When it comes to sanitizing your pool, most people choose between traditional chlorine and a salt system.
Of course, there are other options like bromine and biofilter systems, but the vast majority of pool owners either have traditional chlorine pools or salt pools.
Today, we're here to tell you that there's a third option. At River Pools, we call this sanitation method the River Pools Easy Water Care System.
As fiberglass pool manufacturers who also install pools around our home base in Virginia, we've worked hard to perfect our sanitation system to give our customers a better experience as pool owners.
Because we know that regular pool maintenance is crucial to the upkeep of your inground pool, we wanted to make sure that taking care of your pool could be as easy and effective as possible.
In this article, we'll break down what the River Pools Easy Water Care System is, how it works, how much it might cost, and why it might be a great option for your swimming pool.
Let's start by explaining what goes into the River Pools Easy Water Care System. For the sake of brevity, we might refer to it as Easy Water Care.
River Pools Easy Water Care System Components
There are two main parts to our Easy Water Care System:
- Pentair Bioshield 80W UV system
- XL Pro Mineral and Chlorine Feeder Combination Unit, by Frog Pool Products
Pentair Bioshield 80W UV System
Sanitizing with ultraviolet light is one half of our Easy Water Care system. A UV sanitation system can safely sanitize your pool water using a UV bulb to eliminate microorganisms within seconds. You can say goodbye to Crypto, Giardia, E.coli, and a host of other waterborne pathogens that make swimmers sick.
UV systems can also reduce the amount of chlorine that you need to add to your pool to keep it properly sanitized, which is perfect for anyone who gets itchy skin and eyes after swimming.
Note: UV cannot replace chlorine as it's meant to be a supplemental sanitizer, but it can reduce the amount of chlorine that your pool needs.
Generally, UV systems are also energy-efficient, easy to install and maintain, and cheap to operate.
XL Pro Mineral and Chlorine Feeder Combination Unit
The second half of our Easy Water Care system is an XL Pro Mineral and Chlorine Feeder Combination Unit (XL Pro for short). XL Pro kills bacteria two ways using minerals and up to 50% less chlorine.
This results in what we call Fresh Mineral Water®. The water feels softer, looks clearer, and takes much less time and effort to maintain.
How the Easy Water Care System Works
UV systems and XL Pros are two components that anyone can add to their swimming pool filtration and sanitation system. But using them together is what makes pool sanitation so much more efficient.
Here's a detailed overview of how our system works:
First, the water goes through the filtration and heating systems before flowing through the UV chamber. As the water passes through the UV system, the light zaps away microorganisms and eliminates chloramines, taking the chlorine smell with them.
Bonus: Without chloramines, you will likely no longer see a need to shock your pool.
Once your water journeys through the UV system, it enters the Mineral Cartridge of the XL Pro. The mineral system contains copper and silver, which further sanitizes and disinfects the water through the process of ionization.
Fun fact: Copper is the active ingredient in many high-grade algaecides and can help prevent algae in your pool.
Next, your pool water will flow through the pre-loaded chlorine cartridges for a low dose of chlorine. That gives you three layers of protection before your water returns to the pool.
How much does the Easy Water Care System cost?
Now, let's talk numbers. You probably won't find these components neatly bundled up and packed for you, so here's how much the individual parts might cost.
XL Pro
Chlorine: You might expect to spend an average of $250 per season on chlorine. Remember, the cost for chlorine could be double in a traditional chlorine pool.
Mineral cartridges: A single mineral cartridge should last you at least one season and may cost around $113 each time.
The total price per season for your XL Pro should be around $365 for an average-sized pool. This includes the cost of the chlorine and mineral cartridges.
Setup and installation: To get your XL pro installed, you're going to need three additional two-way valves, which cost around $40 each. This adds a total of $120 for installation, but it's not a recurring cost.
UV System
UV System price: The UV product that we use as part of our Easy Water Care system costs around $445. UV systems shouldn't need to be replaced often as they can last many years.
Replacement bulbs: An average UV light bulb costs around $75 to $100, but the bulb in your UV system will likely last at least three years. You probably won't be replacing your bulb every year, but if we spread out the cost, you might expect to pay around $30 per year on UV bulb replacements.
Installing Easy Water Care
Installing our Easy Water Care System is pretty simple, but there are two things that you need to keep in mind:
- The XL Pro must be on a bypass to better control chlorine use
- The UV must be next to last in line before returning to the pool and XL Pro last in line
Setting up your components this way can ensure the safest and most effective sanitation of your pool water.
What are the benefits of River Pools Easy Water Care System?
We wouldn't take the time to develop a new system if we didn't think that the existing ones had any room for improvement. But as we have seen over many years in the pool industry, chlorine and salt sanitation systems are far from perfect.
So, to give you an idea of why our system might be a better choice, here's a quick breakdown of the River Pools Easy Water Care System benefits.
It's Safe
The River Pools Easy Water Care System offers three layers of protection, killing bacteria using UV, minerals, and chlorine. This method is safer and more cost-efficient than using chlorine alone. In fact, you may end up using 75% less chlorine than a traditional chlorine or salt pool, which can minimize negative side effects like itchy skin and burning eyes.
It Offers the Best Water Quality
In all of our years of building, owning, and maintaining pools, this system offers the highest water quality that we have seen. First, the minerals and UV leave the water fresh and sanitized. It's also much softer and doesn't have a strong chlorine smell. Finally, the water is gentler on eyes and skin, thanks to reduced chlorine use, and won't leave you with redness or irritation. As a bonus, your bathing suit won't fade as it often might in a regular chlorine pool.
It's Convenient
One thing that we love about this system is that it's much more convenient than the average traditional chlorine system. With Easy Water Care, you'll never have to handle chlorine tablets (XL Pacs are pre-loaded chlorine tablet cartridges), and you won't need to use granular chlorine "shock" because the UV light eliminates chloramines. Did we mention that you won't be exposed to harsh chlorine smells while taking care of your pool?
It's Easy to Maintain
The easier your pool is to maintain, the more likely it is that you will stay on top of your maintenance chores. At least that's how it goes for many pool owners. To make your life simpler, you'll only need to replace your mineral pack once per year. The chlorine packs will need to be replaced every 3 to 5 weeks. The UV lamp is the easiest part as it only needs to be replaced about once every three years.
It's Cost-Effective
You might spend around $350 per season on Easy Water Care, or $380 on average when you include UV lamp replacement costs. This price is relatively low compared to saltwater pools (you'll spend $1,000 to $2,000 every 3-5 years replacing the generator cell and control board alone).
For a traditional chlorine pool, you might spend $500 or more on chlorine alone per season, and you won't get the threefold protection that Easy Water Care provides.
Since this is the first time that we're publicly introducing our River Pools Easy Water Care System, we know that you might have questions. Please don't hesitate to ask them below, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
At River Pools, we manufacture fiberglass pools for customers across North America. If you're interested in getting a fiberglass pool with the River Pools Easy Water Care System, you can fill out our contact request form using the button below, and we'll get in touch with you soon to walk you through your options. Happy swimming!
Up Next:
The Ultimate Guide to Inground Swimming Pool Maintenance
Swimming Pool Sanitizers: The 7 Best Options to Consider (Pros/Cons)