SWIMMING POOL

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS, WATER

TREATMENT, DESIGNS.
o Swimming is a great exercise, fun & recreational activity
accessible to all ages & physical abilities.

o Swimming pool water gets contaminated by swimmers and

environmental pollutants, which are in suspended &
dissolved state.

o Swimming pools water treatment is a very important

process to maintain the water quality for safety & hygiene
of swimmers.

o Fundamentally water treatment

involves filtration, ozonation & water chemical balance .
Scope of Swimming Pool Design Consultancy Services:
• Pool Design, Volume, Sizing.

• Pool Overflow System Design Pump Sump/Balancing

tank/Skimmer/Overflow gutter etc.

• Pool Drainage Design

• Pool Water Distribution Pipe Network Design

• Filtration Plant Design.

• Water Disinfection Plant Design.

• Electrical Details.

• Pool Water Chemistry.

• Plant room Design

• All detailed hydraulic drawings

• Documents Operation, Maintenance, Technical Specifications 

FILTRATION: In filtration, entire pool water is continuously re-circulated
through physical filters.

OZONATION:
o It is the advance & time tested ecological technology for disinfection.

o Ozonation not only kills all diseases causing bacteria & viruses but also
oxidizes harmful impurities & pollutants due to environment & swimmers
sweat & urine.

o Ozonation has a distinct advantage of extremely low generation of

disinfectant byproduct. Due to ozonation technique some of the pool
associated problems like eye souring, hair fall, teeth bettering, skin rashes
are completely eliminated.

o Also pool water becomes highly safe & hygienic for the swimmers. It is
strongly recommended to use ozonation for private & public swimming
pools. In most of countries & local municipalities use of chlorine is ban &
ozonation is made mandatory.
 TYPES OF POOLS:

Residential / Private Pool:

Swimming pools which are made for personal use and for recreation
activity fall under private and residential category. These pools are of
15000 to 150000 liters in volume. These are very common for bungalows,
penthouse, farm house and terrace. These pools are use by only one
family and occasionally by relatives and friends.
Public / Commercial Pool:

Commercial pools are regularly used by many swimmers of

different families in society, clubs, hotels and municipalities. The
pool volume of 200000 liters and above considered as public or
commercial pools.
Competition / Diving Pool:

Swimming pools used by professional swimmers are having pool

volumes above 1200000 liters. These pools are also called Olympic
or Semi Olympic size. These pools are used to conduct national
and international level competition and practice
 Pool Construction:
Construction of swimming pool is one of the aesthetic concerns of all
pool owners.

Pools are in difference shape and sizes. Civil activity includes excavation,
digging, rafting, water proofing, tiling, chemical treatment, ponding with
good finish.
Civil Construction:
There are many steps involved for building a new pool and they are outlined
below:

Excavation:
After marking the outline of the swimming pool, excavation is carried out as per
the requirement with extra allowance for the various equipment that are
required to be installed in the structure e.g. main drain, light housings, skimmers,
pipelines, wiring conduits etc.

P.C.C:
Plain concrete cement for footings and floor of swimming pool of desired
thickness and mix.
Rafting and R.C.C:
Steel for reinforcement as required by our structural design is laid on the base
and wall area of the swimming pool.
Plumbing:
During civil construction all piping distribution networks are solidly bonded and
the entire plumbing system hydrostatically pressure tested.
Shuttering:
Shuttering is placed on the inside of the swimming pool wall after which
concrete is poured all over as per the structural details.

Plastering:
A plaster is provided into which roof liquid is mixed which is a mortar
plasticizer & integral waterproofing agent which makes the mortar water
tight and also provides good workability. In all the structure, as such
becomes watertight.

Chemical Treatment:
The surface of the joint area e.g. floor and wall will be treated with roof
liquid to ensure proper sealing of all overlap joints.
Ponding:
After water proofing the pool is tested for water retention for 100 % of
water proofing.
Tiling:

After concreting work and water proofing the most important work is select
the tiles for outer finishing.

Decking:

On deck area the planters and foot decking is provided. The stone, granite or
tiles used as a finishing for swimming pool deck.

