Hotel Worker, curious about hotels indoor pool

[FrontDeskClerk]

Hi,
I work at a hotel part time and our pool has recently been switched to an indoor salt water pool. Since the switch I have noticed what I fill is iiproper upkeep from and employee whom doesn't realy know much about pools, indoor for sure. So my questions and they are multiple ones is this. They sanitize with dychlor as well as the salt system, so I assume the cya level is way on up there. Also the water is green but I dont suspect algea although I am probably wrong there. Circualtion seems horrible as the pool is very cloudy. Now for a quick sec the pool room has also recently been painted a carolina blue and the bottom of the pool is a beige could this be causing the green color problems? I know this isn't a well put together post but please help if you can.

 

[duraleigh]

Everything we teach begins with accurate test results so we can understand the current condition of the pool water. Can you give us some?

That said, Dichlor on a regular basis can drive the CYA up quite high....totally unnecessary in an indoor pool.

 

[Isaac-1]

I am going to partly disagree with what Dave said, or at least with what it sounded like he may have said, CYA does help in buffering FC in indoor pools, however the amount needed is much lower than in outdoor pools (20 ppm CYA is more than enough for this buffering effect, but makes a reasonable minimum as that is as low as the common tests will read accurately). Regular use of dichlor though is certainly not appropriate in an indoor pool.

Ike

 

[FrontDeskClerk]

What is proper to use for indoor pools, bleach like from walmart?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Your AHJ will most likely have regulations for what you can and can't use in the pool. Some places don't allow cya at all in an indoor pool and some do.
Most indoor public pools benefit from non-chlorine shock such as MPS.

 

[FrontDeskClerk]

So bama I have overheard the maint guy and gm talking about the pool needing chlorine, so how do you get the chlorine???

 

[harleysilo]

What other responsibilities does the person who takes care of the pool have? Are you looking to take over some responsibilities with of course extra pay? At any rate you will benefit from continuing to read pool school.

Just to be clear a salt water system is a electronic cell that breaks apart the salt in the pool water. What results is the creation of chlorine. The very same chlorine in the pucks and in bleach from the grocery store. The Salt water system also tends to drive up the PH and needs to be counteracted on a regular basis.

Are the customers complaining yet?

 

[harleysilo]

So bama I have overheard the maint guy and gm talking about the pool needing chlorine, so how do you get the chlorine???

In this particular pool, getting more chlorine is a simple as adjusting the SWG (Salt water chlorine generator) to produce more, i.e run more. They could also mean going to a pool store to buy liquid chlorine, which is just "stronger bleach". Or they could be referring to adding more of the dry chlorine pucks to a dispenser.

 

[FrontDeskClerk]

Plenty of complaints, and as Duraleigh asked about test numbers I will get some when I go in this evening and I hope then that I might get a better understanding of the pool. Never myself used a salt water pool so a lot confused. Please all bare with a new pool person and always looking to make more money.

 

[FrontDeskClerk]

And in this pool to adjust PH ok to use Borax as well as muratic acid

 

[techguy]

Fixing this pool all starts with accurate test results. Trying to fix a pool without accurate results is not a good plan.

The hotel may have an accurate kit or you can use the kits we recommend. The TF100XL sounds like a good start for the hotel.

 

[harleysilo]

Well this evening take note of several things....

We need to know what they use to test the water. Do they use paper test strips, small bottles of reagent drops, take sample to pool store?

Why type of filter system is used? Is it a cartridge system, D.E., Sand filters?

Can you get the pool’s volume?

Pictures of everything would help. If the testing is written down into a log or something a picture of that may help, it would be interesting to see trends in the testing data.

I’d talk to the GM, (after I spent some hours reading here in pool school and threads found by searching for “indoor pool”) and tell him you’ve been studying up and are interested in taking over the responsibility of the pool maintenance. You will need the recommended TF-100 test kit, the salt test strips, the speed stir.

You may find that a % of the water needs to be changed in this pool to lower CYA. Being a hotel pool it would probably be best done after hours. That may work to your advantage especially if you work nights, and they aren’t busy. You can “man the front desk” and clean the pool etc.

I got a retail job many years ago because during the interview I asked if a workstation could be added at the greeting desk. The job was just to meet customers as they came into the store, which was a custom chandelier store. When I arrived I noticed the girl greeting was reading a book. During the interview I got to watch the people making the chandeliers. It wasn't difficult work, just “artsy”. With a little training anyone could do it. I was hired right after I suggested that when I wasn't actively greeting folks I could build chandeliers. Worked out great for us both.

 

[FrontDeskClerk]

[attachment=0:25xavfc0]Picture 003.jpg[/attachment:25xavfc0][attachment=0:25xavfc0]Picture 003.jpg[/attachment:25xavfc0][attachment=1:25xavfc0]Picture 002.jpg[/attachment:25xavfc0][attachment=2:25xavfc0]Picture 001.jpg[/attachment:25xavfc0]They test with drops
Looks like a sand filter
I am guessing 20k

I did some test and I got
0 FC
7.6 PH
120 Alk
CYA this is weird was 0 by my testing, it seems they have never tested. but the bags they use are well you will see in pictures.

 

[FrontDeskClerk]

[attachment=0:33qht35m]Picture 006.jpg[/attachment:33qht35m][attachment=1:33qht35m]Picture 005.jpg[/attachment:33qht35m][attachment=2:33qht35m]Picture 004.jpg[/attachment:33qht35m]

 

[FrontDeskClerk]

[attachment=0:xw80uk13]Picture 013.jpg[/attachment:xw80uk13]

 

[FrontDeskClerk]

 

[Donldson]

Shock Xtra Blue... Dichlor and copper. Perfect Looks like they add about 4 lb a week so there is plenty of CYA in the pool. I see they only check once a day and note an FC of zero quite often. This is why I don't swim in hotel pools!

 

[Charlie_R]

Do take note this is a commercial pool, and many of the things we consider to be "normal" may not apply here.

However, this does look like the pool needs to be closed to the public and then SLAMed, after reducing the CYA to a manageable level.

 

[Bama Rambler]

That's a triton 2 sand filter, and an intellichlor swg cell, but I can't tell what size it is.

The so called shock is dichlor and the worse thing is that it contains copper.

Can you find out more about the test kit?

 

[FrontDeskClerk]

WHat else is needed about test kit