Having a swimming pool requires cleaning and safety procedures. It needs to be cleaned and maintained on a regular basis. One of the most effective ways to reduce the cleaning procedures and the time needed for your pool is to purchase a swimming pool cover. Swimming pool covers protect a swimming pool in many ways.

Swimming pool covers have the following benefits:

Keeps water from evaporating

Without a cover the water can evaporate. When this happens your expensive chemicals will evaporate too.

Prevents Debris
A swimming pool cover will keep dirt, leaves, and natural debris from entering your pool.

Eliminate Algae
some forms of algae need sunlight to grow. By using a swimming pool cover you can eliminate algae from growing when your pool is covered.

Keeps Heat
Swimming pool covers can keep the heat in the pool when it is not in use so that you do not have to continuously heat the pool.

Prevent Accidents with Swimming Pool Covers

Swimming pool create better safety as it is difficult to keep watch of a swimming pool area at all times. Therefore, it is very possible that an unfortunate accident could occur if a little child were to fall in. It is important to take steps to make your pool safe and prevent accidents. In addition to keeping children out of the pool a swimming pool cover will keep pets and any stray animals out of your pool.

Minimize Set up Time

During the winter month’s debris, water, and dirt can get into the pool. If this happens a lot of cleaning will be required. However, with a swimming pool cover can keep it protected from dirt in the winter, and it will be ready for use when required. Swimming pool covers make owning, maintaining, and enjoying your pool easy.

Technology pools offer automatic pool covers for use with swimming pools.

There are two main types of automatic pool covers. The first type is called a safety pool cover and is made of PVC reinforced fabric securely attached to pool side guide channels. A key switch can be installed on the poolside so that within minutes, you can safely cover your pool to prevent kids or pets falling in and at the same time conserving energy.
The second type of automatic pool cover is the slatted pool cover, and these type offer an aesthetically pleasing solution where safety is not such an important factor. This is driven by an in roller electric motor, that is connected to the mains electrics via a safety transformer. These slatted automatic pool covers offer excellent heat retaining properties, and can be housed either above ground or in a sunken pit at the end of the pool. Please find more information and contact on pool covers at www.technologypools.co.uk

Water Acidity

Acidity of water is  measured on a scale from 0-14 called the pH scale. A pH level of 7 is neutral and anything lower than this indicates acidic water. The lower the number, the more acidic it is.

Symptoms of high acidity:

Corrosion of metal pool fittings, heat exchanger damage and stains within the pool basin.

Diagnosis:

Look to see if there is corrosion of any of the areas highlighted in the symptoms or test the ph of the water by a swimming pool test kit. Blue litmus paper turns red in the presence of an acid.

Cure:

Add swimming pool pH increaser available from your local pool shop or click here.

High Iron Content

Symptoms of high iron content:

High iron content will begin to stain your pool basin at 0.3 parts per million (ppm), You may also notice browny orange stains on ladders or handrails.

Cure:

Water Softeneners (for low concentrations of Iron < 5.0 mg/l), or Chlorination followed by Activated Carbon Filtration (for any concentration)

Disease-causing bacteria, viruses or protozoa

In well maintained swimming pools, it should not be a problem with regular chlorine dosing. But where it is, the disease causing bacteria or micro organisms could be detrimental to health.

Symptoms:

Because microbes are generally invisible to the naked eye, you may not be aware that your swimming pool is contaminated with them. Therefore it is vitally important that pool water is tested on a regular basis (2 or 3 times a year) to ensure it is fit for use.

Depending on where you reside, bacteriological testing of well water is done either by the local health laboratory in your area or by a certified private laboratory. They will supply you with a clean, sterile sample bottle and the necessary instructions.

Cure:

UV Filters

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Weather can wreak havoc on an in-ground swimming pool’s water stability, as wind blows debris into the water and makes it less than inviting. All it takes is a few times a week to clean the pool and test the pool water.

1. check the chemical balance in the pool.   Use a pool test kit to check the chlorine, pH and alkalinity of the water. If the pH is low, you will add pH Plus, and if it is high, you will add pH Minus. If the chlorine level is low, you must shock the pool. Shocking the pool may be needed weekly while testing the water should be done a few times a week. You will need to add algaecide if the pool is showing signs of algae.

