Pool with treated water
Home and public pools function differently, but have one thing in common – water in them must be crystal clear and free of microbiological contamination.
Why is water treatment so important in pools?
Pool installations operate in a closed cycle. This means that the water from the basin is filtered and goes to the basin again. Each day various organic and inorganic contaminations get into the pool water. A relatively small amount of new water is added (approx. 3% of the existing pool water volume). This is why it is regularly treated. The selection of components in installations with treated water depends on the water quality, source of water and the treatment method. The most often used water treatment methods are filtration, chemical disinfection and pH correction.
WATER FILTRATION
If the pool uses water from its own water source, it is necessary to eliminate iron to eliminate the water turbidity problem. Some facilities may also deal with high H2O hardness. Water in the basins constantly evaporates and high hardness may cause limescale. This has a significant impact on the maintenance of the devices, therefore appropriate filtering of water is so important for pool installations.
DISINFECTION
Chemical disinfection of pool water prevents the growth of microorganisms. One person may introduce even a billion of microorganisms into the pool water. Moreover, water with a higher temperature is the perfect environment for microorganism growth. The most frequent solution used to protect the water against this is using chlorine in the form of chlorine dioxide, hypochlorite or otherwise. Another popular method is also using ozone in conjunction with chlorine. An interesting disinfection method is salt electrolysis. It decomposes NaCl. The decomposition is caused by the electric current producing hypochlorite – which is a water disinfecting agent. An alternative disinfection method is a UV lamp. The downside of this solution is that UV rays may only remove microorganisms from water that currently flows through it.
pH CORRECTION
Lower pH values may cause eye, skin and mucous membranes irritation. Moreover, water with a low pH may cause corrosion of metal elements. Calcium compounds may precipitate from water with a high pH. Water that falls within specific pH limits not only does not irritate the skin, but also protects the installations, and supports proper operation of disinfectants.
Selection of appropriate heat exchanger depends on water quality, source of water and the treatment method. A heat exchanger is the source of pool hot water. Hot water from the central heating installation and pool water, which is the heated medium, pass through it simultaneously. Steel or titanium tubes (tube pool exchanger) or plates (plate pool exchanger) may constitute the exchange surface.
