Swimming pool sanitization is essential to safeguard swimmers from bacteria, viruses, algae and other pathogens and contaminants. The pool filter will only filter out anything particulate. That is basically, anything in the water that’s not water, but only down to the limitations of your swimming pool filter, which is anywhere between 5 to 20 plus microns depending on the type of pool filter installed. Regardless of the filtration used, sanitization by a disenfectant will keep your pool water safe and avoid the dreaded green pool syndrome.
Not that long ago most pools were chlorinated manually by adding powdered or granular chlorine as calcium hypochlorite, or liquid chlorine as sodium hypochlorite. It was a very irksome task, remembering to buy it, transporting pool chemicals in the family car, remembering to put the right quantities in the pool at the right time.
Luckily technology has once again lent a helping hand with the introduction of the salt chlorinator. This very clever system will carry out that irksome task of ensuring there is the correct amount of sodium hypochlorite added to the pool water to maintain a high enough level of disinfectant in the form of chlorine that kills the bugs but is comfortable for users. Owning a pool has become so much easier and green pool recovery has become more rare.
There has been a major misconception since the introduction of salt chlorination. Many people believe they do not have a chlorinated swimming pool because they have a “salt” pool, it is a myth that persists even today. A salt chlorinator produces the very same product you may have carried home in a plastic drum, liquid chlorine.
A saltwater pool has ten times less salt than the sea. A simple description of the process is that salt water is pumped through the chlorinator cell where the electrically charged plates, through a process called electrolysis, converts the salt ions to chlorine gas which is then injected into the swimming pool water through the return to pool jets. This sanitizes the water and having performed its task the chlorine reverts to salt water and the cycle continues. Salt does not get used up and reduces only through dilution, by adding water to replace that splashed out, or by back-washing, and what is added through rain.
Pool chlorinator models need to be chosen for their ability to produce enough chlorine for the volume of water in the swimming pool. They are rated by their chlorine production levels in grams per hour (gph). Unsurprisingly, the larger the swimming pool volume the higher the production output needs to be. Leisure Time Pool Maintenance are a pool servicing company providing a full range of pool services and a complete range of pool equipment including chlorinators. Servicing Mount Eliza pool owners, the Mornington Peninsula and surrounding areas to meet all your mobile pool servicing requirements.
Any pool can be converted to salt chlorination in a day by a professional. There is no need to drain the swimming pool, it’s just a matter of adding the appropriate amount of swimming pool salt, plumbing in the pool chlorinator cell, and mounting the power supply/control box. From then on, the system will be programmed to turn on both the pump and the salt chlorinator every day at a set hour, run for a set time and turn off again. Meaning the swimming pool will now go through the filtration and chlorination cycles completely automatically. For service in the Mornington Peninsula, give us a call.
There are chlorinators advertised as being self-cleaning, but even these need attention from time to time. The enemy to chlorinator cells is a build up of calcium on the cell plates. This can be excessive especially initially if the swimming pool was previously dosed with granular chlorine – calcium hypochlorite. This build-up can be so much as to cause a restriction to water flow through the chlorinator cell, leading to excessive pressure on the entire system. A bit like plaque build-up in an artery in human terms. Whether you need one-off services to clean the chlorinator cell, a regular pool clean or a reliable pool service company to maintain your pool, we at Leisure Time Pool Maintenance are your local pool specialists and would be happy to provide free pool service quote.
Chlorinators have evolved markedly over time. Systems are available now with automatic dosing of hydrochloric acid to control the ph. of the water if it becomes elevated. As one of the side-effects of the chlorine gas (hypochlorous gas) being produced by the chlorinator is to elevate the ph. it is a helpful feature. This system monitors the ph. level and if it is high the system will administer the correct dose of hydrochloric acid to correct it. There are also systems available with built in Wi Fi to enable remote control of tasks. The pool industry is continually innovating, so that pool and spa owners can spend more of their leisure time enjoying themselves.
Chlorinator cells will generally give about five years of service before replacement. If all chemical levels in the swimming pool are correct including the salt level, but the chlorine output level keeps declining it is usually time to replace the cell, which is a very straightforward task for a swimming pool technician. Any swimming pool in the Mount Eliza area that is not currently salt chlorinated can be converted to a saltwater pool in a day. Contact us with any enquiries regarding salt chlorination, regular servicing, pool heating, and pool or spa maintenance Mount Eliza.
