Chemical Setup Guide — Chemicals, Testing & Filter Types

The Claritech copper-silver ionisation system reduces your chemical usage by up to 90% — but it works best when paired with a small, regular dose of an oxidiser. Here's why, and exactly what you'll need based on your setup.

Why You Still Need an Oxidiser

Ionisation is a powerful sanitiser — it destroys algae, bacteria, and viruses. But it cannot oxidise (break down) non-living organic matter like sunscreen, sweat, body oils, pollen, and urine. Without an oxidiser, this dissolved organic waste accumulates and eventually causes dull, cloudy water.

Think of it as a tag-team: the ioniser does the killing, the oxidiser does the cleaning.

Here's something that surprises most people: there is no standard residential pool test for dissolved organic waste. You can't dip a test strip into the water to measure how much sunscreen or sweat has built up. Instead, you test from the opposite angle — you test to see if there's still oxidiser left working in the water. This leftover amount is called the residual. If the residual reads zero, the oxidiser has been used up and it's time to add more.

What You'll Need Based on Your Setup

• Cartridge Filter Pool: Minimal weekly oxidiser dose required. Your filter handles physical debris, but dissolved organics still need an oxidiser to break down.
• Sand Filter Pool: Still requires a minimal weekly oxidiser dose — the sand filter handles physical debris, but dissolved organics (sweat, oils, sunscreen) are microscopic and dissolve into the water, passing through any physical filter media. An oxidiser is needed to break them down.
• Spa Pool: A small dose of oxidiser weekly or after heavy use. Heated water accelerates organic buildup, so staying on top of it weekly keeps things effortless.
• Saltwater Chlorinator Pool: No additional oxidiser needed — your chlorinator (turned down to 10–15% output) generates enough chlorine to handle oxidation, while the Claritech system takes over 90% of the sanitising load. Note: you'll still need to top up pool salt periodically to keep your chlorinator fed, and monitor pH regularly — salt chlorinators can cause pH drift, so keep pH between 7.2 and 7.4 as part of your weekly routine.

What Oxidiser Should I Use?

Non-chlorine shock (MPS / potassium monopersulphate) is the preferred choice — it's gentle, odourless, and won't affect your copper ion levels. A small amount of liquid chlorine also works if that's what you have on hand.

Visual Cue

If your water ever looks dull or loses its sparkle, that's your signal to add a quick maintenance dose of oxidiser. Don't wait for this to happen — a proactive weekly dose prevents the water from ever getting dull in the first place.

Weekly Testing Protocol

A simple weekly test keeps your water in perfect condition and ensures the system is working optimally. Since you're not running a traditional chlorine pool, your testing routine looks slightly different — and it's actually simpler.

Step 1: Check Your pH (Weekly — Non-Negotiable)

This is the most important step and must be done every week without exception. With a copper-silver system, keeping pH in the right range ensures the ions stay active in suspension and prevents any risk of copper staining on pool surfaces. Keep your pH strictly between 7.2 and 7.4 for optimal performance. Total Alkalinity (TA) should be kept between 80–120 ppm to prevent pH from bouncing around.

Note: while the system functions across a wide pH range of 6.5–9.5, the 7.2–7.4 range is the sweet spot for ion stability and stain prevention.

Step 2: Check Your Copper Levels (Weekly at First, Then Monthly)

Use the supplied copper ion test kit to check copper levels. Maintain the target range of 0.7–1.0 mg/L for both models.

• NEC-20 target range: 0.7–1.0 mg/L. Use the supplied pool tester's middle chamber and low-range copper scale (LR), following the manual's reagent instructions. Adjust runtime using the supplied timer and test regularly to maintain this range. Only operate the unit while the pump is circulating water.
• NEC-2000 target range: 0.7–1.0 mg/L. Adjust the Current and Time settings according to the NEC-2000 manual.
• Break-in period (first 2–4 weeks): Test weekly while adjusting your model's runtime or settings to achieve 0.7–1.0 mg/L. Every pool is different, so this initial tuning phase is important.
• Once stable: Check every 2–4 weeks to confirm everything is running as expected.

For the NEC-20, the manual shows 0.8 mg/L as an example within the target range. Increased ion levels can shorten electrode life and may discolour plastic or metal pool parts; avoid increasing runtime unnecessarily.

Step 3: Check Your Oxidiser Residual (Weekly)

Because you can't test for organic waste directly, you test for the oxidiser residual instead. When the oxidiser runs out of waste to burn, a small amount stays in the water as a residual. When that hits zero, it's time to add more.

• If using Non-Chlorine Shock (MPS): Use MPS test strips to check for an active residual. If it reads zero, add your weekly dose.
• If using liquid chlorine: Use a standard chlorine test, aiming for ~0.5 ppm — far below the 2.0–4.0 ppm of a traditional chlorine pool. If it reads 0 ppm, add your weekly dose.
• If using a salt chlorinator: No separate oxidiser test needed — your chlorinator handles this automatically at 10–15% output.

The easiest approach: skip the residual test and simply add a small proactive maintenance dose of oxidiser once a week. This guarantees organic waste is constantly being burned off before it ever has a chance to cloud the water.

Ongoing System Maintenance

• Clean electrodes periodically by soaking in an acid detergent bath — do not allow liquid to contact the control head
• Replace electrodes when the error light illuminates, or approximately every 2–5 years depending on usage and pool volume
• NEC-20 electrodes (part no. C21031): approx. 2–3 years in pools up to 20,000L
• NEC-2000 electrodes (part no. C90009): approx. 3–5 years in pools up to 60,000L

The Bottom Line

You're not going back to a chemical-heavy pool. You're using a fraction of what a traditional chlorine system requires — with better water quality, no harsh smells, and no red eyes. The oxidiser is just the finishing touch that keeps everything crystal clear.

Have a question? Visit our FAQ page or get in touch — we're happy to help.