Pool Maintenance and Water Chemistry: Key Concepts and Procedures

To clean a cartridge filter

Soak in degreaser and hose off

What are chloramines

Chlorine combined with ammonia

Bromine is used because it is

Stable at higher temperatures

Cyanuric Acid is commonly called a

Stabilizer

Chlorine is available to kill bacteria

Immediately when added to the pool

Chlorine in it's natural state (gas) has a color of

Green

Pressure differential should never exceed more than

10 PSI

Pool should have depth markers that are

Horizontal, vertical, and no more than 25 feet apart

The color of algae that causes damage to the pool surface is

Black algae

Low chlorine in the pool will cause or result in

Green algae

The person responsible for keeping records at the pool is the

pool operator

If the pool is cloudy and you cannot see the main drain

Close the pool to swimmers

pH levels should be between

7.2 and 7.8

To raise (increase) pH you should add

Soda ash

To lower (decrease) pH you should add

Muriatic acid

Liquid chlorine is named

Sodium hypochlorite

Powder chlorine is named

Calcium hypochlorite

Chlorine comes in

Liquid, powder, and gas

Chlorine is added to the pool to

Oxidize organic matter

When you add chlorine to water it makes

Hypochlorous acid

Total alkalinity of a pool should be between

80 and 140

Low alkalinity in a pool causes

Loss of pH control or pH bounce

To raise total alkalinity you should

Add sodium bicarbonate (same as baking soda)

Calcium hardness of a pool should be between

200 and 400

Low calcium hardness causes

Corrosion of pool equipment

High calcium hardness causes

Scaling

Cyanuric acid level cannot exceed

100 ppm

Metals that damage the surface of the pool are

Iron, manganese, copper

The filter medium that can filter the smallest particles is

Diatomaceous earth

The ideal bromine level in a pool is

1.5-6.0

The ideal bromine level in a spa is

3.0-10.0

The maximum level of chlorine in a pool and in a spa is

10

Pool water must be tested once every

24 hours

Physical barriers around a pool (fence) must be

42 inches in height

There must be a minimum of how many feet of deck around the entire pool perminmeter?

4 feet

You see bubbles coming up from a return, the possible cause could be

A bad seal on the hair/lint strainer (it is not properly closed)

When doing the pH test and the sample turns yellow, what does that mean?

pH is too low

When doing the pH test and the sample turns purple, what does that mean?

pH is too high

The most common form of algae is

Green

What do you do if a patron complains of a chlorine smell and their eyes are stinging?

Raise the chlorine to breakpoint level

If the telephone at the pool doesn't work

Close the pool

What should you use when handling chemicals?

Personal protective equipment (gloves, goggles, and apron)

What happens if the alkalinity level is too low?

pH is difficult to maintain, the water will cause damage to the pool walls

Flow rate =

Turnover Rate divided/Filter Media Rate

Add chemicals to water, do NOT

Add water to chemicals

How do you lower the calcium hardness level?

Drain water out and add fresh water (Dilute the water)

What should you have if the water is deeper than 5 ft?

Put up a safety line and have a slope line mark

If the chlorinator is working and you have chlorine in the vat, what is the possible reason for the chlorine reading being 0?

The test could be bleached (chlorine level is too high)

What kind of filter media filters the smallest particles

Diatomaceous Earth (DE)

To be a pool operator you must

Complete pool operators training course

The strongest suction in the pool (entrapment) is the

Main drain

Electrical systems at pool must have

GFI's

The skimmer weir prevents

Floating material from re-entering the pool

Filtration is

The physical process of water moving through the system

A county health department inspector will perform unannounced inspections throughout the summer to

ensure the facility is safe ant the water chemistry proper

In the event of a fecal contamination the staff should

remove the skimmer net, chlorine should be raise to 3 ppm. the pool can reopen in 1 hour if it was a well formed stool and 2 hours if it was a loose. a vomit contamination should be treated as a loose stool

the pool operator should record the

chlroine and ph levels every hour in a log

in a multi guard facility a single swimmer in the pool warrants

a lifeguard in the stand

every filter system has

influent and effluent pressure gauges and flow meter

ozone and UV water disinfection are

not acceptable methods in pools

Specific precautionary measures are required for reducing potential exposure to blood borne pathogens including

