ozonator for commercial therapy spa

Hello,

I am an aquatic therapist working in a 3000 gallon 92 degree therapeutic pool.

We have been having intermittent problems with free chlorine levels being low, while total chlorine levels being average or high.

I have been in "discussions" with our facility owner to purchasing an ozonator to help. I am the primary therapist in the pool (in our small pool room 40 hours a week, with most of those hours in the pool).

I tend to not have a problem other than general skin dryness. However, on the rough consecutive days with the high chloromines, I tend to have progressive problems.

I read your info on ozonators.... being a smaller high temp pool...what would your recommendations be.

Not really sure who to trust, so I'd like your input to factor into the equation.

[ same reply sent by email; will upgrade your membership, close this thread, and move a copy into the commercial section here. ]

[ Please note that I will NOT be attempting to support commercial pool or spa efforts going forward, except as a consultant. There's simply not enough useful participation online, even in forums larger than mine, to make 'peer' support effective. ]

Hi Stacy;

A comprehensive answer would require considerable time on my part AND yours, and involve paid consultation.

But, I'm not proposing a paid consultation precisely because trying to maintain good water quality in a low volume / high use / heated pool or spa is intrinsically difficult with only imperfect solutions availabl. In other words, even if I did consult with you, and your facility faithfully did everything I recommended, both with respect to equipment and operations, the results would likely STILL be considered less than optimal.

The problem is, there is no fast AND practical method of removing 'people goo' (urine, sweat, body oils, feces) from water that is also compatible with using the water during the removal process.

I suspect that, if you set up a parallel set of containers, one in use, and one undergoing high rate ozonation, you could do it. German pool ozonation systems do something that approaches this.The problem is, ozonation at those loves is both dangerous and expensive, and requires continuous monitoring by intelligent and trained operators.US pool/spa ozonation systems are intrinsically safe, by virtue of using so little ozone as to be largely ineffective. (You may not be aware, but ozone gas is at least 2x as toxic as chlorine gas!)

Outdoor pools can escape these problems by virtue of
+ dilution (lower 'goo'-per-gallon)
+ unrestricted off-gassing (gases and volatiles formed by the chlorination of 'goo' are NOT trapped in a spa or pool room)
+ solar UV (breaks down some of these disinfection by products and speeds the full oxidation of others)

Some indoor competition pools have experienced SOME improvement in air and water quality via add-on high-rate UV units. But these are expensive and increase chlorine consumption. Plus, I don't know if they would be effective on spas, where the 'goo-per-gallon' levels are much higher.

Bottom line: the ONLY method I can be fully confident of is daily draining and refilling . . . and in some parts of the country with poor source water, even that would be optimal.

There are other things that probably would improve water quality. For example, getting you clients to use the toilet and shower BEFORE therapy would almost certainly help. Installing a side stream DE filter IN ADDITION to your existing cartridge or sand filter would probably help, but would require extra maintenance. So, it would take some trial and error, both to see what would work, and to see what your facility could manage.

Good luck!

Ben Powell

PS. I'm very, very familiar with these issues personally, as my wife taught water aerobics and minor water therapy classes for 10+ years in a 30,000 gallon indoor pool I serviced under contract.