Coping:

The edge of the swimming pool natural stone is provided for final finishing of
swimming pool.
Pool Filtration:
o Swimming pool filtration is the very important part of the pool water
treatment.
o Appropriate size of pressure sand filter or dual media filter in
recirculation loop keeps pool water sparkling clean.
o By maintaining pH one can add very small quantum of coagulant like
alum to quickly and effectively improve the pool clarity. If system is
integrated with ozone it can also act like micro-flocculent which can
coagulate the colloidal and gets fitted in pool filters.
o Swimming pool filters are a significant part of a pool circulation system
and can be sized as per use and application to make sure the water
quality remain uniformly crystal clear.

o Depending upon site condition and usage filtration of 8 – 12 hrs for

private pools and 16 – 24 hrs for public pool is consider adequate.
Advantages of Pressure sand filter are:
• Very simple to operate with multiport valve
• Can be repeatedly used with periodic backwash
• Very low operating cost
• Very low recurring and replacement cost
• With small amount of coagulant gives very high degree of
filtration
• It is an complete system and additional filters are not required
 POOL OZONATION:
o Water disinfection is one of the key treatment steps for all types of
swimming pools, either public or private.
o Efficient pool water disinfection is essential for public pools.
o Swimming pool water is contaminated by swimmers & environment
pollutants.
o Swimming pool pollutants can be divided up into three groups:
microorganisms, undissolved pollutants & dissolved pollutant. 
o For many years, chlorine or bromine based chemicals have been the
standard disinfectants used in swimming pool water treatment.
o However, studies have proven that the use of these chemicals can have
public health consequences due to the formation of reaction byproducts,
mainly chlorinated organic compounds and chloramines.
o Chloramines are responsible for eye, ear and throat irritation as well as the
presence of strong chlorine odour.
o Certain viruses, amoebae and cysts are also not inactivated at the chemical
levels normally used for pool water treatment.
Applications of Ozonation:-
• Hotels Pool
• Spas
• Public/Commercial Pool
• Water Park
• Residential Pool
• Sports Club
OZONATION IN SWIMMING POOL :
Ozone treatment is designed to meet the bacterial & viral disinfection, reduction in
residual chlorine demand and marinating water clarity and healthy swimming
water.

Role of Ozone :
• Elimination of red, irritated eyes
and dry, itchy skin.
• No formation of dangerous by-
products.
• Removing unpleasant chlorine /
chloramines odors.
• Reducing constant purchasing of
harmful chemicals.
• Ozone has a micro-flocculation
property.
• Improving water clarity.
• Keeping healthy pool water.
 Swimming pool Vent open to air

Air ozone
detector

Ozone
contractor &
diffuser

Interlock
system
Recirculation
Balancing pump filtration
tank

concentrato
ozonator
Side

Oxygen
stream
pump

r
Swimming pool ozonation
SWIMMING POOL DIMENSIONS:
Pools which are owned &
used by single family &
occasionally with friends &
relatives. Pool size can be
from 20 m³ to 250 m³. Pools
which are in the compound,
back yard, basement,
terrace, weekend
bungalows, and farm house
etc
Pools having capacities from 150
m³ to 1,000 m³ liters are used by
many swimmers at a time. These
pools are further divided into two,
one which are sparingly used in
hotels,holiday resorts, cooperates,
small townships, residential
complexes, schools, universities
etc. Others which are daily used by
members like sports clubs,
recreational clubs, municipalities
etc
Pools which are used
for local, national &
international
competitions are of
Semi-Olympic &
Olympic size. These
pools are from 1,200
m³ to 6,000 m³
Pool Chemicals:

• Proper water chemistry is required to keep a swimming pool safe and clean for
swimmers, and maintaining swimming pool chemicals can save pool owners time
and money.

• A pool that is "balanced" has proper levels of pH, Total Alkalinity, Hardness and
Residual Chlorine etc. therefore Swimming pool water requires daily tests of this
water parameters to maintain the water balance.

• A pool tester is a pool care system that enables the operators to find out the
disinfection level in the pool. 
• With main disinfection treatment, maintain the correct water chemistry in the pool
is very important.

