Specialty chemicals help automatic pool cleaners
When it comes to chemicals, automation of water care products can really put a pool on cruise control. Examples of this include how chlorinators and salt-chlorine generators automate the introduction of sanitizer into a pool. In fact, many pool owners have moved away from using the traditional ‘tablet in the skimmer’ approach and have incorporated some form of automation into their water treatment routine.
For most pool owners with a chlorinator or salt-chlorine generator, this is where chemical automation stops, as they still need to physically test the water each week and adjust the levels as required. They also need to spend time scrubbing unsightly scum lines or even take apart their filter system to clean them thoroughly. For most, this is not how they envisioned spending their weekends ‘poolside.’ This is where specialty chemicals come into play. These products can assist automatic pool cleaners, and homeowners for that matter, by reducing the frequency of filter cleanings and the need to scrub scum lines.
For example, enzymes and phosphate removers, which have been used in the pool industry for almost three decades, are designed to break down non-living organic waste in pool water such as lotions, sunscreens, bather waste, oils, hair products, etc. By breaking these contaminants down in a naturally based way, enzymes are able to reduce the frequency of filter cleanings by reducing debris from building up on the filter. Enzymes also reduce the occurrence of scum lines along the waterline.
There are many variations of enzymes; therefore, it is important to ensure the right one is used for the particular application. For instance, it is very difficult to treat a pool or hot tub that has an oil-like material floating on the surface using traditional water treatment methods, as they are unable to make direct contact with the oils. However, some enzyme products contain surfactants in their formulations, which helps break the water’s surface tension and pull the non-living organics (oil, in this example) from the surface down into the body of water to be broken down by the enzyme.
Non-living organic waste is broken down piece by piece until all that remains is water and air. If an enzyme product does not contain surfactants, it becomes difficult for the product to make contact with the non-living organics at the surface.
Pool owners can also incorporate phosphate removal into their maintenance routine to reduce potential water quality problems, whereby putting their pool on auto-pilot. Phosphates come from a variety of sources, including fertilizers (landscaping services), some source water, cleaning products, as well as many stain and scale control products.
When phosphate levels increase, it can take additional time and effort to maintain perfectly balanced pool water. It can also lead to issues such as calcium phosphate scale, which can build up on pool surfaces as well as on equipment. Algae must be treated prior to testing for phosphates, and it is ideal to keep levels below 100 parts per billion (ppb). Putting a pool on a maintenance program comprising phosphate removal, can proactively help to reduce future problems with water quality.
By incorporating enzymes and phosphate removal into pool maintenance, it automates the removal of unwanted contaminants (i.e. non-living waste and phosphates) from pool water. For large residential or commercial pools, these specialty water treatment products can be administered via automatic chemical feeders to control dosage amounts and frequency.
