Chemical Management System
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This campaign is for the implementation of a chemical management system. For those that don’t know how our chlorine system works currently, we use a Stenner pump which essentially pumps a few drops at a time into the pools water filtration system. The interval of those drops is set manually with a dial. It’s basically a guessing game. Factors such as weather and bather load can significantly alter the amount of chlorine required to maintain sanitary water. The guards test the water to see where we are at and adjust the dial to try and compensate for any changes. There are two problems that can arise from this. One being that if we go over or under too far, we can’t open the pool that day due to safety concerns. The other is cost. If we get very low on chlorine, it requires additional chlorine to shock the pool and get it back to where it properly responds to normal chlorine usage. If we go high on chlorine, we’ve obviously wasted money. Both of these outcomes have other implications as they can throw off pH and alkalinity, which requires additional chemicals and money again to get the water balanced.
We use nearly 1,500 gallons of chlorine each season to sanitize the pool water. The chlorine and other chemical costs amount to at least 5% of our operating budget. The inaccuracy of our current system means that part of these costs are unnecessary but difficult to avoid.
There are several models and brands available. Below is a picture of a basic system that monitors and properly proportions chemicals into the pool. There are models with more accurate sensors, web based monitoring, etc. The benefit to web based monitoring is that it would permit us to keep more accurate logs. The Health Department requires a log book of our pool chemistry levels and a web based model would automate that process.
An additional benefit of using a system like this is the ability to use CO2 to manage pH. This is how most commercial/public pools manage pH. There are several benefits:
- CO2 is much safer to handle vs muriatic acid.
- CO2 is better at buffering changes in water chemistry, avoiding over or under compensating adjustments.
- CO2 is less corrosive on the pool and equipment.
- CO2 works better with the overall chemistry of a pool, resulting in more balanced water.
It’s certainly an investment, but the payback would be short with the added benefit of less concern of water safety. This is another component that the health department has indicated they would very much like to see due to the increase in safety concerns. It’s not a requirement, just a preference as they know benefits of having one. Many states mandate this and NY doesn’t yet, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to be prepared for any possible legislation in the future.
Chemical Management System