Improving Water Quality

There are very few pool problems that can’t be fixed if they are seen to early on and fortunately, a well maintained pool will see few problems arise over the years. There are also many new products available to help;  many of which can be retrofitted to or used in older pools.

Whether you are investing in a new pool or taking care of an older one, you will want to watch for these problems with water quality to keep the water clean and pure.

The quality of the water in your pool is critical to your enjoyment. Contamination, cloudiness, and chemicals are just a few of the things that can affect both how safe the water is and how it feels.

Some of the things you need to check for on a regular basis are:

Cloudy Water

If you have cloudy water, check these 4 areas to find the source of the problem:

  1. First, check the circulation. Make sure your returns point down and towards the opposite pool wall so that they really stir up the water and don’t just circulate it at the top level. This improves the skimming action.
  2. Check the skimmer and strainer baskets and remove any debris.
  3. Check your filter. You may need to clean it. If the pressure gauge is close to 10 lbs over the recommended pressure, your filter is probably dirty. If you use a sand filter, you may need to change the sand.
  4. Check the water chemistry. A high pH can cause cloudy water. Perform a simple test and adjust the pH as necessary.

Water Levels

If you think you are losing water, the first thing you need to check is, if you are right!

Put a mark on the side of the skimmer faceplate with pencil or tape. Monitor this mark for a 24-hour period. If water drops by more than an inch, shut the system down for a 12 hour period and monitor to see if water drops faster with the pump on or off. If water drops faster with the system on, the probability of an underground plumbing leak is good. If water drops at the same rate with the system on or off, the probability of a liner leak exists.

Note: In high wind areas, non-use of a solar blanket and backwashing may also be affecting your water levels.

 

Solutions

Registered Sanitizers

Ultraviolet Technology

Not all microbes can be killed with chlorine. Fortunately we have strong proof that certain UV rays effectively prevent some of the more persistent parasites such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia from multiplying.

We are all familiar with the damage that UV rays can have on skin. All light is broken down into wavelengths and humans need to protect themselves against the UVA and UVB range. UVC light has a wavelength of 200-280 nanometres and is just as damaging to the DNA/RNA of many micro-organisms making it impossible for them to reproduce.

Exposing micro-organisms to UV light requires a one-pass treatment application.

UV light is also used to reduce trichchloramine, the component of chlorine that floats in the air above the pool,  causing repiratory distress in some people.

Ozone Treatments

Another supplement to chlorine and salt sanitizers may be familiar to you from its use in aquariums. Ozone can be injected into the water where it breaks down to form free radicals which then combine with metal salts and organic impurities to form oxides. In the case of parasites, these free radicals destroy their cell walls.