A private pool at your dacha is not only a source of pleasure, but also a breeding ground for bacteria. It is not enough to collect leaves with a net: small debris regularly appears in the water, microorganisms live their lives, the walls and bottom become covered with algae slime. As a result, the water becomes green or milky blue – a sign that it is time to clean the water in the pool. How? – Let’s talk about this.
What kind of pool do you have?
An indoor stationary pool requires less mechanical cleaning: if the pool is indoors, leaves and small insects do not fly into it, and particles of soil do not get in. The most capricious pool in terms of maintenance is, oddly enough, an outdoor inflatable one: the water in it quickly blooms, and it has to be changed at least every week, supplying it with a shock dose of chemicals.
What methods are suitable for cleaning water in a pool?
In general, water cleaning in a pool is divided into several stages: filtration, mechanical cleaning and disinfection. Their specificity and frequency depend on the volume of the pool, its location and type of construction. Filtration without disinfection or algae control is ineffective – only a set of measures works.
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What should a pool filtration system be like?
Pool water filters are divided into several types. The simplest and cheapest ones are mechanical ones. They help get rid of small debris and microorganisms that make water bloom; however, such filtration systems are only suitable for small pools with a volume of up to 10 cubic meters.
1. Sand filter.
These are mainly used by summer residents. Sand filters trap debris particles in a quartz layer. The main disadvantage of such a filtration system is that it requires weekly (!) washing, and the sand must be completely changed every three years. Also, a sand filter only traps particles up to 20 microns: the water will have to be either changed more often or an additional coagulant will have to be used to purify the water in the pool.
2. Cartridge filter.
It is more expensive, but easier to maintain: the cartridges are easy to remove and rinse under running water. You can use disposable elements for filtration – that is, throw away the cartridges as they wear out (similar to filter jugs for water). This system of water purification for the pool is also more effective: the cartridges retain particles up to 10 microns, sand lets them through.
3. Diatomaceous earth filter.
The most expensive, but effective diatomaceous earth filter for the pool is a solution with an exotic ” filling ” : the water will be purified by crushed skeletal mass of fossils. The advantage of the system is a high degree of purification, the filter will retain particles up to 3 microns. The disadvantage is that the components quickly fail, they will have to be changed several times a year.
Do you need to clean your pool manually?
Yes, you do. Slime accumulates on the bottom and walls of the bowl, and over time the pool becomes overgrown with greenery. Leaves, small insects and sand also end up in the open water. A good old net with a long handle helps collect debris from the surface of the water, but this is only the ” tip of the iceberg ” . In order not to wash the bottom and walls of the bowl by hand and not to use unnecessary chemicals, it would be a good idea to buy an underwater vacuum cleaner for the pool: a manual model, a semi-automatic or a robot – depending on your budget.
A handheld pool vacuum cleaner comes complete with a long rod and two attachments: a bowl brush and a net. To start such an underwater vacuum cleaner, it is enough to connect it to a garden hose: the water flow lifts debris from the bottom, which is sucked into a replaceable bag on the body of the device. All the electrics will remain above water. There is no doubt about the safety of a handheld vacuum cleaner, but still, cleaning the pool will be quite labor-intensive – it is even more difficult than vacuuming the entire apartment.
A semi-automatic pool vacuum cleaner requires less human involvement – it is connected to a skimmer (water intake element) or a filtration system, “sucks” to the surface and collects debris, and then moves to another area.
A water robot vacuum cleaner is a choice for busy owners and large pools. It is completely submerged in water and can work without your presence along a predetermined trajectory. A water vacuum cleaner for a pool can also be controlled manually – this is required if the bowl has a complex shape or one of the areas is dirtier than others.
Fact: There are nasty blue-green algae that grow on the walls of aquariums and pools. These are not microbes, but microalgae. Theoretically, they can be removed with chlorine, but there are special preparations that are harmless to fish and people. This type of pool cleaning, unlike chlorine, will not cause skin and mucous membrane allergies.
What is a coagulant and should it be used?
A vacuum cleaner removes dirt from the bottom and walls, most filters ” capture ” only large particles of debris, while small ones remain in the pool – this makes the water dull and bloom. It happens that over time, water becomes rusty due to the increased iron content. A coagulant for a pool helps to solve the problem: the product “envelops” small debris, forming a sediment in the water in the form of flakes – now any filter or vacuum cleaner for the pool can hold them. To clean the system from the coagulant, it is enough to rinse it.
If the water after the coagulant does not become transparent, it means that living microorganisms have settled and are actively multiplying in your pool. You will have to use heavy artillery – disinfectants.
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How to disinfect water?
The choice of a pool water treatment product depends mainly on the price.
Traditional chlorine – or more precisely, chlorine-containing disinfectants – kills bacteria, fungi, and algae spores. Such pool products are quite affordable, but they also have a lot of disadvantages: they dry out the skin, irritate the eyes, and cause allergies.
Bromine-based products are a little more expensive, but, unlike chlorine, they have almost no smell.
Complex preparations – based on chlorine, bromine and organic acids – are good for shock cleaning of water in the pool. True, they are twice as expensive as simple analogues.
Oxygen-based pool cleaning agent is the most effective and safe for skin. But predictably the most expensive and is suitable mainly for indoor pools.
Don’t want to use chemicals? There are other options: ultraviolet lamps, ozonizers and devices, as well as an oligodynamic method of disinfection based on copper and silver ions ( an exorbitantly expensive cleaning system for a home pool).
Another exotic method is an ultrasonic device, which, however, has not yet become widespread. Manufacturers claim that ultrasound kills microorganisms such as E. coli even in turbid water.
Alternatively, you can use ionizers: essentially, copper and silver ions are “driven” into the pool electrically, using a device. But you can also introduce the same ions into the water in the form of salts – copper sulfate or silver nitrate (this is, so to speak, a “municipal” method – this is how large public pools are cleaned).
Fact: In addition to the purity of the water, it is important to remember the acid-base index, which is hidden behind the pH symbols and affects the condition of the skin. Ideally, the index should be kept at 7-7.4 (approximately like human tears), and it can be measured with a special pH meter. If the index is higher than normal, a special preparation should be added to the pool to lower the pH or, conversely, to increase it – if the index is low.
Low-budget cleaning method.
Advice from Boris Butsev , physicist, PhD at MEPhI: “I’ll tell you how the pool cleaning system works at my dacha – I’ve been using this system for over 10 years. The cartridge is used up pretty quickly, and I don’t want to pay for a new one every time, so the water just passes through a thick piece of foam rubber. Once a week I wash this piece with Fairy. The result of mechanical cleaning is clear water.
Now let’s move on to fighting microbes and algae. Before the start of the season, I buy1 kg“Chlorifiksa” in tablets. Once a week, after the weekend, I dissolve 50-60 g in water. In addition, for the season I buy 1-2 liters of “Desalgin”: after the weekend I pour in 50-100 g for a week – this is the fight against algae. I don’t have any robots. From “Desalgin”, “Chlorifiksa” and dust from the air, a dark litter like silt begins to appear at the bottom. After swimming, I walk around the pool (round, 10 cubic meters), swirling the water like a spoon in a glass of tea. All the litter collects in a small pile at the bottom of the pool in the center. Then: I have a hose on a stick, I bring the end of this hose to the litter – and in a minute it ends up on the grass of the lawn. That’s all the cleaning of the pool.