2. Use the pool net to scoop out as much of the top floating debris as you can. This may need to be done daily before swimming

3. Brush down the pool walls and steps at least once a week. This is usually done before you use the pool vacuum head.

4. Turn on the pool pump to vacuum the pool. Attach the vacuum hose to the skimmer. Use the brush pole for the vacuum head. Move the vacuum slowly along the bottom of the pool to suck up the debris. You should only have one suction valve open for this procedure. Make sure that the water level is slightly above the skimmer marks on the side of the frame.

5. Remove the vacuum hose from the skimmer basket and clean out the basket. Check the skimmer basket to make sure there are no cracks and replace in the hole. Then clean the pump filter and check for noises or leaks that are out of the ordinary.

6. Inspect the pressure filter and backwash the pool if necessary. Turn the lever to backwash and the pump will start taking pumping out water. Clean the filter and replace in the pump.

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By Kevin Woodhurst

1. Shopping like you are buying a car.
   Swimming pools are custom construction projects and are built by many individual trades and pool contractors with different standards. All pools are not built the same, unlike an automobile which is manufactured in a factory under controlled conditions. With a swimming pool much of what you do not see will impact the cost of pool ownership.
2. Not asking enough questions.
   Do not assume every builder is going to give you an education or is capable of giving you one, for that matter. The more you know and understand the better buyer you will ultimately be. This helps you and your pool contractor. Do your homework. Your resources are endless, so use them!
3. Paralysis by analysis.
   This is when someone gets 10-15 or more estimates for swimming pool construction and than cannot make a decision because they have become so confused. Do your due diligence and get 3 or 4 estimates from reputable swimming pool companies. Then make your decision and go with it.
4. Not checking out the experience level, history, or background of a Contractor.
   What makes them qualified to build swimming pools? Consider the saying, “If you think the cost of a Professional is expensive, wait until you hire an Amateur.”
5. Shopping based on price.
   Usually if a deal seems too good to be true, it is! If you shop for price alone you are destined to be disappointed. Bottom line: you usually get what you pay for.
6. Shopping over the phone for a pool.
   It is impossible and a waste of time. Visit the swimming pool builder or have them come to your home to provide you with an estimate. Visiting a contractor’s place of business will tell you a lot about the type of business it is.
7. Assuming swimming pools cost less to build in the wintertime.
   We have seen increases in steel prices, concrete shortages, gas increases, and insurance premium hikes. Pools don’t get cheaper as time goes on; swimming pools will never be less expensive than they are today.
8. Not reading contracts.
   Make sure you understand what you are getting into. Make sure everything is in writing. It is very difficult to cancel a contract with many contractors after the obligatory 3-day rescission period. The contract should protect you AND the contractor.
9. Focusing on the aesthetics and not the mechanicals of the project.
   Hydraulic design, flow rates, pipe size, pump and filter types, chemical management systems, and many other factors will make a difference in the ability of your swimming pool to stay clean and sanitized.
10. Not thinking about safety.
    Swimming pools can be a great place to recreate, exercise, and just enjoy the outdoors. They can also be dangerous. Make sure you know what your City requires for barriers and fencing. More importantly, make sure you protect the ones you care for, and protect the ones that cannot protect themselves.

To find out more on your swimming pool design, click here

Drowning is one of the major causes of accidents resulting in serious injury and death in children. Parents should not be fooled into thinking that their child is safe just because he/she knows how to swim. In a lot of these cases accidents happened even though the child knew swimming. Accidents in the swimming pool can happen very suddenly without warning. It is very important that all parents follow these basic safety precautions especially if there is a swimming pool at home.

