In the event of an Accidental Fecal Release (AFR), the CDC has published a recommended limit of Cyanuric Acid (CYA) at 15 ppm for commercial swimming pools. The vast majority of outdoor pools in America have far more than 15 ppm of CYA already, so what can be done?
Any pool is capable of having world class water clarity, provided they have the right components and management practices. Most pools face cloudy pool water at least some of the time. In this article, we focus on the pools that consistently have stunning water clarity. What are they doing differently?
Have you ever asked "what's the difference between pH and alkalinity? Many of us in aquatics confuse total alkalinity and pH. It’s understandable, given how blurred the line is between words like “alkaline” and “alkalinity.” Indeed, alkalinity and pH in water chemistry are closely related, but they are not the same. This article will distinguish between them.
As a follow up to part 1 and part 2 of the history of pool indoor air quality (IAQ), I reached out to Keith Coursin, the President of Desert Aire Corp, a prominent pool dehumidifier manufacturer. Coursin has been in the field of HVAC technology since his 20's; in my personal opinion he's one of leading experts on pool dehumidification in the world. This is my interview with Keith Coursin.
Scum lines are exactly what they sound like: lines of scum that form around the water’s edge, adhering to tile, grout, gunite and even stainless steel. By scum, we mean carbon-based bather waste (such as body oils, sweat, grease etc.), as well as body products (like deodorant, perfumes, sunscreen and lotions). If you are unfamiliar with scum lines, ask any lifeguard. They are often assigned to scrub them off with a brush and cleaning gel, and it takes a good bit of time and labor. Not to mention, a lot of cleaning products.
Continued from History of indoor pool air quality (IAQ) | Part 1.
Indoor air quality problems are usually equated to chloramine issues. Airborne chloramines are an inevitability with swimming pools, and pool operators alone cannot prevent them entirely. It takes a coordinated effort on both the water side and the air side for healthy indoor air quality to occur. This article is part 1 of explaining the issue.
Carbonate Scale is a buildup of hardened calcium carbonate (CaCO3) on pool surfaces or equipment. Scale can be a big problem for a pool and its plumbing system (and other water systems besides pools, like fountains).
Given the popularity of salt chlorine generators in residential and commercial pools, it is appropriate to share some valuable information for saltwater pool owners/operators, or those considering making the switch to salt.
A stunning number of pool operators ask us about backwashing. Of all the topics in pool operation, one would think backwashing is fairly straight-forward. When the pressure in the filters gets to a certain point, backwash. Right? Well, as it turns out, that's not what pool operators—especially inexperienced ones—ask us. It's not about 'how' or 'when' to backwash. It's more like...
Technically speaking, chloramines are chemical byproducts of chlorine oxidizing inorganic ammonia in water. The term chloramines is used generically to describe all disinfection byproducts (DBPs) that result from chlorine oxidizing nitrogen compounds. Chloramines and these other DBPs are the main cause of air quality problems in indoor pools.
Chlorine is primarily a sanitizer. It's secondary role in pool chemistry is oxidation of other contaminants, like bather waste. Unfortunately there is a lot of bather waste and other oxidants that reduce chlorine rapidly, which interferes with its primary mission of sanitization. Enzymes devour non-living organics (bather waste). Supplementing your chlorine with enzymes is part of our Second Pillar of Proactive Pool Care.