Swimming pool sanitation refers to both visual clarity and levels of microflora, such as bacteria and viruses in swimming pools. The goal of sanitation is to prevent the spread of diseases and pathogens between users. Unsanitized water may also support the growth of algae which will present as a greenish tinge initially, then if left unchecked may completely inhabit the pool water displaying a solid green murky appearance. A rule of thumb is that the water should be sufficiently clear to permit the main drain to be clearly visible from the pool deck at all distances up to ten meters (eleven yards) in a horizontal direction from the projection of the drain on the pool surface. This, however, is merely to be considered a negative indicator, not a guarantee that the pool water is properly sanitized. Swimming pool water can still be contaminated with microscopic organisms, even though it is visually clear. The World Health Organization has published international guidelines for the safety of swimming pools and similar recreational-water environments, including standards for minimizing microbial and chemical hazards. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also provides information on pool sanitation and water related illnesses for health professionals and the public.
Poor pool maintenance may lead to low levels of disinfectants and clogged filters that may place swimmers at risk for diseases and infections. The only way to ensure proper sanitation is to test the swimming pool water with a pool water test kit and fresh reagents.
Typical filtration equipment used in private swimming pools
Water pump
An electrically operated water pump is the prime motivator in recirculating the water from the pool. Water is forced through a filter and then returned to the pool. A typical pool pump uses 500 watts to 2,000 watts. Commercial and public pool pumps usually run 24 hours a day for the entire operating season of the pool. Residential pool pumps are typical run for 4 hours per day in winter (when the pool is not in use) and up to 24 hours in summer. To save electricity costs most people run for between 6 hours and 12 hours in summer with the pump being controlled by an electronic timer. Commercial pools require a minimum 4 hour circulation of the total water volume.
Some pool pumps have two motor speeds to reduce power consumption at times when full power is not needed. Other pump manufacturers (typically Italian or other European) have redesigned their units to use a smaller electric motor with heavier windings, therefore consuming less energy, to power a larger pump impeller. Variable-speed pumps reduce power consumption even more. These pumps run slowly 24 hours a day. The slow speed typically cleans better because smaller particles can be filtered. At the slow speed, minimal resistance in the pipes reduces the energy needed to move the water.
Pool pumps typically are "self priming": they may be positioned above the mean water level of the pool yet still start up and function after a timed rest period. Pumps that do not "self prime" are termed "flooded suction" and must be gravity fed by the pool by being located below the mean level of the pool water.
Most pool pumps available today incorporate a small filter basket termed a "hair and lint strainer" or "lint pot" as the last effort to avoid leaf or hair contamination reaching the close-tolerance impeller section of the pump.
Filter Unit
A pressure-fed filter is typically placed in line immediately after the water pump. The filter typically contains a media such as graded sand (called '14/24 Filter Media' in the UK system of grading the size of sand by sifting through a fine brass-wire mesh of 14 to the inch to 24 to the inch). A pressure fed sand filter is termed a 'High Rate' sand filter, and will generally filter turbid water down to 10 micrometers in size. The rapid sand filter type are periodically 'back washed' as contaminants reduce water flow and increase back pressure. Indicated by a pressure gauge on the pressure side of the filter reaching into the 'red line' area, the pool owner is alerted to the need to 'backwash' the unit. The sand in the filter will typically last five to seven years before all the "rough edges" are worn off and the more tightly packed sand no longer works as intended. Recommended filtration for public/commercial pools are 1 ton sand per 100,000 liters water.
Introduced in the early 1900s was another type of sand filter; the 'Rapid Sand' filter, whereby water was pumped into the top of a large volume tank (3' 0" or more cube) containing filter grade sand, and returning to the pool through a pipe at the bottom of the tank. As there is no pressure inside this tank, they were also known as 'gravity filters'. These type of filters are not greatly effective, and are no longer common in home swimming pools, being replaced by the pressure-fed type filter.
Other filter media
Other filters use diatomaceous earth to help filter out contaminants. Commonly referred to as 'D.E.' filters, they exhibit superior filtration capabilities. Often a D.E. filter will trap water-borne contaminants as small as 1 micrometer in size. D.E. filters are banned in some states, as they must be emptied out periodically and the contaminated media flushed down the sewer, causing a problem in some districts' sewage systems.
Other filter media that have been introduced to the residential swimming pool market since 1970 include sand particles and paper type cartridge filters of 50 to 150 square feet (14 m 2 ) filter area arranged in a tightly packed 12" diameter x 24" long (300 mm x 600 mm) accordion-like circular cartridge. These units can be 'daisy-chained' together to collectively filter almost any size home pool. The cartridges are typically cleaned by removal from the filter body and hosing-off down a sewer connection. They are popular where backwashed water from a sand filter is not allowed to be discharged or goes into the aquifer.
Skimmers
Water is typically drawn from the pool via a rectangular aperture in the wall connected through to a device fitted into one (or more) wall/s of the pool. The internals of the skimmer are accessed from the pool deck through a circular or rectangle lid, about one foot in diameter. On lifting the lid (if the pool is operational) you will see water being drawn from the pool, over a floating weir (operating from a vertical position to 90 degrees angle away from the pool, in order to stop leaves and debris being back-flooded into the pool by wave action), and down into a removable "skimmer basket", the purpose of which is to entrap leaves and other floating debris. The aperture visible from the pool side is typically 1' 0" wide by 6" high, which intersects the water midway though the center of the aperture. Skimmers with apertures wider than this are termed "wide angle" skimmers and may be as much as 2' 0" wide (600 mm). Floating skimmers have the advantage of not being affected by the level of the water as these are adjusted to work with the rate of pump suction and will retain optimum skimming regardless of water level leading to a markedly reduced amount of bio-material in the water. Skimmers should always have a leaf basket or filter between it and the pump to avoid blockages in the pipes leading to the pump and filter.
Overflow channel pools
An overflow channel is a gutter that surrounds the pool, covered by a removable grille. Surface water flows over the edge of the pool and runs by gravity to the filtration plant, usually via a catchment and top-up tank. Often the exterior pool wall is higher than the overflow channel, eliminating the possibility of pool water overflowing onto the adjacent pool surround. Other designs may not have this feature, relying instead on a wider drainage system to trap any overflowing water.
Overflow channels allow faster turnover of the surface water than is possible with simple weir skimmers, which is why they are commonly found in public pools. They can also be attractive designs, particularly when transformed into a total "vanishing edge" pool. This design has been used to great effect in prize winning contemporary home design, notably in Southern California and the surrounding desert states.Pool water returns
The final link in the pool recirculation system: skimmer-pump-filter-returns are the water returns. Typically these are referred to as "eyeballs" as they incorporate a swiveling nozzle that can be locked down to point in the desired direction and are reminiscent of a swiveling human eyeball. The directional adjustment is usually a 360 degree radius circle of 45 degrees away from the pool wall. Most home pools would incorporate at least two such "eyeballs". One recent development in skimmers was the 1970s "Aquagenie(TM)" which differers considerably operationally from conventional skimmers—most of which are quite similar in operation, if not appearance—by both drawing the pool water and returning it to the same location through a submerged slot which diverts the water downwards and in a wide fan shape. The concept incorporates a reservoir system to contain saturated trichor tablets which the resulting high strength chlorinated water dribbles back into the recirculation system, so it doubles up as a chlorine feeder as well as a normal skimmer. Arguably an "improvement" in skimmer design, patents on the device expired in 2003 and the system is now available from several US manufacturers.
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