1. Do not allow children with no knowledge of swimming in or around the pool. For good pool safety make sure that all kids above the age of 4 attend a certified swimming class, or at least learn basic flotation techniques and life saving techniques in case of accidents. Children younger than 4 should always be accompanied by their parents in the pool.
2. Enclose your pool with high fences, which can be locked. Do not leave the pool open and accessible since children can fall inside. Keep your pool safe, and keep your kids away from the poolside.
3. Avoid leaving your kids alone even with small portable pools or water bodies like buckets, fountains, and barrels. There is always a danger of drowning occurring even in small bodies of water.
4. In case of a backyard swimming pool, make sure that the cover of the pool is completely lifted over the pool. Do not partially open the pool. Also make sure that your child does not walk over the pool cover.
5. Spas and Hot Tubs must also be avoided, especially in the case of younger children who are susceptible to overheating.
6. Instruct babysitters about potential pool hazards to young children and about the use of protective devices, such as door alarms and latches. Emphasize the need for constant supervision.
7. Never leave a child unsupervised near a pool. During social gatherings at or near a pool, appoint a “designated watcher” to protect young children from pool accidents. Adults may take turns being the “watcher.” When adults become preoccupied, children are at risk.
8. If a child is missing, check the pool first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability. Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom and surface, as well as the pool area.
9. Do not consider young children to be drown proof because they have had swimming lessons. Children must be watched closely while swimming.
10. Do not use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision.
11. Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Babysitters and other caretakers, such as grandparents and older siblings, should also know CPR.
12. Keep rescue equipment by the pool. Be sure a telephone is poolside with emergency numbers posted nearby.
13. Remove toys from in and around the pool when it is not in use. Toys can attract young children to the pool.

The following barrier recommendations are the result of identifying key parameters that typically contribute to child drowning in backyard pools. These recommendations are the minimum steps you can take to make your home a safe place for your child.

Barriers

Barriers are not childproof, but they provide layers of protection for a child who strays from supervision. Barriers give parents additional time to locate a child before the unexpected becomes a reality.

Barriers include a fence or wall, door alarms for the house, and a power safety cover over the pool. Barriers also may be used to protect children from accessing hot tubs and spas. Use the following recommendations as a guide:

Fences and Gates

• Install a fence or other barrier, such as a wall, completely around the pool. If the house is part of the barrier, the doors leading from the house to the pool should be protected with an alarm or the pool should have a power safety cover.
• The fence or other barrier should be at least 4 feet high. It should have no foot- or handholds that could help a young child to climb it.
• Vertical fence slats should be less than 4 inches apart to prevent a child from squeezing through.
• If the fence is chain link, then no part of the diamond-shaped opening should be larger than 1-3/4 inches.
• Fence gates should be self closing and self-latching. The gate should be well maintained to close and latch easily. The latch should be out of a child’s reach.

Alarms

• If the house forms one side of the barrier, then doors leading from the house to the pool should be protected with alarms that produce an audible sound when a door is unexpectedly opened.
• Install an alarm that can be temporarily turned off by an adult for a single opening of the door by using a keypad or switch that is out of a child’s reach.

Battery and electrically powered alarms are available. The keypad switch can be used by adults who wish to pass through the door without setting off the alarm. It should be placed high on all doors leading from the house to the pool. Affordable and easily installed alarms are available. An alarm signal immediately tells a parent that a door has been opened.

There are ‘intelligent’ alarm systems that distinguishes between a real event ant and pool toys, wind or a dog drinking from the water’s surface. Armed system status is displayed on the remote keypad by a glowing green light. The homeowner uses the remote keypad to place SonarGuard into standby mode when the pool is being used. Once the standby mode time has elapsed, the system will automatically rearm after giving a three minute warning.

Power Safety Covers

Pool safety covers over the pool may be used as an alternative to door alarms. Power safety covers withstand the weight of two adults and a child to allow a rescue should there be a fall unto the cover. The standard also requires quick removal of water from the cover. A young child can drown in just inches of water.

A power safety cover is a motor powered barrier that can be placed over the water area. Motor-driven covers easily open and close over the pool. When the power safety cover is properly in place over the pool, it provides a high level of safety for children under 5 years old by inhibiting their access to the water.

Above-Ground Pools

Steps and ladders leading from the ground to the pool should be secured and locked, or removed when the pool is not in use.