• Maintaining a swimming pool requires proper chemical water balance, adequate

sanitation and sufficient filtration. For these three important factors we required to
add chemicals for adjust the suitable water chemical balance.
Pool Water Chemistry:

Understanding swimming pool water chemistry is an essential part to maintaining safe

and consistent swimming pool operation. 
1. pH
The pH is one of the most important factors in pool water balance. The water pH is a
measure of its total acid alkalinity balance, the relative proportion of acids and alkalis in
the water. The pH range goes from 0 - 14. i.e. on the pH scale, 0-6 level indicates acidity,
7 indicates a neutral state and 8-14 indicates alkalinity.
The ideal level for swimming pool water is between 7.2 and 7.8

Why is pH so important? 
• You cannot run your pool at pH 6.5 - it would acidic enough to corrode the metal
fittings in your pool circulation system and it is too far from the Human body's pH of 7.4
to be comfortable to bathe in. The compromise is 7.2 to 7.6, preferably midpoint of 7.4.
Remember, if you let the pH drift out of this range, you will have to use more chlorine
to get adequate disinfection.
• Bather comfort, at high pH, the water will make your eyes sting and possibly give you
a sore throat.
• At high pH (above 8) there are two dangers.
• The danger of scale forming on your pool surfaces, pipe work and fittings. This is
because at a pH of around 8.0, the calcium in the water combines with carbonates in
the water. Result? --- Calcium carbonate or scale.

• Calcium carbonate can form into tiny particles and float around in the Water giving it
a cloudy, turbid appearance.

• A low pH (below 7) can corrode metals, eating away at copper fittings and heat
exchangers leaving metal oxides to stain pool surfaces. Under certain conditions the
precipitated (particulate) metals can tint your hair,

• 2. Total Alkalinity
Total alkalinity is a measure of the amount of alkaline materials in the water. This
alkalinity will usually be present as bicarbonates, but with a very high pH carbonates
and hydroxides can be present as well.

• In basic terms TA acts like a buffer for your pH level.

Total alkalinity is a measure of the pH-buffering capacity, or the water's resistance to
a change in pH. This ability to resist change in pH is due primarily to the presence of
the family of carbonate ions, but certain other compounds also provide buffering.
The carbonate ions have a special role in water saturation. The operator must
control both the amount of carbonate alkalinity and the pH to provide enough
calcium carbonate to saturate the water without having so much that scale forms
Alkalinity does not have to be tested for as often as pH. The good total Alkalinity will
make it much easier to maintain good pH. The appropriate range for Total Alkalinity
in pool water is between 75 and 120 ppm (parts per million). High Total Alkalinity
(above 120 PPM) will allow your pH to slowly creep up and resist efforts to change. 
Low Total Alkalinity (below 75 PPM) allows your pH to "bounce" from one extreme
to the other, making it very difficult to keep your pH in the appropriate range. Ideal
Total Alkalinity (between 75 and 120 PPM) can be achieved by adding Alkalinity
Increaser if the Total Alkalinity is below 75 PPM and pH Reducer if Total Alkalinity is
above 120 PPM now for the third factor affecting your swimming pool water
chemistry.

3. Total Dissolved Solids

By definition, TDS is absolutely everything dissolved in pool water, from metals to
chlorine to alkalinity to sulphates and salts. This apparent contradiction in terms
refers to conductive chemicals that can accumulate in the pool particularly when the
water evaporates, or when the pool is not 'diluted' with sufficient fresh water.
It cannot been seen because they are dissolved, but this doesn’t stop those
corroding metal parts (pumps, pipe work, filters) on account of their conductivity.
They are mostly made up of chlorides and sulphates.
The acceptable range of TDS in a swimming pool is between 1,000 and 2,000 ppm.
4. Calcium Hardness
Water can be corrosive even if the PH and total alkalinity levels are in the proper
range. The reason is water has a natural demand for calcium. The recommended
range of Calcium Hardness is 200-275 ppm 

5. Temperature
Temperature is the property that gives physical meaning to the concept of heat. If an
object is cold, we say it has a low temperature. If it is hot, we say it has a high
temperature. It can also be observed that if a hot poker is plunged into cold water,
the poker becomes cooler and the water becomes warmer. This means that the hot
body gives up some of its heat to the cold body.

