SPS BUSINESS
FLOCCULANT FUNDAMENTALS
I
t was once said that you can have the most beautifully design award winning pool with top of the range equipment …but if the water is dull, that’s all you will remember. Swimming pool engineers don’t need
telling the most important feature of a pool is that the water must be 100% safe and clear at all times. In order to ensure this is the case,
satisfactory filtration with correct sanitation, monitored by accurate water testing is absolutely essential. Whilst a typical swimming pool filter unit may produce excellent results on its own, there are times when it could do with a little help by means of flocculation. This is especially the case when a pool may be opened after a winter closure or other times when the pool may have had excessive use, or been contaminated by fine debris causing the water to appear dull or possibly cloudy. Most of us in the Industry are aware that ‘The Standard’ for quality of swimming pool water in the UK is set by the: Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group (PWTAG) and the current standard for turbidity (clarity) published by them is: 0.5 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units). Similar standards exist on a worldwide basis and it is believed
THERE ARE TIMES when swimming pool water needs the added boost of flocculation.
that these are based on guidance from the WHO (Word Health Organization).
COIN TEST It is vital that this standard is adhered
to at all times to ensure the health safety of the bathers using the pool. Think about it; if pool water becomes so cloudy it could hide dangers within the pool then this could be a serious risk to the bathers. So how should you ensure that the correct clarity is maintained in swimming
“ SWIMMING POOL ENGINEERS DON’T NEED TELLING THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE OF A POOL IS THAT THE WATER MUST BE 100%
SAFE AND CLEAR AT ALL TIMES.” - Chris Carr
44 AUTUMN 2020
pool water? In the ‘good old days’ we’d do the coin test; by seeing if we could see the Queen’s head on an old penny thrown in at the deep end, but things have moved on a bit since then. So, let’s start with a simple visual check of the pool water, can you see the bottom clearly in the deepest area? Does the water look dull or cloudy? Beyond that; it is a good policy to
test the water turbidity as it is just as important as checking the pH and chemical levels. So it is would be well worthwhile to invest in some reliable and accurate test equipment. Today there are some excellent
products available for testing pool water clarity and resolving any problems that may arise. If the water turbidity is outside the standard set by the PWTAG then a suitable flocculent is one of the most practical ways to resolve the problem. But how well does a flocculent work? Last year we carried out some extensive tests, and the results were quite impressive.
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