Taking The Sting Out Of Swimming
In October 2005, the chlorine odor was reportedly so strong at my son's college pool that swimmers were running out into the hallway for "fresh air" between practice sets. Most were suffering from irritated eyes, skin, sinuses and lungs. Some were awakening in the middle of the night with coughing fits.
Beede Center - Concord, MA
Parents knew that a home swim meet was an invitation to three hours of stinging eyes, respiratory irritation and even headaches. Yes, the pool was sixty years old, but there must be a way to improve this situation.
For nearly twenty years I had owned one, and operated three large indoor swimming facilities in northern Connecticut. I also had an engineering background. I figured that if I couldn't find a solution, it was unlikely that one existed. However, having tried most of the "promising" technologies over the years – copper ions, ozone, UV and others – and seen each of them fail in indoor pools with heavy bather loads, I wasn't optimistic.
Mixed Oxidant Electrolytic Equipment
I knew that air quality problems begin in the water. When the chlorine reacts with pollutants such as swimmers' perspiration, chloramines are formed. Once in the water, they will inevitably give off gas and cause air quality issues. I had a few ideas but they led nowhere.
The Solution
Then I heard about Simply Water, LLC in Houston (www.SimplyWaterLLC.com). They had been using mixed oxidant technology successfully in pools for several years. The technology worked wonders.
Inorganic chloramines were eliminated without any need to superchlorinate. Pools with chloramine problems were being transformed into pools with fresh smelling air and water that seemed to be chlorine-free. At the same time, pool chemistry costs were being cut by 50 percent or more.
Mixed Oxidant
Storage Tanks
Without the need to superchlorinate, de-chlorinate and deal with chloramines' effect on equipment in the pool area, pool labor and maintenance costs dropped precipitously. As I began contacting facilities that were using the mixed oxidant technology, I found not only confirmation of its claims, but passionate support.
While other new technologies such as UV were claiming some of the same abilities, those systems all required the water to be returned to the equipment room for treatment. Mixed oxidants, on the other hand, reside in the pool water itself and attack immediately when "pollutants" enter the pool.
The Result
Within days, I approached the college administration and offered to buy the system for the school. I assumed they had no budget for it, and told them they could repay me over the next few years from their pool chemistry savings.
On January 18th, the system began injecting mixed oxidants into the pool at 8 AM. Nine hours later, the team had an evening swim meet. Spectators couldn't believe the transformation when they arrived at the pool. There was no hint of chloramine odor in the air. No eye irritation. No burning throats. No headaches.
Cornerstone Aquatics Center - West Hartford, CT
And the swimmers? Breathing air rather than chlorine fumes for the first time, they set eight pool records that night – the fastest times ever for those eight events in that ancient pool. Whether or not the mixed oxidants made the difference in the speed, they've certainly improved the quality of life for the swimmers and fans.
I became so impressed with the technology that in the months since, I've been helping Simply Water with its projects.
Note: Don Bettencourt spent 14 years as an engineer and business executive with Fortune 500 companies before becoming the entrepreneur-owner of three small companies in northern Connecticut. There, he has owned one and managed two other large indoor swimming facilities for the past 20 years. Don is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Aquatics For Life Inc. and of Aquatics For Living LLC, as well as the president of Clear Water Technology Solutions LLC, in New Hampshire. Contact him at (800) 961-9109 or Don@PoolMgt.com. |
