Ecosmarte may be our closest competitor.
We may have a similar deliverable but our Science and Technology are COMPLETELY different.
Before you compare our fiberglass swimming pool systems, compare the difference between our Companies.
Here is a link to the Better Business Bureau for both companies.
Ecosmarte:
http://minnesota.app.bbb.org/report/23002635/?&language=1
CL Free Swimming Pool Water Systems: Viking Pools.
http://www.bbb.org/central-northern-western-arizona/business-reviews/water-filtration-and-purification-equipment/cl-free-water-systems-in-fountain-hills-az-9002190/
As you can see, ECOsmarte is NOT accredited by the BBB and have had many complaints in the last three years.
ECOsmarte is not listed as a Water Treatment or a Pool purification Company. They list themselves as selling “Plumbing Supplies”.
CL Free Water Systems has the highest Rating (A+). We are accredited by the BBB and have been in business over a decade. We ARE listed as Water Purification Company.
Ecosmarte filed for bankruptcy protection in June 2009 and as of this date. is still not out of chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Please check the internet for verification. Google “Ecosmarte bankruptcy”.
We do not like to bad mouth any Company, we are trying to give you ALL the necessary information to make an informed decision.
There are MANY differences between the CL Free Systems and Ecosmarte.
Here are some of the major points.
Ecosmarte has (or had) three different swimming pools systems.
The Turbo ($2195.00) This is a Manual Toggle switch unit. You must actually move a toggle switch back and forth between the ionize and oxidize settings. Switching the toggle, up or down, shuts one process off when the other is running. You must manually turn the unit on and off as seen in this picture. If you cut the power cord and try to hard wire this system into your swimming pool pump timer, you will lose the UL listing.
This swimming pool system cannot oxidize and ionize at the same time.
This fiberglass pool system must be manually turned on and off every day.
Ecosmarte suggests that you turn on the Oxidize setting and leave it there until the copper level falls below .5 ppm.
Because this system does not inject copper every day, the copper Level needs to be checked several times a week to make sure it does not fall below the .5 ppm.
If the system falls below .5ppm of copper, you have no algae protection and below .15 you will have no active sanitation.
The Programmable ($3965.00) (NON Digital LCD clock Timer)
Ecosmarte may have discontinued this model.
This fiberglass swimming pool system is just like your old LCD alarm clock in the bedroom.
You must manually input and set today’s time and date and then set every day of the week, on and off, to match you pool pump timers on and off time. If you lose power and these times (between the pump and the ecosmarte system) do not match, you may have major issues.
Bad, would be if the swimming pool pump turns on and the ecosmate system does not (you will have NO sanitation or Oxidation).
Worse, is if the pump does NOT turn on and the ecosmarte system does.
This could cause a "Dry Cell" condition causing the distruction of the plates in the flow chamber. (very expensive problem).
They say they have a battery backup but this will not reset the clock to the proper settings to match your swimming pool pump run times.
The Automated ($4995.00) (Non Digital LCD Clock Timer) This system is the same system as the Programmable system above.
Their Co2 system does NOT read the pH of the water. It injects CO2 on a pre-set timer, 20 to 40 minutes a day, even if you do not need it.
If you do not adjust the number of minutes constantly, you can easily over inject Co2 and crash the pH well below 7.0 (which is pH netural) into the acidic range with the so called automated system.
How is this Automated?
You can also under inject the Co2. This will make the Ph climb to the point that their sanitation process will become ineffective.
CL Free offers two models for your Fiberglass Swimming Pool for your Viking Pool
The "Classic" and the "Ultra"
Both models share the same exact Sanitation process using Oxidation and Ionization.
The CL Free “Classic”
The CL Free Digital “Classic” Pool System has three components, A Flow Chamber, the Digital Controller and a Flow switch.
The Computer Controller converts Dangerous, 120V A/C into harmless, low Voltage D/C (like a radio battery). The low volt D/C current is sent to a set of TITANIUM / PLATINUM ALLOY plates that are in the Flow Chamber. When the Fiberglass Swimming Pool water touches these Titanium / Platinum plates we get the actual electro-physical separation of water molecule (H2o into H2-O). This separation forms free oxygen atoms and hydroxyl (OH). This process is called Oxidation. The OXYGEN / Oxidation will burn up suntan lotion, body fluids, viral, bacterial, algae, fungus and mold that are killed by the Ionization process. NO Chlorine, Stabilizer, Algaecide, Fungicide are needed. You simply adjust your pH on a weekly basis.
