Swimming Pool Sanitation

On a hot summer day, swimming pools are the way to cool down. The clear sapphire water, scented with chlorine beckons for a large belly flop. However, deep inside these indigo waters lay dangerous bacteria, pollutants, and other hazardous chemicals. How are we to protect swimmers from this hidden danger?

The clear solution for keeping swimming pools safe is proper and frequent maintenance. Various methods exist for cleaning swimming pools to keep the water looking clear and clean, while also preventing pools from becoming hives of infectious bacteria, diseases, and chemicals.

The first and most widely used of these methods is the chlorine/bromine sanitization method. These methods make use of the halogen properties of the chemicals. Both chlorine and bromine have been demonstrated to be very effective in killing bacteria. The chemical can be added in a variety of forms. The most basic form is adding pure Cl₂ gas to a pool. This method is often used to sanitize large public pools. Another way to sanitize a pool is to add sodium hypochlorite, more commonly known as bleach, to a pool. Often, concentrations of chlorine must reach at least 10 parts per million (ppm) to the water in the pool in order to be completely effective.

Oftentimes, simply using chlorine may not be enough to be completely safe. Another method in cleaning a pool is through oxidation. This method often cannot be done without the help of professionals, and is often done using a commercial service. This method requires the use of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). The AOPs, reacting with the water, produce powerful, pathogen-killing compounds such as OH-, a radical O ion, and molecular oxygen (O₂).

Another major way to clean a pool is through the installation of filtration systems. These systems are different than the above methods because this method does not require the addition of chemicals to the pool, but rather requires the addition of a permanent pump in the pool. The primary function of this method is too recirculate water throughout the pool, while flushing out contaminants. One drawback of the filtration method is that they often require a constant electrical supply to the power unit. This may lead to a deep energy drawback, and would hurt your wallet during the summer. However, even with these drawbacks the pump system is one of most used because it is easy to control and maintain, even with the extra cost.

Overall, the main objective of all these sanitation methods is to rid swimming pools of dangerous bacteria that could harm you and your family. It is important to invest in such swimming pool cleaning and sanitation services and tools in order to ensure the safety of all users of swimming pools.