OCM Products OC-1 Manual De Instrucciones página 3

E N G L I S H
What happens to the water in your pool?
This should be a question of prime consideration for all pool owners. In the past some pools did not use filtering systems,
the owner was faced with the problem of refilling the pool with clean water when this became necessary. Refilling the
pool was laborious, meanwhile the owner had an unsanitary pool with unpleasant bathing owing to the poor clarity of the
water. Today pool owners demand absolute hygiene, crystal clear water and economy of effort. These objectives are
achieved by effective filtration and chemical treatment of the pool water.
After filling the pool with clean water in the summer, two basic factors will take place, due to the exposure of water to the
sun, the air and bathers.
1.-Biological contamination. The water is contaminated by micro-organisms which may be airborne or introduced by
bathers. These organisms reproduce rapidly in still, warm water and algae may form giving a green appearance to the
pool water.
2.-Rainfall and wind may introduce dust with leaves and seeds which muddy and pollute the pool water.
These two factors generate in a short period of time an unsanitary swimming pool and unpleasant bathing.
Solutions to the problem:
1. "CHEMICAL" TREATMENT
Maintain the correct level of sanitiser (chlorine, bromine, oxygen...) in the water to combat existing micro-
organisms by its disinfecting action.
As chlorine is the more common method, it will be taken as the reference point.
2. "PHYSICAL" TREATMENT
Provide the pool with a filtration system (filter and pump) to remove suspended particles from the water.
PH LEVEL
The pH level is an indicator of acidity or alkalinity present in the water. The neutral value is 7.0. a pH of 0-7 means levels
of acidity whilst 7-14 gives levels of alkalinity.
Why pH is important?
"THE IDEAL PH VALUE IN A POOL SHOULD BE BETWEEN 7.2 AND 7.6".
As previously stated, sufficient residual chlorine must exist in the pool to destroy unwanted micro-organisms, in fact the
chlorine will only act as a bactericide when the pool water has a pH of between 7.2 and 7.6.
There are other reasons which call for a correct pH level:
Once above 7.6, calcium in the pool will precipitate to a visible cloudy form (accentuated in hard water areas).
This gives a milky appearance to the water, and hinders the filtering, deposits may also appear on the pool walls and
fittings.
Once the pH level falls below 7.0 the pool water becomes corrosive causing eye irritation and affecting mucus
membranes. There is also a long-term threat to metallic parts in the pool.
The quality of the pool water is highly dependent on maintaining the correct pH level.
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