The Computer Controller allows Copper Ions to be kept at a very low .5 to .7 parts per million for pools (.015 for Whole House Systems). This amount of copper Ions are less than 50% of the E.P.A.'s drinking water standard. You could actually drink two to three gallons of your swimming pool water every day and you would have no more Copper intake than a common multi-vitamin.
The Computer will only release copper ions for ONE hour each day in a 24 hour period or when your pool pump starts. In order to maintain the .5 to .7 parts per million of Copper Ions you have an unlimited number of maintenance power levels to choose from. The power level selected is based on the size (gallons) of your Fiberglass Pool.
The CL Free “Ultra”
The “Ultra” Viking swimming pool System has the same basic functions as the “Classic” swimming pool system so far as
sanitation is concerned with one Hugh added benefit.
Automated pH management
A CL Free pH sensor will read the pH of your Viking pool water every 5 minutes and display the actual pH of the water on the pool controller every 30 seconds.
When the fiberglass swimming pool water pH rises above the setting you choose (normal pH is between 7.2 to no higher than 7.6) our system will start injecting Co2 until the pH is back to the normal setting.
When you mix Co2 with water it becomes a very mild form of Carbonic Acid. The Carbonic acid will take the place of having to use Muriatic acid to adjust pH down.
The amount of Co2 needed is approximately 35 pounds of Co2 per 15,000 gallon pool every 6 to 8 weeks.
You can get Co2 at any welding supply Company. We recommend that you get Co2 tanks no smaller than a 35 pound tank. A 35 pound Co2 tan is about the same size as a skin divers tank.
No chance of over injecting or under injecting and we have no wasted Co2.
Our system will only inject Co2 when necessary.
We want the Viking fiberglass swimming pool to have Normal water chemistry.
- Normal pH is 7.2 to 7.6.
- Normal alkalinity 85 to 120
- Normal Calcium 200-400
ALL their systems are either totally manual or simple clock timers, NOT Digital Microprocessor based like ours is Their systems are not able to oxidize and ionize at the same time. Our does.
They are in either one mode or the other. We oxidize and ionize at the same time.They suggest that you run their system for 6 days in the oxidize setting and 1 day in the ionize setting.
In order for you to get enough copper (ionization) in one day, you must change the “normal water chemistry”. You must lower your pH to 6.5 to 6.8 and raise your calcium level to 400ppm to 900ppm or higher. Copper stays in solution in an acidic condition.
Having the acid at this level is damaging to your Viking swimming pool equipment and your pool surface. It is almost impossible to get and keep this level on a weekly basis (ask any pool professional). It is also unhealthy.
You cannot check alkalinity as the pool is never in an alkaline environment.
Our system will oxidize all the time the fiberglass swimming pool pump runs and will only ionize for 1 (one) hour each day, when the pump starts up in the morning. You have an unlimited number of power settings to select from, so that you get the same amount of copper ions on a daily basis. 7 days a week.
The power setting on our computer is selected based on the size of your fiberglass pool (gallons). We have no switches and do not require you to program anything.
Our systems come with a custom Flow switch. When your pump comes on, our computer comes on. When your pump shuts down our computer shuts down. Simple.
Last but not least,
Because they make you put so much calcium in the pool, the swimming pool water may become cloudy so Ecosmarte will make you change your filtration system if you do not have a D.E. filter. They will try to sell you their Glass Media and a new sand filter.
This will add about $800.00 to $900.00 extra plus installation. This is just a marketing tool to make additional income.
We do not require you to change your filtration system but we do suggest that you change the media in the filter to new as your old filtration media is contaminated with chemicals. There are many more differences but we think you get the point.
Our Pool systems are ALL DIGITAL Microprocessor Driven.
We have only 2 models. The “Classic” and the “Ultra”
We DO NOT believe in a manual system.
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