Using UV Disinfection for Swimming Pool Water Treatment

Throughout decades, water treatment in swimming pools has been a question of ensuring clean blue water and well-distributed chlorine. In recent times, however, scientific studies have proven the by-products of chlorine to be dangerous for swimmers, increasing the risk of both asthma and cancer.

This has changed the swimming pool treatment practices to center around creating an environment free of chlorine by-products. This is supported by The World Health Organization (WHO), which encourages pool owners to focus on lowering the chlorine by-products, which are present both in the water and in the air in recreational pool environments.

This creates a much-needed step of implementing systems that can effectively protect the health of swimmers worldwide, by reducing the risks associated with dangerous chlorine by-products.

Using ultraviolet light disinfection for swimming pool water treatment

Using chlorine as the primary disinfectant is still the most common way to keep the water sanitary and free of harmful microorganisms. If the chlorine levels are managed properly this is not an issue seen in isolation, but rather a matter of bringing down the level of harmful by-products.

The main issue of using chlorine in swimming pools is that the chlorine reacts very rapidly with nitrogen compounds in the water. This creates problematic chlorine by-products such as mono-, di-, and trichloramines. Especially trichloramines (NCI3) have significant negative effects, irritating the eyes, nose, throat, as well as bronchial tubes.

Unfortunately, legal requirements concerning general health conditions in public pools throughout the world vary a lot, which means that a lot of swimming pools still rely on old practices, using technologies that have barely changed in the past decades.

For more than a decade, ULTRAAQUA has performed R&D activities on dechlorination based on photocatalysis, utilizing ultraviolet light technology. This has led to extensive knowledge of how to solve the chlorine by-product issues present in swimming pools worldwide. The R&D department is continuously involved in innovative projects for further development of solutions to solve this issue. This is supported by the data collected from installations all over the world, further optimizing solutions for combined chlorine removal.

UV technology is a globally accepted solution for water disinfection and combined chlorine removal, being able to solve the complex challenge of creating healthy swimming pool environments free of chlorine by-products. The improved technological and design-related configurations throughout the years have made UV a viable OPEX and CAPEX solution for swimming pools of all sizes.

Improving the water treatment conditions by implementing UV systems not only causes a healthy pool environment but also improves the water consumption levels, reducing the overall operation costs and carbon footprint, while achieving a healthier environment.

See examples of the great range of benefits that the ULTRABLUE system series ensures in the video below.

UV systems at a commercial swimming pool facility in Spain

Located in Spain, the Spa and Fitness club Cosmopolitan Alicante needed a solution to comply with their high ambitions of remaining a responsible and sustainable sports facility. This included proper water treatment conditions at their swimming pool areas, to show their commitment to the health and well-being of their members.

By implementing 3 UV systems for their swimming pool, jacuzzies, and water beds, they managed to not only create a better environment for their members, but also to reduce the use of chemicals, water footprint, and energy costs. This caused an elimination of chloramines, which means that the requirements for water renewal in the pools were drastically reduced.

The implementation resulted in a significant energy efficiency improvement, which meant that the water footprint could be reduced by roughly 85%.

Choosing UV systems was a perfect fit to meet the defined objectives for ensuring a better experience for their members, resulting in a major health upgrade. This will support the facility in becoming a more sustainable, responsible, and committed sports facility.

UV disinfection systems optimized for swimming pool water treatment

The next generation of water treatment for swimming pools includes a solution that accommodates the chlorine by-product issues, to protect the health of the visitors.

The MULTIRAY series is based on numerous years of scientific research and associated R&D activities. The series is optimized for disinfection, chloramine reduction, and crypto/giardia safety in swimming pools, ensuring a major increase in water and air quality.

Scientific research has shown that during normal operation, most of the measured combined chlorine levels are composed of organic chloramine compounds. The MULTIRAY series accommodates exactly this, by ensuring a low level of organic combined chlorine from the swimming pool water through continuous photolysis, using the optimized medium-pressure lamp technology.

To minimize operation costs, the reactor geometry has been designed and optimized for a very low head loss even at high flow rates. Additionally, the market-leading PLC control enables lamp dimming based on combined chlorine sensing, timer, or UV sensor.

The selection of materials and components of high-end industrial quality guarantees long-term trouble-free operation in hot, humid, and corrosive pool environments.

These are a few of the features that make the MULTIRAY series a market-leading UV solution for pools:

• Energy-saving through lamp dimming based on sensor value, combined chlorine level, or timer
• High-grade electropolished stainless steel, providing up to 30% energy savings through internal reflection
• Double security to avoid overheating
• Leak-proof spindle system for manual or automatic cleaning

Read more about the MULTIRAY series by clicking here, or see our entire product range for swimming pools by clicking here.

If you wish to hear more about how our UV systems for swimming pools can assist your water treatment processes, please use the contact formula below.