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Sustainability is a serious issue, not a fad that can be taken lightly, and it cannot be achieved by lip service alone. Affordability and implement ability are key factors, not the least because without these it would all be only preaching and not practice, which is why real sustainability has a social responsibility component to it.

In our industry of swimming pool design and construction, the established practices are so deeply embedded that sustainability will require change at grass root level: the way we think about designing and running pools. Little tweaks or fine tuning won’t cut it, although trying to run existing facilities in a better way certainly would. Truly sustainable practices will require more than the perceived notion of selecting green materials, it will require more labor inputs than do the “efficient” industrial practices we’re now used to and there will naturally be issues of scale.

Our company designs and installs deluxe indoor and outdoor swimming pools in Central and Greater London areas. This is a mix of architecture and construction and for us sustainability means meeting the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. We try to achieve sustainability by designing swimming pools that use less virgin or recyclable material, less energy, cause less pollution and less waste while offering benefits that match or exceed the traditional construction methods.

The foundation for the whole process lies in balancing design, installation, environmental and operational considerations. Swimming pool projects are monitored and evaluated through the life cycle as they progress through the various stages from initial concept to commissioning and use by the swimmers.

There are three main stakeholders in our industry and we would like to put forward our opinion on how each one individually influences and would continue to influence sustainability.

Manufacturers of pool equipment

Leading manufacturers of pool equipment like Certikin and Calorex, who in our opinion also happen to be more environmentally conscious than others, are enviously placed in this sustainability chain. They can, and increasingly do, improve sustainability in two ways:

a) They develop products that use recycled or recyclable plastics and other materials like stainless steel, so the initial input is more sustainability oriented.

b) They also design the products like air to air and ground source heat pumps that use less energy during their life cycle and last longer than conventional pool heaters produce less wastage at the end of it.

These practices are set to be become the norm across the pool industry, especially the tiles and finishes manufacturers who are now offering natural materials like slate and granite to finish an increasing number of modern swimming pools.

Pool Designer and Installers (That’s Us)

We as the designers and installers have the opportunity to educate the end user about the advantages and considerations of sustainability for their pool. We can advise them on energy saving heaters and pool covers that not only reduce running costs but also reduce carbon footprint of their premises.

We are also moving towards using sustainable materials like concrete and stainless steel to build the pools. Use of concrete can offer significant sustainability benefits in the life cycle of pools and associated structures. Its thermal mass is highly efficient in reducing the energy needed to heat buildings, and it also allows a high level of air tightness. Concrete is highly durable and so needs minimal maintenance and can thus reduce whole life costs. Long life of the material also means that concrete structures are appropriate for change of use, although that is usually not the case with swimming pools.

One interesting concept is putting two facilities that have complementary energy requirements, together in a way that the energy rejected by one can be used for the other. And a very good example is leisure complexes that contain swimming pools and ice rinks. High efficiency heat pumps pump the heat out of the ice rink system and into the pool system, and this concept has been used in some facilities like Edora Pool Ice Center in Fort Collins, Colorado.

End Users (Swimmers and Spectators)

End users have tremendous influencing power on the overall sustainability of swimming pools, let me explain how. Traditionally the pools have been heated to around 28°c, but better heating systems have allowed the temperatures that people keep their pool to creep up to 36°c. If you heat your pool to a significantly higher temperature, not only you have to use more energy and bear subsequent heat loss, but algae and bacteria can cause problems unless you increase the chlorine levels significantly. This leads to use of more chemicals as well.

If the end users can be educated to keep the pool at or below 28°c, not only energy and chemical consumption is reduced, but the water loss due to evaporation can also be cut down. Since water supplies are running low throughout the world, it would also help if more people used pool covers to reduce evaporation and conserve water.