Employees will use disposable gloves whenever administering first aid or CPR, and employees will immediately wash hands and any other affected body part, after contact with any bodily fluid

every pool has free, combined, and total chlorine

total chlorine - free chlorine = combined chlorine

total dissolved solids includes

body and hair lotions, swimmer waste, organic and inorganic chemicals (these can make the water taste bad, look dull in appearance and reduce chlorine effectiveness)

a typical swimming pool has seven major components

basin, motorized pump, water filter, chemical feeder, drains, returns and plumbing (these components must be selected correctly to ensure proper mechanical balance)

the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (VGBPSSA) requires

every pool and spa to have either dual main drains or an anti entrapment device

Chlorine gas require special handling and it is

heavier than air and must be stored in rooms that are well ventilated

1 to 10 parts per million (ppm) is the recommended level of

free chlorine in a swimming pool

shocking the pool with chlorine can

remove a chlorine odor emanating from a pool (which is usually from chloramines)

adding chlorine to water will

-sanitize the water

-prevent the growth of algae

adding liquid or dry chlorine to pool water will

raise pH

the pool operator should close the pool to swimming if he ever finds

the water has become cloudy and he cannot see the main drain

chlorine not only kills germs but it will

oxidize organic matter in a pool

when performing superchlorination to oxidize the combined chlorines the level of free chlorine should be

raised to ten times the level of combined chlorines in the pool water

104 degrees F is the

maximum safe temperature of spa pool water

The main drain

removes sediments and is located at the deep end of the pool

a sequestering agent may be used in a pool to

prevent precipitation of minerals on pool surfaces

sunlight, hot weather and high bather load lead

to accelerated growth of algae in pools

high turbidity levels can cause

microorganisms to be shielded from disinfectants if they are suspended particles

filtration malfunction, excessive bather load and chemical imbalance of the pool can cause

cloudy water

a filter backwash cycle for a sand filter is complete when

the backwash water appears clear in the sight glass

when there is no chlorine in the vat, the injection fitting on the filter system is

clogged or the tube assembly needs to be changed it could cause the hypochlorinator to not work

if there is no chlorine in the water and the pool operator has to hand-feed chlorine into the pool, you must

wait 30 minutes before allowing people to use the pool

a pool operator needs to perform basic tasks such as

monitoring the chemical conditions of the pool and making adjustments

a pool is dependent on the pump and

any damage to the pump or need for repairs will shut down the recirculation system and therefore the pool

the cdc estimates that approximately

140,000 water related injures occur annually

To prevent spinal injuries when diving in pools

"no diving" markers should be present, no diving in under 6 feet of water should be allowed and diving should only be allowed from diving boards or stands

Built-in stairs are commonly used in the

shallow end of pools and must have a secure handrail

The certified pool operator is responsible for maintaining

the daily pool operation log

The main drain is the strongest point of

suction in a pool that may lead to entrapment and drowning of a bather

There must be at least ___ ladders or stairways provided in a pool for adequate access and egress for swimmers

2

Filtration is the physical process of

removing suspended particles from the pool water

As dirt accumulates inside a filter, the amount of water that can pass through the filter

decreases

Channeling is a

damaging condition that occurs over time in a sand filter

Backwashing is the process of

removing accumulated particles from inside a sand filter

High rate sand filters typically have a filter rate of ___ gallons per minute per square foot

15-25

The volume of water going through a filter system is measured in

gallons per minute

The turnover rate for a swimming pool is every ___ hours

6

Equation for surface area of a rectangular or square pool

length x width = surface area

Equation for surface area of a circular pool

π x r2 = surface area (r = radius)

The equation for the volume of a swimming pool

length x width x depth x 7.48 = volume