It’s never fun when the pool season comes to an end. We feel it, too. But this has been an incredible pool season, and we are grateful to all of our customers for making it such a great year.

We’ve heard from many of you about the experiences you have had with our lifeguards, pool attendants, and pool techs this year and it truly makes me proud of the team we’ve put together. Your feedback means the world to us.

As the season winds up, be sure to get in touch to schedule your pool closing and preventative winter maintenance services. Call 1-440-832-7700 or email services@hastingswaterworks.com.

Appointments are filling quickly.

Are you suffering from seasonal closing syndrome? A chill is in the air, the days are growing shorter, and the leaves have started to drop. For pool owners, this can be a sad, even depressing time of year. You know that it’s time to close the pool, but it’s always tough to say goodbye to your warm-weather paradise.  But you also know you’ll need to ensure the pool is properly closed and winterized to avoid any costly mistakes next spring.

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There are two problems with that assumption: One, it’s not chlorine you’re smelling – it’s worse. Two, a clean pool won’t smell.

Why the pool smell?

The pool smell that people often label chlorine is actually the smell of chloramines. Chloramines are a gaseous byproduct of used chlorine in the pool. And yes, used chlorine is the result of someone peeing in the pool along with other side effects of people swimming (sweat, fecal matter, etc.). In other words, the stronger the pool smell, the dirtier the pool probably is. There’s a reason that indoor pools beg its patrons to shower before entering the pool, because the chlorine is only capable of so much cleaning before chloramines are released. Chloramines are also the culprits that cause unpleasant red eyes and itchy skin. They contribute to juvenile asthma and cause swimmer’s cough.

Why are chloramines such a problem for indoor pools?

The problem with chloramines is that theses gases are heavier than air, so they rest just above the pool surface. Even the best of swimmers come up for air eventually, so pool-goers spend most of their time right at the water’s surface, where the chloramines are sitting. Swimmers are breathing in the chloramines, and the gases are getting in their eyes and on their skin. Outdoor pools don’t experience this issue because there is natural airflow. However, indoor pools must physically remove chloramines from the environment, which isn’t always easy.

How do we reduce the chloramine levels at our indoor pool?

There’s no simply method for restoring balance once an indoor pool has a chloramine problem, but that pool smell is a sign that action needs taken. While you can opt for water replacement – draining a portion of the pool that is more contaminated and replacing it with fresh water – it is a costly choice, because you’re sending properly treated water right down the drain. Some facilities invest in HVAC systems that are capable of effectively removing chloramines from the environment but removing the chloramines does not solve the underlying problem of the reason the chloramines are being produced. You may even see indoor pools with overhead fans to help with the removal of chloramines, but this comes with its own expense, as the moving air results in the pool water cooling, which then increases your costs associated with heating the pool.

Reducing Chloramine production at the source

As Ohio’s premier aquatic professionals, Hastings Water Works recommends a more comprehensive solution, through the use of secondary oxidizers and disinfectants like UV and Ozone. Secondary oxidizers and disinfectants are very effective at controlling chloramines by breaking down the combined chlorine in the water, reducing chloramine production. This solves the problem of the “pool smell.” They also have many other pool-related benefits.

The real question is, how do you restore your indoor pool if it’s already contaminated? Good question! Through a process called breakpoint chlorination, we can rid your pool of chloramines and restore balance. It requires closing the pool, because breakpoint chlorination requires us to increase the amount of chlorine in the pool by ten times. Once breakpoint chlorination is achieved, the pool has to return to normal levels to be safe for swimming.

We know that doing the right thing for your indoor pool, especially if you are a hotel or club where the pool is part of the experience, can be difficult. Your patrons will appreciate it, and so will your lifeguards. You can’t force everybody to shower before launching into the pool, but you can do something about the chloramines.

The health cost of not taking action can be much worse. Pool cleanliness is serious business, and if you’re struggling to eliminate that pool smell, we can help you restore balance and keep your pool clean going forward. Remember, the goal is not just for your pool to not smell like a pool; it’s a health and safety issue that can result in lost patronage or worse.