Use of pool covers is an important consideration; pool covers reduce the amount of make-up water needed by 30 to 50 percent and reduce chemical consumption by 35 to 60 percent. Reflective pool covers can also be used to reduce the amount of light reflected by the average pool, and in cold countries, dark pool covers are useful in reducing heating costs (as they absorb heat from sunlight)

End users can improve sustainability in the following ways:

a) Install a pool cover, as much as 70 percent of a pool’s heat loss is caused by evaporation.

b) Reduce pool’s water temperature and the number of months to heat the pool.

c) Keep the pool’s cleaning and heating equipment clean and lubricated. Well maintained equipment is more efficient and will last longer before it needs to be replaced.

d) Use a time switch to operate the pool filter and sweeper operations to off-peak hours.

e) Install a water-saving cartridge pool filter. One backwash with a traditional filter uses 3000 to 5000 liters of water.

f) Shorten the operating time for swimming pool filter and use and automatic cleaner.

g) Create a windbreak around the pool with fence, plants and shrubs. This wind break will prevent breezes from reaching the pool and keep air from sucking away moisture.

Really sustainable practices have a lot to go further, there are lot more changes that can be done to save water, reduce chemicals, and minimise energy consumption. Salt water pools are one option – they have slightly lower evaporation rates and use fewer chemicals than other pools.

To finish and summarise, we think that interest and investment in the development sustainable practices will continue to rise, and given a little push by government incentives and right attitude to fulfill CSR, the pool industry will emerge much cleaner and greener.

to find out more about your swimming pool click here

Of course trade associations want to boast about their members. But in doing so, they can come perilously close to taking the rap if those members do a dud job.

Building the structure

• Shotcrete/Gunite is a process of applying concrete to a structure. It is commonly used to build pools as well as bridges, homes, tunnels, water tanks, sea walls, and bridge and dam repairs to name but a few. Gunite has been is use since the early 1900’s with excellent success.
• Shotcrete comes in two basic forms… “dry process or dry gun” and “wet process”. The dry gun method or dry process shotcrete (also known throughout the industry as “gunite”) uses a rig in which sand and regular cement are mixed and compressed.
• This mixture is then blown through a hose by way of extreme compressed air to the nozzle where water is added at the tip of the hose and then blown pneumatically into the rebar enforced walls and floor. Only the necessary amount of water is added for hydration resulting in superior strength over conventional concrete.
• The wet process, also referred to in the pool industry as “shotcrete”, uses premixed concrete. This mixture is pumped to a nozzle and pneumatically placed “shot” in the walls and floor of the structure via an air powered nozzle. Computers are used to control the concrete mixture by using a predefined design that can be adjusted at the site.
• Dry method pneumatically applied concrete (Gunite) is superior in strength to poured or redi mix

• So it can be said that dry method “Gunite” is more dense than of poured concrete. In fact, 14 yards of gunite equal about 10 yards of redi mix concrete or shotcrete mix. Denseness is an important factor in the superior strength of Gunite and its high resistance to the passage of water.

Concrete expands and shrinks with changes in moisture and temperature. The overall tendency is to shrink and this can cause cracking at an early age. Irregular cracks are unsightly and difficult to maintain but generally do not affect the integrity of concrete. Joints are simply pre-planned cracks. Joints in concrete slabs can be created by forming, tooling, sawing, and placement of joint formers.

Some forms of joints are:

• Contraction joints – are intended to create weakened planes in the concrete and regulate the location where cracks, resulting from dimensional changes, will occur.
• Isolation or expansion joints – separate or isolate slabs from other parts of the structure, such as walls, footings or columns; and driveways and patios from sidewalks, garage slabs, stairs, light poles and other points of restraint. They permit independent vertical and horizontal movement between adjoining parts of the structure and help minimize cracking when such movements are restrained.
• Construction joints – are surfaces where two successive placements of concrete meet. They are typically placed at the end of a day’s work but may be required when concrete placement is stopped for longer than the initial setting time of concrete. In slabs they may be designed to permit movement and/or to transfer load. The location of construction joints should be planned. It may be desirable to achieve bond and continue reinforcement through a construction joint.

Why are Joints Constructed?

Cracks in concrete cannot be prevented entirely, but they can be controlled and minimized by properly designed joints. Concrete cracks because:

• Concrete is weak in tension and, therefore, if its natural tendency to shrink is restrained, tensile stresses that exceed its tensile strength can develop, resulting in cracking.
• At early ages, before the concrete dries out, most cracking is caused by temperature changes or by the slight contraction that takes place as the concrete sets and hardens. Later, as the concrete dries, it will shrink further and either additional cracks may form or preexisting cracks may become wider.

