Ultimate Water, Inc., San Diego-based manufacturer of the Chlorine Genie, prides itself on making work easier for those who maintain pools.
While standard methods for getting chlorine into a pool are to add either chemicals or salt directly to the water, the Chlorine Genie skews in a different direction, resulting in water free of additives. All the magic happens inside the Chlorine Genie to maintain proper chlorine levels: Salt and water are mixed in the unit to create a brine that generates pure chlorine through electrolysis. The chlorine is then fed directly into the pool.
“Without the Chlorine Genie, an average size pool with a traditional salt water system can require 30 to 40 bags of salt a year to be deposited directly into the pool water,” says Gabe Giordano, president and founder of Ultimate Water, Inc. “With the Chlorine Genie the salt does not go directly into the pool water. Instead, it goes into the brine tank and it only requires about four to five bags of salt a year, with none of the negative salt byproducts sitting in the pool.”
Giordano formed Ultimate Water in 2020 to purchase the Chlorine Genie patents and intellectual property. On the heels of winning Best in Show at the International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo’s 2021 Product Showcase in November, Ultimate Water continues to refine the product, which originally debuted in 1995.
“The Chlorine Genie pays for itself because of the lower maintenance costs and the significant reduction in chemicals needed,” says Giordano, who reports seeing common issues like corrosion, early deterioration of pool equipment and build up of salt on plaster and coping with traditional salt systems that add the salt directly to the pool. “This damage is costly and avoidable with the Chlorine Genie,” he adds.
The Chlorine Genie has a valve that can be opened or closed to control the amount of sodium hydroxide that is returned to the pool, says Patrick Lajoie, Chlorine Genie’s director of business development, adding that this lowers the pH over time, thus reducing the use of acid products.
When Giordano came across the Chlorine Genie, he saw it as “a diamond in the rough,” he says, recognizing that the product was poised to move from a regional to a national and global product. Giordano says he could see the Chlorine Genie’s true potential and knew Ultimate Water would give this product the support and exposure needed. He believes the Chlorine Genie is positioned to set the new industry standard on how to sanitize pool water and that, within 10 years, no one will be putting salt directly into their pools to generate natural chlorine.
Much of that confidence is due to a new, state-of-the-art and ISO-certified production facility making the units, with a strong research and development team consisting of chemical and industrial engineers, along with experts in polymer engineering and fluid dynamics.
The new facility can produce thousands of units via assembly line, Giordano says. He’s also been ramping up customer support to help sustain that growth. “We want to make sure pool pros are getting the proper knowledge to install, run, maintain and service the Chlorine Genie inside and out so they can help provide their customers with ultimate water in their pools,” he says.
Ryan Beauchamp, who manages a 136-unit apartment complex with two pools in National City, California, was so impressed with the Chlorine Genie — the first automatic chlorinating system he’s used — that he installed a second one in early December. That it doesn’t take up much room or make any noise are two additional benefits, Beauchamp says, adding that he’s also not falling victim to the rising price of chlorine, because the product uses less.
“Depending on demand, the Chlorine Genie can produce more than enough chlorine for most residential pools, reducing the amount of shock [needed],” Lajoie says. The timer must be adjusted up or down to maintain proper chlorine levels, he adds, and a non-chlorine shock or chlorine shock can be used as needed for maintenance.
Most of all, Beauchamp appreciates that his pool inspections go more smoothly. “[Before,] if the pool guy’s not there Monday to rebalance all the chemicals and the city shows up that day, they could shut the pool down,” he says. “[With the Chlorine Genie,] we still have to monitor the system, but it makes it easier for us.”
Giordano himself is a customer: He’s had the Chlorine Genie connected to his pool for nearly two years and has put in only eight bags of salt. “The service component is merely turning a valve every few weeks to lower or raise the pH level,” he says. “My pool water has never looked better and has only required a handful of stabilizer twice within the last 19 months.”
Having that flexibility to adjust the pH levels pays off. “If all the sodium hydroxide is returned to the pool like inline salt systems,” Lajoie says, “the pH will rise over time and must be reduced by opening the pH valve of the Chlorine Genie.”
Phil Gelhaus reports similar results as Beauchamp at his 65,000-gallon pool in El Dorado Hills, California, where he installed the Chlorine Genie early last year. His late uncle owned a 100,000-gallon commercial pool at a swim club in Northern California and worked with the Chlorine Genie’s developer for decades. “We both believed in Chlorine Genie’s concept to create pure hypochlorous acid, HOCl chlorine, made poolside,” he says. “The salt-brine solution is a very effective method for a pool oxidizer.”
