ABSTRACT
Most towns and cities in South Africa have municipal swimming pools, mostly with dedicated staff to take care of their daily operation. Troubleshooting of swimming pool problems requires a basic understanding of both pool hydraulics and water chemistry. This chapter provides an overview of the main swimming pool components and their hydraulic parameters. Water does not flow evenly off the surface of a pool, regardless whether skimmers or gutters are used. Bathers making waves in a pool, large numbers of bathers suddenly jumping into a pool, or bathers playfully blocking outlets for short periods cause uneven withdrawal of the water through the skimmers or gutters. The hydraulic loading on the filter bed is calculated as the flow rate divided by the area of the filter bed. Alkalinity can be increased by adding sodium bicarbonate. Combined chlorine is therefore a costly obstacle to disinfection.
