DISINFECTION DECEMBER

Swimming pools are one of life’s luxuries. They are man-made structures designed to hold water for swimming, bathing, and other recreational activities. However, you cannot just dig a hole in the ground, fill it with water, and jump in. Pool water needs to be disinfected. Disinfection, also known as sanitation, is the process of destroying microorganisms that may carry disease. Chlorine is the most common disinfectant used in the swimming pool industry. A disinfectant will react with a microorganism to inactivate or kill it. How is this done?

DO IT

When chlorine is added to water, hypochlorous acid is formed. Essentially, this is the “good stuff” that does all the disinfecting and oxidizing. It kills the germs and algae, oxidizes the bather waste, and destroys the environmental debris. When properly maintained, chlorine works quickly and effectively. Its levels decrease due to high usage, sunlight, dilution from fresh water or rain, and increased demand from algae, debris, etc.

DECONTAMINATION

Total chlorine (TAC) levels are the combination of free chlorine (FAC) and combined chlorine (CAC). Essentially, you want all of your chlorine to be free chlorine. This means it is freely available to perform its job of disinfecting. Combined chlorine occurs when free chlorine reacts with contaminants in the water and loses its ability to disinfect. When this happens, the bond between the chlorine ion and the contaminants needs to be broken and the contaminants destroyed so the chlorine can do its work again. This is called breakpoint superchlorination. This is a different process from shocking. Shocking boosts your chlorine level to around 10 ppm and can be done to prevent problems or to clean things up after a heavy bather load.

DIFFERENT DISINFECTANTS

There are several different types of chlorine on the market. Sodium hypochlorite is liquid chlorine; it is recognized as a form of bleach as it is a diluted solution sold to the public. Typically, commercial pools utilize this form more often than residential pools. Calcium hypochlorite is a dry form of chlorine that comes in granular, tablet, and briquette forms. As its name implies, there is calcium included in it which will raise the calcium levels in your pool. In the residential world, many are using stabilized disinfectants commonly known as trichlor or dichlor. These include cyanuric acid, which helps to stabilize the chlorine in the pool and protect it against ultraviolet rays that deplete it. Many residential applications utilize a salt chlorine generation system, which generates the chlorine on-site. When this happens, the chlorine and sodium hydroxide generated dissolve in the water to disinfect the pool.

DELIGHTFULLY DONE

Having properly disinfected water is what makes swimming safe and fun. Understanding the process helps to ensure that disinfection is being maintained daily. Want to learn more. Give us a call!