What are the requirements for swimming pools and laboratory tests?

Several types of laboratory tests must be available?

There are several laboratory tests that must be carried out to ensure the safety of water for swimming pools to ensure that it is free of diseases, and to ensure that it conforms to the general specifications and requirements. They are:

• Test strips.
• Color disc set.
• Portable digital tools.

Public and private swimming pools in our time have become of great importance to individuals and groups because they represent a very important sports and recreational outlet that helps to spend time in an activity beneficial to the body and mind together.

As swimming is one of the sports that our Holy Prophet recommended teaching our children, and it also represents a kind of natural treatment for some bone and muscle problems.

This led to an increase in the demand for the establishment of swimming pools, but care must be taken to meet all health requirements and requirements, by conducting several laboratory tests on a regular basis.

The most important technical requirements when designing swimming pools:

1. The path of the supply and drainage pipes for the swimming pool should be far from all possible sources of pollution and leave a distance between them, and take the necessary precautions to isolate these pipes to avoid the impact of groundwater.
2. Making several water entrances in places that allow the regular distribution of water in all parts of the basin, to help that the purified water is circulated regularly in all parts of the swimming pool, and special devices are installed on these entrances to control the quantities of water entering the swimming pool.
3. The water outlet shall be at the deepest point of the basin and of an appropriate diameter, to allow emptying the pool within four hours or less, and the diameter of the discharge opening is equivalent to four times the diameter of the water drainage pipe, in order to avoid the occurrence of swirls during the withdrawal of water. The size and capacity of the swimming pool and these openings must be covered with a stainless steel mesh and installed in a way that the users of the pool cannot move them.

Implementation and testing requirements:

1. In the event that there are cultivated areas at a distance of five meters or less from the pool, a system must be established to drain the excess water in these areas, permeating the backfill layers, provided that this system has the possibility of draining the water away from the source by giving it the appropriate slope, and if it is not possible to drain by tilting due to the characteristics Topography of the site Water is collected in a pit and pumped using an automatic pump to a drainage channel or other drainage system.
2. The swimming pool is provided with an integrated water circulation system consisting of a water intake system through a channel or intake points, and water filtration and sterilization units with pipes related to the pool under pressure, to ensure that water does not leak from these pipes, and the pool can be emptied of water by pumping it using a water circulation pump to manhole, and then drained into the sewage system.

Health requirements:

1- Maintaining the cleanliness of the swimming pool and conducting periodic laboratory tests:

1- Maintaining the cleanliness of the swimming pools and the purity of the water, by ensuring the validity of the swimming pool equipment, checking it periodically and checking the chemical content of the water on a daily basis as needed, using all types of appropriate chemicals such as:

• Swimming pool chlorine, which is used to sterilize water and kill bacteria and viruses that may be present in it.
• “Shampoo” is a special liquid to prevent the formation of algae in the aquarium water.
• Any other materials used to sterilize swimming pool water provided that they conform to the Saudi Standard Specifications.

2- Water intake and batch treatment system:

The work of a mechanical system for drawing, pushing, and treating swimming pool water, including:

• Circulation pump and sand filter.
• Suction and thrust points.
• Chemical water treatment devices.
• Filter system.

3- Water source:

The water supply of water used in public and private swimming pools is from the public network, or from another source so that it is suitable for drinking, conforms to Saudi specifications for drinking water, and is clear and free of turbidity in all parts of the basin.

4- General hygiene:

Taking care of cleaning the swimming pool, removing dirt and floating materials on an ongoing basis, and in the case of swimming pools that run on the filling and emptying system, they must be cleaned daily.

5- Operation supervisor responsibilities:

The person responsible for supervising the operation of the swimming pool must do the following, and record it in the records:

• Follow up on the general cleanliness of the site and the swimming pool.
• Continuous detection of residual free chlorine in water, and checking these readings first several times a day.
• Measure the hydrogen ion concentration.
• Recording the quantity and quality of chemicals used in water purification and sterilization processes.
• Evidence of filters washing times and materials used in washing.
• Write down how often the pool water is changed (in circular running basins).
• Taking samples from the aquarium water for bacterial examination monthly, and chemically every three months.

6- Disinfection and sterilization of the swimming pool and the importance of conducting laboratory tests:

Since swimming pools work in different ways, the sterilization process is carried out in different ways:

• For basins that run on a circular running water system, the sterilization process is carried out by the chlorine device on the water pipe coming out of the filters. After completion of the filtration process, and before the water enters the tank, or by adding chlorine in two batches, before and after filtration.
• In the case of basins that follow the non-circular running water system, the chlorine device is installed on the water pipe entering the basin. It is adjusted to add the necessary dose for sterilization as long as there is water entering the tank.
• In the case of basins that are filled and emptied every day, the sterilization process is carried out by a device installed on the water pipe entering the basin. The dose of chlorine is added while the tank is being filled, and its addition is nullified when the filling is finished. In this type, the water is sterile when you start filling the basin, but the sterilization disappears with the passage of time.

In order to ensure that the percentage of chlorine is appropriate and does not exceed the required limit, laboratory tests must be completed showing the percentage of chlorine in the water.

7- Nomination:

Rapid sand filters and pressure filters are used for filtration of swimming pool water, and pressure filters are preferred. The number of filters shall not be less than four, placed parallel to each other, for easy cleaning. The thickness of the gravel and sand layer shall not be less than three feet.

Water Care provides a choice of several laboratory tests, which ensure periodic follow-up of swimming pool water, to know the necessary procedure to be carried out. You can read more about these tests, their types, and their uses, here.