Hastings Water Works is Northeast Ohio’s premier aquatic resource. Learn more about our commercial pool services, and if you’re having a chloramine problem, schedule time to talk to one of our technicians today,

The post The Gross Reason Why Your Pool Shouldn’t Have a Pool Smell appeared first on Hastings Water Works.

Animals are common pool visitors.

Household pets enjoy time in the family pool, but various species of wildlife are just as attracted to cool water on a muggy day. Skunks, chipmunks, mice, squirrels, snakes, frogs, and more are all commonly found in outdoor pools. Curiosity can get the better of some animals, particularly babies, and sometimes they aren’t able to find a way out of the pool on their own. This leaves you playing the role of (wild)lifeguard.

Keeping animals out of the pool area.

It’s recommended that every pool have a fence, to protect both children and wildlife alike. As well, be sure to keep your pool area clean; never leave trash around the pool area that may attract nocturnal scavengers. A pool cover can also help eliminate the problem of animals in your pool, leaving it ready for you and your family.

Helping animals out of the pool.

The Humane Society offers recommendations for keeping animals safe if they wander into your pool. Building shallow ledges into the design can offer a step up, or nylon rope along the edges can give animals grip to get out of deep water. There are also assistive devices that you can purchase, such as the Skamper-Ramp or FrogLog. Both devices give animals in distress a place to perch and escape the pool before they become trapped in the water.

Cleaning the pool after an intruder.

You aren’t always going to know if the local squirrels have taken a midnight dip, so it’s important to have a regular cleaning schedule. Basic disinfection will take care of most animals’ presence. The only animal you really must worry about is a raccoon. Beware of raccoons; these culprits can spread illness in your pool area. If you find a deceased raccoon in your pool, you’ll want to follow these CDC recommendations to avoid serious illness.

Ensuring pool safety may not always be pleasant, but it is always important. Managing wildlife is often nothing more than a minor inconvenience, but regular cleaning will keep your mind at ease. We’re just glad alligators (and sharks) don’t visit Ohio (at least not too often!).

If you have extra visitors to your pool and need help cleaning up, get in touch!

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In a survey by the Water Quality & Health Council nearly half of all respondents (47 percent) admitted to engaging in one or more unhealthy pool behaviors. One in five said they have urinated while in a public pool, and approximately one-third said they forgo a pre-swim shower.

“We did the survey because each year we talk about how it’s important for swimmers to be hygienic, and we wanted to get some real numbers on this,” said Linda Golodner, Water Quality & Health Council vice chair and National Consumers League president emeritus. “It shows the media and the public this is a problem, that people are not being hygienic when they go in the pool — and it makes big difference as far as their own health is concerned.”

A growing body of research suggests that urine, as well as other body fluids such as sweat, can cause respiratory problems, skin rashes and other physical ailments when mixed with the chlorine in the pool water to form disinfection byproducts.

Epidemiologist Michele Hlavsa of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said she and her colleagues weren’t surprised by the latest studies. “In fact, we suspect the actual percentage of people who pee in the pool could be higher and that only 17 percent admit to doing it,” Hlvasa said. “As we’ve seen in other studies, swimmers don’t always see the connection between their behaviors and the quality of the water in which they swim.”

Pool operators and patrons also need to think twice about swim diapers. According to research led by Dr. James Amburgey from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, swim diapers do not protect against the spread of the recreational water illness cryptosporidium.

Amburgey and his team tested various swim diapers, including disposables and the reusable variety — with and without vinyl diaper covers. They simulated the release of disease-causing microspheres and found swim diapers release approximately 50 percent of the microspheres within one minute. Vinyl diaper covers lower the rate to about 25 percent.

Amburgey noted that while swim diapers are certainly effective on dry land, once a child is in the water, “the take-home message is these things don’t hold in the crypto.”

I think the swim diapers provide a false sense of security,” he added. “We need to develop products that work or technologies that will remove the crypto.”

Amburgey’s research was funded by the National Swimming Pool Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colo. “I think the biggest bottom line for us is, it reinforces that educating consumers and making sure they don’t get in the water when they have diarrhea is still paramount,” said Tom Lachocki, Ph.D., CEO of the NSPF.

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