Joints provide relief from the tensile stresses, are easy to maintain and are less objectionable than uncontrolled or irregular cracks.

How to Construct Joints

Joints must be carefully designed and properly constructed if uncontrolled cracking of concrete flatwork is to be avoided. The following recommended practices should be observed:

• The maximum joint spacing should be 24 to 36 times the thickness of the slab. For example, in a 4-inch [100 mm] thick slab the joint spacing should be about 10 feet [3 m]. It is further recommended that joint spacing be limited to a maximum of 15 feet [4.5 m].
• All panels should be squarely or nearly so. The length should not exceed 1.5 times the width. Avoid :-shaped panels.
• For contraction joints, the joint groove should have a minimum depth of 1/4 the thickness of the slab, but not less than 1 inch [25 mm]. Timing of jointing operations depends on the method used:

Preformed plastic or hard board joint strips are inserted into the concrete surface to the required depth before finishing.

Tooled joints must be run early in the finishing process and rerun later to ensure groove bond has not occurred.

Early-entry dry-cut joints are generally run 1 to 4 hours after completion of finishing, depending on the concrete’s setting characteristics. These joints are typically not as deep as those obtained by the conventional saw-cut process, but should be a minimum of 1 inch [25 mm] in depth.

Conventional saw-cut joints should be run within 4 to 12 hours after the concrete has been finished.

• Raveling during saw cutting is affected by the strength of the concrete and aggregate characteristics. If the joint edges ravel during sawing, it must be delayed. However, if delayed too long, sawing can become difficult and uncontrolled cracking may occur.
• Use premolded joint filler such as asphalt-impregnated fiber sheeting, compressible foam strips, or similar materials for isolation joints to separate slabs from building walls or footings. At least 2 inches [50 mm] of sand over the top of a footing will also prevent bond to the footing.

To isolate columns from slabs, form circular or square openings, which will not be filled until after the floor has hardened. Slab contraction joints should intersect at the openings for columns. If square openings are used around columns, the square should be turned at 45 degrees so the contraction joints intersect at the diagonals of the square.

• If the slab contains wire mesh, cut out alternate wires, or preferably discontinue the mesh, across contraction joints. Note that the wire mesh will not prevent cracking. Mesh tends to keep the cracks and joints tightly closed.
• Construction joints key the two edges of the slab together either to provide transfer of loads or to help prevent curling or warping of the two adjacent edges. Galvanized metal keys are sometimes used for interior slabs, however, a beveled 1 by 2 inch [25 by 50 mm] strip, nailed to bulkheads or form boards, can be used in slabs that are at least 5 inches [125 mm] thick to form a key which will resist vertical loads and movements. Keyed joints are not recommended for industrial floors. Metal dowels should be used in slabs that will carry heavy loads. Dowels must be carefully lined up and parallel or they may induce restraint and cause random cracking at the end of the dowel.
• Joints in industrial floors subject to heavy traffic require special attention to avoid spalling of joint edges. Such joints should be filled with a material capable of supporting joint edges. Manufacturer’s recommendations and performance records should be checked before use.

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• Many swimmers and spa goers complain that the chlorine in the pool or spa has caused their hair to turn green, their fingernails blue or turquoise and their bathing suit blue-green.
• The short answer is: It’s NOT the chlorine, it’s the copper.
• A simple explanation: Chlorine after all, is a bleach. When you add laundry bleach to the washing machine, it makes clothes whiter, removes discoloration and stains, and kills organisms – it does not make your clothes green, blue, turquoise or any other colour. Any amount of chlorine in water more than about 15 ppm (parts per million) starts the bleaching

process. Although typically a load of laundry in a washing machine has about 600 ppm of chlorine. If it is the copper, where does the copper come from?

