Organic Matter and it’s Affects on Swimming Pools
Swimming pools are great for fun and relaxation, but they also require regular maintenance to keep them clean and safe. One of the challenges of pool maintenance is dealing with organic matter, which is any material that comes from living organisms, such as plants, animals, or humans. Organic matter can affect your pool water quality, chemistry, and appearance in various ways. We will explain what organic matter is, where it comes from, how it affects your pool, and how to prevent and remove it.
What Is Organic Matter?
Organic matter is any substance that contains carbon and hydrogen atoms and is derived from living organisms. Organic matter can be classified into two types: dissolved organic matter (DOM) and particulate organic matter (POM). DOM is organic matter that is dissolved in water and cannot be seen by the naked eye. POM is organic matter that is suspended or settled in water and can be seen by the naked eye.
Where Does Organic Matter Come From?
Organic matter can come from various sources, both natural and human-made. Some of the common sources of organic matter in swimming pools are:
- Plants: Leaves, flowers, pollen, seeds, grass clippings, and other plant debris can fall or blow into a pool from the surrounding landscape or from nearby trees. Plants can also release organic compounds into the water through photosynthesis or decomposition.
- Animals: Insects, birds, rodents, frogs, and other animals can enter a pool and leave behind organic matter such as feces, urine, saliva, blood, feathers, fur, or body parts. Pets can also bring organic matter into a pool when they swim or drink from it.
- Humans: Swimmers are the main source of organic matter in swimming pools. They introduce organic matter such as sweat, urine, saliva, skin cells, hair, cosmetics, sunscreen, lotion, and other personal care products into the water. Swimmers can also bring organic matter from outside sources such as dirt, dust, food, or beverages.
Why Does Organic Matter Affect Your Pool?
Organic matter can affect your pool in several ways:
- Water quality: Organic matter can reduce the clarity and color of pool water by making it cloudy or green. Organic matter can also provide food for algae and bacteria that grow in a pool, which can cause health problems for swimmers such as skin irritation, eye infection, or gastrointestinal illness.
- Water chemistry: Organic matter can react with chlorine and other disinfectants in your pool water and reduce their effectiveness. This can lead to a low chlorine level or a high chlorine demand in a pool. Organic matter can also affect the pH and alkalinity of pool water by making it more acidic or basic. This can cause corrosion or scaling of your pool equipment and surfaces.
- Water appearance: Organic matter can stain a pool’s surface by forming colored deposits on it. Some common stains caused by organic matter are brown or black stains from tannins (plant compounds), green stains from copper (from algaecides or plumbing), yellow stains from iron (from well water or fertilizer runoff), or purple stains from manganese (from well water).
How to Prevent Organic Matter from Your Pool?
The best way to deal with organic matter in your pool is to prevent it from entering the pool in the first place. The following tips can help:
- Cover your pool: Use a pool cover when the pool is not in use to keep out leaves, insects, animals, and other debris. A pool cover can also reduce evaporation and heat loss from a pool.
- Clean your pool: Skim the pool surface daily to remove any floating debris. Vacuum the pool floor and walls weekly to remove any settled debris. Brush the pool surfaces regularly to prevent algae growth and staining.
- Maintain your filter: Clean or replace the filter cartridge or media according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Backwash the sand or diatomaceous earth (DE) filter when the pressure gauge indicates a 10 psi increase over the normal operating pressure. A clean filter will trap more organic matter and improve the water circulation.
- Shower before swimming: Ask swimmers to shower before entering the pool and rinse off any dirt, sweat, cosmetics, sunscreen, lotion, or other substances that may contaminate the water.
- Avoid food or drink near the pool: Do not allow food or beverages near the pool area to prevent spills or crumbs that may attract insects or animals.
How to Remove Organic Matter from Your Pool?
If you already have organic matter in the pool that is affecting the water quality or appearance, remove it by following these steps:
- Test the water: Test the pool water regularly using a test kit or strips to check the chlorine level, pH level, alkalinity level, and other parameters. Adjust them as needed according to the recommended ranges for your pool type and size.
- Shock your pool: Shock the pool with a high dose of chlorine (10 to 20 ppm) to kill any algae or bacteria in your water. You can use liquid chlorine or granular shock products. Make sure to dissolve the granules in a bucket of water before adding them to the pool.
- Clarify your water: Use a clarifier product to coagulate any fine particles in the water that are making it cloudy. This will help the filter catch the particles more easily and improve the water clarity.
- Remove stains: Use a stain remover product to lift any stains from the pool surface. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully and wear protective gloves and goggles when handling chemicals. The chlorine level may need to be lowered or the pH level adjusted before applying some stain removers.
Conclusion
Organic matter is any material that comes from living organisms, and they can enter your pool from various sources such as plants, animals, or humans. Organic matter can affect the pool water quality, chemistry, and appearance by making it cloudy or green, reducing the effectiveness of chlorine, affecting the pH and alkalinity levels, and stain a pool’s surface.
Prevent organic matter from entering the pool by covering it when not in use, cleaning it regularly, maintaining the filter system, showering before swimming, and avoiding eating or drinking near the pool. Remove organic matter from the pool by testing the water regularly, shocking it with chlorine, clarifying it with a clarifier product, and removing stains with a stain remover product.
We hope this has helped you understand how organic matter affects swimming pools, the importance of reducing organic matter in a swimming pool and how to deal with it.
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