Water Testing
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WHAT DO WE TEST AND WHY?
The basic testing of pool or spa water on a daily basis is very simple. You need to know the quantity of the disinfecting agent in the water as there needs to be enough to kill active organisms that can spread disease that could be harmful to humans, and there also needs to be enough a free residual to deal with any contamination that can enter the water before you next test it.
Basic water tests should check the free chlorine or free bromine levels, the pH or acidity/alkalinity balance of the water, and the water temperature. In pools or spas that are heavily used, the Total Alkalinity and Calcium Hardness levels should also be monitored.
Acceptable chemical parameters are best maintained if water conditions are stabilised by regular backwashing and the addition of fresh dilution water. The resulting reduction in the levels of Total Dissolved Solids (T.D.S.), bather pollution and combined chlorine residual help to achieve good test results and the real test - better bather comfort!
Biological Testing: This is specialist work and needs to be carried out by a laboratory that is equipped for the bacteriological analysis of water. If you wish to have such analyses carried out, try your Yellow Pages and shop around - costs vary! Also, your Local Authority's Environmental Health Department might be able to advise on local specialists.
Please note that if your facilities are operated on a commercial basis, for example within a hotel or holiday camp, your local authority can be expected to send its Environmental Health officers to check that you are managing the facilities properly.
This covers a range of issues such as:
- Maintaining water that is healthy and safe for public bathing,
- Keeping full written records of all water tests results,
- Storing chemicals safely, in accordance with relevant legislation,
- Handling chemicals correctly and safely
- Ensuring that staff are trained properly covering a range of issues.
Compliance with all relevant legislation. Note that the HSE publication 'Managing Health & Safety in Swimming Pools' is particularly useful. This is available from HSE Books for around ?15 - the ISBN number is 0 7176 1388 7. Tel: 01787 881165.
The above list is not exhaustive - but a guide to the range of points to consider when operating bathing facilities for public use.
INFECTIONS
There is a range if micro-organisms whose infections CAN BE waterborne, and the commonest ones are:
- Cryptosporidium parvum : This is a protozoa, the commonest form of diarrhoea in pool. It is resistant to chlorination but not filtration.
- Escherichia Coli (E Coli): This is a bacteria spread mostly through food (e.g.type 0157) and person to person. It is killed by chlorine.
- Giardia lamblia: Protozoa similar (including effect) to Cryptospiridium parvum.
- Hepatitis A virus: Infectious hepatitis spread through contaminated food and water. It is killed by chlorine.
- Legionella pneumophila: A respiratory infection that is spread by bacteria in sprays can be a problem in spas. It is killed by chlorine.
- Leptospira: Bacteria from urine of infected rats etc, causes Weil's disease in rivers and lakes. It is killed by chlorine.
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa: A bacteria affecting mainly spa pools, occasionally swimming pools; heavy contamination of badly run pools can cause folliculitis and ear infections. It is killed by chlorine.
- Shigella, A bacteria causing dysentery, occasionally in badly run pools. It is killed by chlorine.
The above list is not exhaustive. Speak to your Environmental Health Department or Water Analysis chemist for further guidance.
CARRYING OUT TESTS
It is worth spending a little extra money choosing a good quality test kit - it helps to look after the good health of you and others!
When using any test kit do remember:
- Keep all parts scrupulously clean, particularly coloured glass and lenses used to match colours.
- Check the shelf life of the reagent chemicals you use. Store carefully in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
- Check that you are using the right tablets and equipment for the test you are carrying out.
- Operators (who should not be colour blind) need to be trained in the use of test kits to ensure accurate results. Check the light source for correct results. .
- Photometric measuring systems eliminate colour matching. Photometers take an absorbence reading of the test solution and convert it into a digital readout in mg/l.
- Cleaning chemicals can interfere with the results of water tests.
RESPONDING TO THE RESULTS OF A WATER TEST
It is important to ensure that you use the information from pool water tests
to help you to manage it safely. Set the targets for free chlorine residuals based on a full understanding of the pool's operation.
The effective distribution of chemicals within a pool or spa depends upon a range of factors, but main ones are:
- Turnover rates - are pumps adequate for the task?
- Filtration efficiency - coagulants improve the quality of water filtered,
- Dosing methods - are they manual or automated?
- Design of the pool - are there 'dead spots' with poor circulation?
- Indoor facilities are less likely to be affected by sunlight and breezes,
- Outdoor facilities are affected by sunlight and the airspeed over the pool surface encourages loss of gases (Cl2, Br2) through evaporation,
- Air and water temperatures speed up the loss of gases from a pool,
Bather numbers and activity in the water accelerate the rate at which water loses its sanitizer content causing chlorine , for example, to rise out of water more quickly.
Know the characteristics of the water that is supplied to your pool at the outset. Its chemical properties affect the way that you treat the pool for safe swimming.
Operational guidelines for keeping pools safe for swimming are:
- Free Chlorine; between 1.0 and 3.0 ppm or mg/l.
- pH in the range 7.2 to 7.8.
- Total alkalinity of no less than 75mg/l as CaCO3,
- Calcium Hardness of no less than 75 mg/l.
Facilities that are heavily used might require higher levels of sanitizer depending upon the efficiency of the filtration system, and the turnover rate.
Commercially used facilities might have to be operated along stricter guidelines.
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