• Copper can get into the pool or spa a number of different ways. First, drinking water (source or tap water) has a small amount of copper in it already. So each time makeup water is added due to evaporation, a little more copper is added. Since copper does not biodegrade or go away on its own, it builds up.
• Second, some algaecides have as their active ingredient copper. The copper in algaecides usually has a special ingredient added to it that prevents it from staining people and vessels. This ingredient is called a chelating agent (pronounced KEYlating) and copper algaecides that have this ingredient are said to be chelated.
• However, sunlight, constant high levels of chlorine or bromine, ozone, super chlorination and even non-chlorine shock treatments can oxidize the chelating agent. Once this happens, the copper stain protecting ability is decreased.
• A third way copper gets into the pool is from the equipment. Water that has a low pH actually dissolves a small portion of the copper metal in components such as copper pipes, heater headers, heater heat sinks, bronze or brass pump parts such as impellers or volute assemblies, and even metals used in the filters. This is called corrosion.
• This small amount of copper gets dissolved from the equipment or components and then mixes with the main body of water in the pool or spa. Another related way copper gets into the water is by water velocity through copper pipes and fittings.
• Water that is moving faster than the recommended velocity through a pipe will erode the pipe. This happens when too large of a pump is used on a system than it was designed for and sometimes when a solar water heating system is used for a pool or spa.
• The final way that copper can get into the water also comes from the equipment but for a different reason. A common practice is to chlorinate a pool by placing a trichlor tablet (trichloro-s-triazinetrione) into the pool or spa skimmer. Also, some pool owners have placed bromine tablets in their skimmers. Water flowing over the tablet dissolves a small portion of the tablet and carries it through the equipment and back to the pool or spa. Trichlor tablets have a very low pH of about 2.8 while bromine tablets are about 4.0. If enough of the tablet dissolves, the pH of the water flowing over the tablet acquires a low pH too. We have seen pHs from 3.0 to 7.0 – all of which can cause metal components to dissolve. Please note: Some manufacturers have produced special trichlor tablets and sticks that are designed to placed in the skimmer. These products will not be a problem if used properly. Pumps in residential pools run about 6-8 hours a day. Spas run 2-3 hours.
• This means that a pump can be off 16-18 hours a day in a pool and more than 20 hours in a spa. When the equipment is not running, the trichlor or bromine tablet in the skimmer continues to dissolve. This causes all of the water in the skimmer and even down the  get a really low pH. Then, when the equipment turns on tomorrow, this low pH body of water in the skimmer heads straight for the equipment where it dissolves some of metal.

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• The two main causes of eye irritation are: Chloramines (combined chlorine determined by the difference between free available chlorine and Total chlorine). When combined chlorine is >0.2 ppm eye irritation can occur. Also when combined chlorine is that high it is time to shock.
• Shocking is not based on the calendar, it is based on testing the water. It is time to shock or superchlorinate when the combined chlorine level is 0.2 ppm or above. Combined chlorine is determined by making a free available chlorine (FAC) test and a total available chlorine (TAC) test and subtracting FAC from TAC. If the difference is greater than 0.2 ppm, it is

time to superchlorinate or shock. To destroy the combined chlorine you will need to add chlorine at the rate of 10 times the combined chlorine. As an example, if your combined chlorine was 0.4 ppm then you would need to add 4.0 ppm of free chlorine. This will destroy the combined chlorine and leave you with an FAC of about 2 ppm.

• If  you use non-chlorine shock just add 1 lb. per 10,000 gallons of water. This will destroy up to 1.0 ppm of combined chlorine pH. The eye has a pH of between 7.35 and 7.45. Any pH value >.3 either way from this range can create eye, mucous membrane and throat irritation. Skin irritation occurs at values farther from these. The pH of your blood for instance is 7.35 to 7.45. Below this range is a condition called acidosis. Above this range is called alkalinosis.
• Some people have sensitivity to varous shocking chemicals like monopersulfate or sodium persulfate, algaecides like copper-based ones, even high or low alkalinity or calcium hardness although these are rare.
• Bromamines (like chloramines only formed from bromine and ammonia) can also be eye irritants and it is difficult to measure them because there are no field test for free and total bromine – only total.

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