simple concept that we are all familiar with. These chains work like magnets, at their ends they have positive charges which form bonds with the contaminants that impact water quality, which have negative charges.
Many of these contaminants are so small that the filter alone cannot remove them. Because of this, a binding agent is needed to clump them together so that they become big enough for the filter to perform its function.

Traditionally when pools become very cloudy, a similar process called flocculation is used, the difference is that rather than contaminants being caught in the filter, they are made into larger clumps and deposited on the bottom of the pool. These then require vacuuming to remove them to waste.
Natural Clarifiers offer the ability to clear water that is often too cloudy for other clarifiers, without the need to vacuum which would be necessary if a flocculant is used. Also, unlike other enzyme-based “Heavy Duty” Clarifiers, Natural Clarifiers have longer shelf lives and are more resilient to atmospheric conditions such as fluctuations in temperature.

What is the difference between Traditional and Natural Clarifiers?
In addition to being able to address levels of cloudiness that more traditional clarifiers cannot, using a Natural Clarifier also comes with a range of other benefits that can not only make pool and spa maintenance easier but can also lead to savings in money and maintenance time.
Dealing with fats, cosmetics, and suntan oils
The first key difference is how Natural Clarifiers can deal with oils and fats. Suntan oils, fake tan, and cosmetics. These are all key issues when it comes to pool and hot tub maintenance, often leaving unsightly scum lines on surfaces. Traditional clarifiers often struggle to remove these from the water, as they are unable to bind with the fats that make them up.
Natural Clarifiers on the other hand can encapsulate these fats meaning that they are less likely to deposit onto surfaces, and even when they do appear at times of heavy usage, they are far easier to remove.

Preventing Metal Staining
As well as preventing scum lines, Natural Clarifiers have also been proven to prevent staining. Staining in pools and spas is caused by metal ions that have leached out of solution and deposited on surfaces.
Due to the properties of the chitosan in Lo-Chlor Ultra Pool Clarifier+, it can capture some of these metals and remove them through the filter, making it a useful preventative for pools filled with source water that is high in metals. It also works on calcium ions, which cause scaling problems in hard water areas.

Eliminates Chlorine Smells
A common misconception among pool and hot tub users is that if water smells strongly of “chlorine” this must mean that the chlorine levels are very high. However, this “chlorine” smell is caused by compounds called chloramines. These compounds are formed when chlorine sanitiser bonds with amino groups. These amino groups are introduced to the water from the swimmer’s bodies and include fats, oils, sweat, and other bodily waste. This means that instead of dealing with harmful bacteria and contaminants, chlorine is being used up on these amino groups.
However, Natural Clarifiers can capture these amino groups and remove them via filtration. This means that chlorine is not used up unnecessarily, meaning that it lasts longer, saving money and resources.

Why use a Lo-Chlor Natural Clarifier?
Lo-Chlor offers Ultra Pool Clarifier+ for use in swimming pools and Ultra Spa Clarifier for use in hot tubs. Each product uses the highest quality chitosan to achieve clarity in water that is so cloudy that users have traditionally believed that flocculation is required. In addition to their high strength, both products are fast acting and can achieve clarity in as little as 4 hours.

For more information on Ultra Pool Clarifier+ click here, and for Ultra Spa Clarifier click here.