Not too long ago, I covered the Card on Guard Tube for one of Techigar’s tech blurbs. The idea is to help reduce chlorine in pools and spas by up to 50% or more. That’s because, while we still use chlorine in pools to sanitize water, those chemicals aren’t ideal for our bodies. Using natural light, Card on Guard, a solar sanitizer, cleanses water, thereby reducing the necessary chlorine for sanitization.

The real science behind it, as simply as I can put it, works like this. Proprietary BioPhotonX UV light conversion technology embedded in the Card on Guard tube captures and magnifies UV light. That helps it break down portions of water molecules, which reform into Free Radicals — those attack, weaken and inhibit the reproduction of bacteria in the water. It works in both standard chlorine and saltwater pools, the latter of which we have.

I keep the salt levels in our pool at the high end of the recommended range. Around 2,800 to 3,000 parts per million (ppm). That’s because our pool is directly under the sun, all day long. The sun rises and sets at opposite ends of our pool. The more sunlight water gets, especially in this heat and humidity, the more likely you’ll see contaminants and bacteria, like green or black mold. We have had a mold issue before, so I’m no stranger to pools collecting nasty stuff.

If you’re not familiar with saltwater pools, a small device connected to the pump called a salt cell effectively turns dissolved salt in the water into chlorine. That sanitizes the water, just like using pure or standard pool chlorine. Overall, it’s better for the skin and body, but it’s also still chlorine and can be harsh. Your eyes don’t hurt as much or dry out in a saltwater pool. Although if you swim for a long time they can still become irritated.

Okay, cool, so what’s the big deal?

Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar

It will take time, but what I’m doing is reviewing the Card on Guard Tube to report how it works. I’ll be placing one in my pool and reducing the overall chlorine concentration by lowering the salt over time. That can be a scary thing to do. Because as I’ve said, mold and nasty stuff can grow quickly when the cleaning system is not running optimally.

Not only will I be reducing the amount of chlorine produced at the pump and salt cell controller, but also I won’t be pouring as much salt into the pool. That reduction, without a proper sanitizer, would be disastrous. I know if you don’t own a pool you probably don’t want to hear anyone complaining about the maintenance required to have one. But if this works, and Card on Guard is successful, it will be both cheaper and less work to maintain our saltwater pool — and that’s good news for everyone.

I’m not pretending to be Lewis and Clark, embarking upon a mysterious and dangerous mission. But I am essentially taking a risk that most homeowners and pool owners would prefer not to do, at least not without proper reassurance. That’s not a knock on Card on Guard’s brand, either. The company offers innovative products that have taken home numerous awards over the years, like Technology Innovator 2015, reddot award 2016 and more.

What’s the actual plan?

Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar

Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar

Card on Guard requires no pump or equipment modifications and no gear installs. With the tube, you simply drop one in your pool and it covers up to 10,000 gallons. Our pool is about 7,000 gallons, give or take, so we’ll only need a single tube. Moreover, one tube lasts up to six months, while two lasts for an entire year.

If we do the math, a two-pack of Card on Guard tubes is $68. Meanwhile, a single 40 pound bag of pool salt is about $8 at the cheapest. I buy, on average, about five or six bags of salt per year. That’s about $48 for just the salt alone (6 x $8). That’s not including any maintenance or parts for the pump, any other chemicals I use like shock or algaecide, or even the time required to clean the pool — like scrubbing residues off the tile.

The salt cell, for example, needs to be cleaned with acid regularly throughout the year. The pool filter and pump need to be cleaned with regular consistency. Salt needs to be added once in a while, especially after a big storm with lots of rain. Now, some of these maintenance tasks can’t be avoided and I’ll still need to buy supplies and invest time to handle the duties. But with the Card on Guard, if it does as promised, that maintenance will be significantly less of a lift overall.

That’s a small price to pay for cutting down on a lot of maintenance, including costs, but we’ll see soon enough. I will be reporting back with my experience. Warp speed, Mr. Sulu.