Swimming Pool Sanitation

by: Aditi Joshi

Bathing in swimming pool is very enjoying moment for anyone but if you refuse to proper sanitation then there will be a chance for being sick. To stop the growth of germs in your swimming pool, sanitation of chemicals in pool or spas water is necessary. There are some major points which we have to always remind in our mind.

1. These germs can cause contagion in ears, nose and gullet and possibly other more risky diseases like Meningitis.

2. Germs control is simply consummate by adding a sanitizer (most commonly Hypochlorous Acid or simply "chlorine") frequently, and then passing the water through a filter to eliminate the dead germs.

We then require being confident that any extra germs inflowing the water is met by a "sanitizer residual" in enough meditation to kill this new germs as frequently as possible.

The swimmers and bathers are the main base for germs in pool’s water. Other sources are top-up water and garbage, such as leaves, grass, soil, etc. Pets can add extensively to germs levels. A large dog can infect up to twenty times the volume of water that a human can.

But it’s not a matter of serious worry. It is generally accepted that most harmful bacteria will be killed when exposed to a "free chlorine residual" as low as one milligram per liter or, in other words one part per million (ppm). By frequently examination of pool’s water and including the desired amount of chlorine to the water, a residual level of 1.0 or 2.0 ppm is simply managed.

Types of chlorine:

There are various forms of chlorine available in the market. Granular, liquid, or tablet, and can also be stabilized or un-stabilized. There is also a product salt water chlorinator available in the market by which chlorine is generated. Each of these different forms has its own characteristics and advantages. For instance, granular chlorine is convenient, easy to store and relatively cheap, however it cannot be dosed automatically. On the other hand, liquid chlorine is bulky and can't be stored for long periods, but can be dosed automatically. All are suitable sanitizers for your pool, so select the type that best outfits your finances and existence. Anyway you choose any form to use the need for a residual of 1.0 to 2.0 ppm remains the same.

Safety Note:

1. Never mix other chemicals even mixture of chlorine. It may result fire and/or explosion.

2. Stabilizing refers to the mixing of isocyanuric acid (or "Stabiliser") with chlorine, to protect it from UV rays, which drastically decrease its efficiency. Isocyanuric acid can also be added manually to the pool.

Salt Chlorinator:

As the name suggests, these units produce chlorine in the pool water using a process of electrolysis to convert sodium chloride (salt) into hypochlorous acid. These units are available in different sizes to suit different size pools. Be sure the unit you select is capable of producing sufficient chlorine to meet your maximum requirements. No matter which one you choose, you may still need to add extra chlorine from time to time to make sure a satisfactory residual level is maintained.

The stage of stabilizer in the water should be checked frequently if you are using stabilized chlorine artifacts or are including stabilizer to the pool, the level of, as in doing its job, it does not get used up like other chemicals in the pool. If the stabilizer level gets too elevated, it can in fact restrain the effectiveness of the chlorine.

Chlorine Smell:

Many pool owners criticize about the smell of chlorine and think that the pool may have too much chlorine in it. In fact, the conflicting is most likely the case. Not having enough chlorine in the pool will result in the chlorine smell and also lead to users suffering with sore eyes and itchy skin. The reason this is so, is that a by-product of chlorination is the creation of chloramines. These chloramines are the smelly little beasts that cause all the hassle. For being free from them, we require to add more chlorine. It is for this reason that, from time to time, the pool needs "superchlorination".

Heated Pool:

A heated pool will need extra chlorine than a non-heated pool. The reason for that is chlorine used up much more speedily in hot water. Stabilized chlorine products should not be used in heated pools as their effectiveness is greatly reduced.

Major Points to remember:

1. Always maintain a chlorine residual of 1.0 to 2.0 ppm (milligrams per litre)

2. Select the product that best suits you

3. Chlorine smell generally means not enough chlorine

4. A heated pool will require more chlorine

5. Never mix chemicals