Can I Have Too Many People Swimming
by Eileen
In the summer (May through Sept) there are usually 5 people swimminmg daily and 7 to 9 people on the weekends. Our pool man says that is too many people swiming and it is using more chlorine than it should. He wants to charge us extra for more chlorine. I was under the understanding that chlorine was effected mostly by the sun? Also since we don't swim in the winter (Oct through April) and the sun dosen't shine as much shouldn't that pretty much even out? Thanks for the question Eileen Basically, the more people you have in the pool, the more chlorine the pool will use. This is because of the organic matter that gets into the pool through urine, spit, sweat, make-up, lotions, dead bugs, etc... Water drag off and evaporation will cause an increase in chlorine as well because you'll be topping off the pool with tap water that contains no chlorine. The pool is being diluted with fresh water, thus, more chlorine is needed in order to compensate for the new fresh water being added. All this, and more, will cause the pool to use more chlorine. It is true that the sun and heat does have a direct impact on chlorine usage. That's why keeping the stabilizer (CYA) consistent is so important. Normally, home pools should keep their chlorine level between 1.5 - 3.5ppm and the CYA between 30 - 50ppm. For a heavily used pool, you'll need to bump up the chlorine a bit because if you keep it too low it may bottom out quickly and the pool will be left without any sanitizer. The correct number of people swimming in a home pool is subjective and open for opinion. I believe for lifeguard training and the Red Cross, it says 3sq. feet of water per person. There are some things you can do to lessen the chlorine usage. Have your swimmers take a hot soapy shower before entering the pool and take frequent bathroom breaks. Keep as much water in the pool as possible. Using a solar cover will help with the evaporation and chemical use. If you are concerned about the possible increase in chlorine use, you can try to find a pool company that charges a flat monthly fee, chemicals included. Hope this helps and have a fun and safe swimming season. Robert |