6. Turbidity
Turbidity is important in terms of the clarity of the swimming pool water. Water
should be maintained to a level which will ensure the safety of bathers. It is vitally
important that the bottom of the pool is always visible so that a person coming to rest
at the deepest point of the pool is seen. It should be possible to see the bottom of the
pool clearly from any position on the pool side when the pool is in use. The pool
should be closed whenever this standard fails to be achieved.
7. Free Available Chlorine
The disinfectant form of chlorine is "free residual chlorine." It is also known as free
available chlorine or free chlorine and all terms refer to the concentration of
hypochlorous acid and the hypochlorite ion in equilibrium concentration in the pool
water. It is strong and safe when used properly and is still the most popular form of
disinfection.
 Pool Equipment Safety:
1. Keep the skimmers basket clean & in place.
2. Visible & Electrical Equipment & Wiring including pool lights in good physical
condition.
3. Pump Suction -from the main circulating pump.

• There must be at least two suction outlets from the pool to the main circulating
pump. Each outlet must have a cover, fastened down with screws. Either one of
these outlets should be able to supply the pump by itself without exceeding the
flow rating of its cover. (Many above-ground pools use the skimmer as the
suction outlet and have no main drain; these pools don't require a second
suction outlet.)
• All suction outlet covers (for instance, grates, anti-vortex covers, etc.) must be
designed so that they won't trap body parts or hair. Plastic deck and drain
covers may deteriorate and crack or break from exposure to sunlight or
weather. Routinely replace them every 3-4 years.

• An emergency shut-off switch for the pool circulation pump should be in an

easily accessible, obvious place near the pool. Bathers should know where it
is and how to use it. Use the switch in case of emergency.
•  Most pool cleaners and all pool vacuums use the pump suction to clean the pool.
Because of the strength of the suction and the possibility of entrapment
underwater, keep everyone out of the pool during cleaning or vacuuming.

•  Electricity - Mixing electricity and water is always hazardous. In a pool situation,

underwater lights, deck lights, the motor on the circulating pump, or any other
accessory requiring electricity may pose a safety threat to people in the water if
the wiring is incorrect or faulty.
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs): The power supply circuit for each piece of
electrical equipment should include a GFCI for protection against tiny - but
dangerous - leaks of electricity to ground ('ground faults'). If these tiny ground faults
travel through the human body, they can damage the nerves controlling the heart
and cause cardiac arrest (heart failure). A GFCI will sense ground faults and
disconnect the power supply. This protects you from a dangerous and possibly fatal
electrical shock.
Codes: All electrical equipment and wiring must meet the requirements of the local
and national codes which apply.
Grounding and Bonding: All electrical equipment must be grounded. All metal objects
(ladders, diving platforms, etc.) must be electrically bonded together.
Extension cords: Never use extension cords around a pool or spa. If they get wet, it's
an invitation to a shock - possibly a fatal
By using a little common sense, taking proper safety precautions and having your
pool professional do regular maintenance and safety inspections, your pool
mechanical equipment should provide trouble-free enjoyment for years to come.
Compressed air trapped in the system - Water under pressure doesn't present much
of a hazard. But the piping and filtering systems on pools can trap and hold large
bubbles of air until they build up enough explosive potential to blow the tops off of
filters, strainers. The owner's manual for your filter, and pump will tell you how to
safely bleed the air out of your filter system. For safety's sake, review the following
points:
» Read the owner's manual carefully to learn how to operate your filter system safely.
Never try to adjust or service your pool filter unless you have read the owner's
manual and understand how to release all pressure from the system (shut off the
power and release the pressure first). 
» When starting up the system after a period of non-use (for instance, after a winter
shut-down), read the start-up instructions in the owner's manuals for the equipment
involved so that you can purge all the air from the system before it builds up to
dangerous pressures.
» Never connect your pool filter system to a household water system -the pool
equipment is designed to run at much lower pressures and may split or burst if
subjected to household water system pressures. 
» To avoid a dangerous pressure buildup in the filter, make sure that any shutoff
valves downstream of the filter always remain open during system operation.