Important Swimming Pool Chemistry Considerations
Because swimming pools sometimes accommodate a variety of different people at a time, it is important to maintain a specific swimming pool chemistry in order to combat against the spread of disease and illness through the water.
Properly maintaining the balance of chemicals in your pool environment can be a difficult task, especially if your pools gets a lot of use by several different swimmers on a regular basis.
The reality of public pools is that most swimmers are unaware of the fact that their own hygiene can play a huge role in the safety and cleanliness of any pool facility.
For this reason, the responsibility of public pool operators to keep the pool safe and clean is very important.
In this article, some of the different aspects of swimming pool chemistry will be discussed for the benefit of swimmers and pool owners everywhere.
- Using Chlorine as a Component of Pool Cleanliness and Swimming Pool Chemistry Most public and private pools all across the world use chlorine to insure that their pool is disinfected and safe.
Chlorine is used as a pool disinfectant to safeguard swimmers against illnesses like swimmer's ear, diarrhea, and certain different types of skin infections.
Although alternatives to chlorine have been introduced in years past, chlorine is still a favorite among pool owners and operators for its reliability and strength with regard to its ability to keep even the most active pools clean and safe.
Beyond its purpose of destroying waterborne germs, chlorine can also destroy algae and other waterborne organisms.
Often times a facility will use a particular type of chlorine known as "free chlorine" for the purpose of maintaining a sanitary pool environment.
Free chlorine refers to a combination of hypochlorite ion and hypochlorous acid.
It is recommended by the World Health Organization that free chlorine levels be maintained at up to 3 parts per million (PPM) in order to insure that the pool is safe, clean, and ready to be enjoyed by swimmers.
- Monitoring pH in a Pool Environment: Swimming Pool Chemistry Monitoring the pH and free chlorine levels is the key to maintaining a happy and healthy facility.
Since free chlorine becomes a much weaker disinfectant once it has become oxidized (this occurs when the chlorine molecules chemically react with organic matter in the pool), it is important that pool operators make sure that their free chlorine levels are high enough to effectively kill germs and other unwanted organisms.
An ideal pH level to maintain is somewhere within the slightly alkaline pH range between 7.
2 and 7.
8.
This level of pH is ideal for the germs and algae to be destroyed.
At the same time the pool water will be comfortable for swimmers.
Aside from maintaining an effective swimming pool chemistry, each individual swimmer must be willing to make contributions to pool sanitation.
This includes making sure to thoroughly wash one's body before entering a pool and making sure to never urinate in a pool because this can quickly degrade the safety of the pool's water.
Properly maintaining the balance of chemicals in your pool environment can be a difficult task, especially if your pools gets a lot of use by several different swimmers on a regular basis.
The reality of public pools is that most swimmers are unaware of the fact that their own hygiene can play a huge role in the safety and cleanliness of any pool facility.
For this reason, the responsibility of public pool operators to keep the pool safe and clean is very important.
In this article, some of the different aspects of swimming pool chemistry will be discussed for the benefit of swimmers and pool owners everywhere.
- Using Chlorine as a Component of Pool Cleanliness and Swimming Pool Chemistry Most public and private pools all across the world use chlorine to insure that their pool is disinfected and safe.
Chlorine is used as a pool disinfectant to safeguard swimmers against illnesses like swimmer's ear, diarrhea, and certain different types of skin infections.
Although alternatives to chlorine have been introduced in years past, chlorine is still a favorite among pool owners and operators for its reliability and strength with regard to its ability to keep even the most active pools clean and safe.
Beyond its purpose of destroying waterborne germs, chlorine can also destroy algae and other waterborne organisms.
Often times a facility will use a particular type of chlorine known as "free chlorine" for the purpose of maintaining a sanitary pool environment.
Free chlorine refers to a combination of hypochlorite ion and hypochlorous acid.
It is recommended by the World Health Organization that free chlorine levels be maintained at up to 3 parts per million (PPM) in order to insure that the pool is safe, clean, and ready to be enjoyed by swimmers.
- Monitoring pH in a Pool Environment: Swimming Pool Chemistry Monitoring the pH and free chlorine levels is the key to maintaining a happy and healthy facility.
Since free chlorine becomes a much weaker disinfectant once it has become oxidized (this occurs when the chlorine molecules chemically react with organic matter in the pool), it is important that pool operators make sure that their free chlorine levels are high enough to effectively kill germs and other unwanted organisms.
An ideal pH level to maintain is somewhere within the slightly alkaline pH range between 7.
2 and 7.
8.
This level of pH is ideal for the germs and algae to be destroyed.
At the same time the pool water will be comfortable for swimmers.
Aside from maintaining an effective swimming pool chemistry, each individual swimmer must be willing to make contributions to pool sanitation.
This includes making sure to thoroughly wash one's body before entering a pool and making sure to never urinate in a pool because this can quickly degrade the safety of the pool's water.