Ultraviolet (UV) Effects on Your Pool

Ultraviolet (UV) rays affect your pool in differentonly occur when the sun is out. Your pool will not
and very contradictory ways. On one hand UVreceive the heating energy that is required for
rays can be used to sanitize your pool. Bycomfortable swimming on a cloudy day. You can
exposing pool water to concentrated UV rays,increase the effectiveness of solar heating by
bacteria is almost completely destroyed. Theusing a pool blanket. A pool blanket works much
problem is that it does not have a long termlike an insulator that will help retain heat, thus
sustainability, so you will still need to add somereducing the amount of time and energy needed
chlorine in order to maintain a long term residualto maintain acceptable pool temperatures.
chlorine level. But, you will love this, UV rays areSome larger commercial swimming pools are
the major cause of rapid chlorine burn off. Inexperimenting with using UV sanitation in order to
order to maintain proper residual chlorine levelsreduce the need for the many chemicals that are
you will need to add a buffer that will help retainrequired by law to maintain a clean and healthy
adequate chlorine levels. Cyanuric acid will act as aswimming environment. UV chlorination will
stabilizer for chlorine and help reduce burn off.immediately deal with the "accidents" that are
You will need to closely monitor Ph levels whencommon in community swimming pools where
using a stabilizer, that can cause variances in Ph.children are the majority. Whenever the vast
Because UV use greatly reduces the chloraminesamounts of chemicals needed to maintain a pool
levels in your pool, the strong chlorine smell iscan be cut down, operation of a large swimming
greatly reduced. Reducing chloramines also savespool becomes much more economical. This will
your pool equipment , the corrosive effect ofalso make swimming in public pools more
chlorine is reduced, so maintenance on equipment,comfortable without the chemical effects that are
and costs for maintenance is reduced. Thegenerally suffered by bathers. This will benefit
irritation that is usually associated with chlorineeveryone who uses public swimming pools for
sanitation, e.g. skin, eye and mucus membranetheir summer fun.
irritation is practically eliminated by removing theHarnessing the sun's solar energy can have
chloramines from the pool water.numerous benefits, but there disadvantages as
UV rays are also a great source for heating yourwell. Do plenty of research and consult with a pool
pool. Solar heating is the least expensive and mostspecialist. He can guide you in protecting your pool
ecologically friendly heat source. That is right, butfrom the negative effects of UV rays and help
it is the least maintainable. It takes much longer toyou use those same rays to care for your pool in
heat water using solar energy and heating cana more earth friendly way.