DIY Pool Water Maintenance Reduces Costs and Risks

Sparkling clean, healthy pool and spa water is one of the biggest assets at any aquatic centre, and is certainly something the serious swimmer considers when choosing a destination for themselves or their children.

National Swimming Pool Institute Director David Close believes that ‘do-it-yourself’ water maintenance can be a great way for managers to ensure their facility is safe for users. The ‘do-it-yourself’ approach can also cut operational costs, but only if the aquatic centre’s team knows what they are doing.

As Close explains “if a facility gets things wrong, it can go very wrong really quickly; costing the operator more money in repairs and consumables, and potentially leading to cancelled bookings, bad press, or even legal costs if users get sick.

“To get things right requires having a trustworthy operator carrying out the pool water maintenance.

You, or the staff you supervise, know that corners won’t be cut and that the operator won’t be careless with obligations under State health department guidelines.

“Your local health department will have very specific requirements regulating how often you have to monitor pool water quality, even down to the kinds of equipment to use.

“They will also recommend pool water quality parameters (such as chlorine, calcium, pH and acid balance) and how often you need to carry out microbiological tests.

“Your facility may even fall under a specific ‘high risk’ category (depending on which state you operate in), which specifies how it should be run and maintained. These categories are based on risk factors, influenced by the kinds of patrons you have using the pool, the bather loads, and the kinds of activities they are used for.

“A ‘high risk’ facility is usually one accessed by the general public, being used by infants or small children, or, is shallow with a high usage.

“In every State, public facilities have regulations in respect to bather load, chemical parameters, frequency of testing, pool supervision and operator qualifications set out with requirements for the frequency of testing, record keeping and supervision required.

“Depending on your local health department guidelines, the bather load, water temperature, and depth of your pool, your facility require testing up to four times a day, and depending on the outcomes of those test may have to be dosed with chemicals.

“It is much safer, and more cost efficient, to carry out these tasks yourself during the day, rather than try to have a service technician visit, two, three, even four times a day.

“Even if you are using automatic dosing systems, they still have to be calibrated against manual test results on a regular basis.

“A wide range of factors will impact on your pool water maintenance regime, with bather load, heat and rain affecting pool water quality. Other factors to account for include:

• Prolonged heat, increased bather load and rain water can result in algal blooms;
• Windy days can blow dirt, leaves and pollution into your pool;
• High patronage of families with small children increases the risk of faecal contamination, which if untreated can lead to transmission of illnesses among your users.”

Close asks, “what happens if there is a ‘faecal contamination incident’ in the pool?

“If you have to call a contract pool service technician, you could be waiting hours for them to turn up, while your facility has to stay closed, disappointing your users, then there’s the time it takes to clean up and bring that water back to healthy parameters.

“It makes sense to have trained staff on-site to monitor, test and rebalance pool water during each day, and to deal with cleanups as and when they occur. It also makes sense to ensure that the facility only has to stay closed for a minimum period of time.

“How do you get all the information and training you need to ensure you are maintaining your pool water for the health and safety of your patrons? “

The National Swimming Pool Institute (NSPI) runs Accredited Specialist coursea in Domestic and Commercial Pool Water Servicing. These courses, can provide operators with the knowledge to safely and effectively maintain your pool water quality and plant, to health department guidelines.

The courses cost efficient, with a minimum investment of $750.

As Close adds, the courses help with “compliance with your local health department guidelines and, if your are in Queensland, you’ll be complying with the local council requirements under the Toolbox initiative; which nominates NSPI’s Domestic and Commercial Pool Water Servicing course for all operators of commercial pools. “

NSPI courses don’t require spending time away from your business, as NSPI offers Correspondence delivery, and Recognition of Prior Learning. All training and assessment materials are specifically designed by skilled and experienced pool industry professionals.

For more information about NSPI’s training and assessment call 07 3252 6702, E: info@nspi.com.au, www.nspi.com.au