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Pool operators test
In addition to the training class and test, the operator must... - Answer- have knowledge of the swimming pool ordinance for the AHJ, make sure all certifications are kept updated, ensure that all employees are properly trained and in-services are held, be trained on the physical plant of swimming pool facility that they intend to operate, familiarize themselves with the specifics of the swimming pool facility conventional swimming pool - Answer- basic type of swimming pool, "flat water" skimming pools where the water line is static with the exception of movement made by the bathers, often include a shallow and deep end, sections split by a safety rope wading pool - Answer- a body of water with a maximum depth of two feet or less, generally restricted to children under the age of six spa pool - Answer- usually a small, hot body of water with a high maximum flow rate and a maximum operating temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit indoor pool - Answer- a climate controlled swimming pool with an exterior building or shell which provides protection from the elements activity pool - Answer- a water attraction designed for play activity including constructed features like flotation devices diving pool - Answer- a pool primarily for diving interactive water play aquatic venue - Answer- any indoor or outdoor pool that includes sprayed, jetted, or other water sources contacting bathers skimmer pool - Answer- a pool using a skimmer system surf pool - Answer- generates waves dedicated to the activity of surfing therapy pool - Answer- a pool exclusively for aquatic therapy wave pool - Answer- a pool designed to simulate breaking or cyclic waves for the purposes of general play
increased risk aquatic venues - Answer- pool which have "intrinsic characteristics and intended users have a greater likelihood of affecting the health of the bathers of that venue by being at increase risk for microbial contamination". examples are spray pads, wading pools, and other aquatic venues designed for children less than five years old the CDC and the MAHC specify the use of what as a supplement to standard systems in venues identified as increased risk aquatic venues - Answer- secondary disinfection systems surface area of a rectangular pool - Answer- the horizontal area (or surface) of a swimming pool, found by multiplying the length times width surface area of a multisided pool - Answer- found by dividing the horizontal surface of the swimming pool into sections surface of a circular pool - Answer- πr maximum facility load - Answer- determined by diving the surface of the pool and diving that number by 27, includes all the people at the facility, not just in the swimming pool pool volume - Answer- the total amount of water, in gallons, contained in the interior of a swimming pool turnover - Answer- the amount of time required for all of the pool's volume to pass through the filtration system minimum flow rate - Answer- the minimum amount of water that must pass through the filtration system (flow rate) in order to achieve the required turnover maximum flow rate - Answer- the maximum amount of water which can pass through the filter system filtration system - Answer- piping (includes manifold & valves), pump (includes hair & lint strainer), and the filter the filtration system is used to remove.... - Answer- suspended particulate matter filter (mechanical) room - Answer- houses the physical plant of the swimming pool filter room requirements - Answer- - chemicals are clearly labeled and original containers are placed in another one- all equipment is labeled clearly- filter room is dry, properly ventilated, and has good lighting- filter room doors say "authorized personnel only" permanent filter specification placard - Answer- (or filter date sheet) with the volume of the pool, minimum and maximum flow rate, turnover time in hours, the perimeter of the
proper filtration will provide you with... - Answer- proper water chemistry and a high degree of water clarity the loss of water should only occur through... - Answer- backwashing, displacement, and evaporation water in the pool is replaced through... - Answer- a large potable water line called a "fill spout", connected to an approved water source effluent lines - Answer- the return line, in which water is delivered to the pool after it is filtered influent lines - Answer- the lines that deliver unfiltered water from the pool to the the filter after the skimmer and main drain lines, where else does water pass through - Answer- the hair & lint strainer what is the hair & lint strainer basket - Answer- inside the hair & lint strainer, catches large debris before it reach the swimming pool pump, driven by an electric motor what happens when the amount of debris in the hair & lint strainer increases - Answer- the water going to the filter will being to encounter resistance and the influent pressure on the filter will increase accordingly what converse effect takes place when influent pressure increases - Answer- the effluent decreases as less water passes through the line to the pool creating less pressure on the line what displays the effluent and influent pressures - Answer- pressure gauges where are pressure gauges located - Answer- on the influent and effluent piping how are pressure gauges measured - Answer- pounds per square inch, or psi what is pressure differential - Answer- the difference between the fluent pressure and effluent pressure as they change what is the flow meter read in - Answer- gallons per minute or gpm what is backwashing - Answer- a process where the direction of water to the filter is reversed and the dirt is removed from the top of the filter and send out to the waste of backwash line
when is backwashing needed - Answer- if the pressure differential increases and the flow rate decreases what can excessive backwashing lead to - Answer- negative water quality what controls the directions of water flow in the filter system - Answer- the valves, common types include multiport, butterfly, gate, ball and float how often does the hair & lint strainer need to be cleaned out - Answer- a minimum of once per day what to check for when installing the hair & lint strainer basket - Answer- basket is facing towards the pool, and the basket has no holes or other damage what is a subunit of the hair & lint strainer that must be properly installed and free of debris - Answer- strainer gasket what must happen prior to the installation of the strainer lid - Answer- the operator must promise the strainer (a process where the strainer is filled completely with water to displace any air) what will happen if proper installation steps are not taken when installing the hair & lint strainer - Answer- an air leak, the filter system must operate free of air what should you do if an air leak occurs - Answer- turn off the system and prime the hair & lint strainer once again where are surface skimmers located - Answer- the side of the pool at water level what are the components of a skimmer - Answer- skimmer lid, skimmer weir (one-way trap door which allows to debris to enter the skimmer but not go back into the pool), and skimmer basket (traps debris and prevents it from entering the skimmer line) skimmer adjustment valve - Answer- allows you to regulate the flow of the water into each skimmer adjusting flow into skimmers - Answer- each skimmer needs equal flow, but this means the ones furthest away from the filter need their valves opened more, an easy way to do this is to number the skimmers then put the total number of skimmers over 100 to find the percent to increase each one, so if there were 10 skimmers, set the closest one at 10%, the second closest at 20%, the furthest at 100%, etc. what is an alternative and more effective way of cleaning the surface of the pool water, as opposed to skimmers - Answer- surface gutter system
blue pipe label - Answer- freshwater lines black pipe label - Answer- backwash lines yellow pipe label - Answer- influent lines white pipe label - Answer- effluent lines orange pipe label - Answer- vacuum lines green pipe label - Answer- auxiliary recirculation not part of the filtration system such as water features, jets, fountains, etc. red pipe label - Answer- heater piping centrifugal pump - Answer- operated by an electric motor, drives water from the pool to the filter, must never be submerged in water, pool operator must ensure that filter room floor has proper drainage and is dry flooded suction pump - Answer- a pump located at an elevation lower than that of the pool water self priming pump - Answer- a pump located above the water level, this type of pump will generally have an over-sized hair & lint strainer once clean water gets to the pool, it is spread throughout the pool through... - Answer- a series of return line inlets located at the lowest point of the swimming pool floor and spaced evenly throughout the pool how should return line inlets be adjusted - Answer- so that the water is distributed in a 360 degree motion, they need to be adjusted similar to the skimmers, the closer the inlet the less open it needs to be return line inlet dye test - Answer- at the beginning of a season, special dye is introduced into the system (usually through the skimmer or overflow gutter) and the dye will pass through the system and through the return inlets, revealing if the water is equally distributed what occurs in conjunction with proper filtration of the pool - Answer- proper disinfection of the pool positive displacement mechanical feeders (chemical feeders) - Answer- commonly used to supply liquid disinfecting chemicals to the pool water, chemicals are introduced after the water has passed through the filter, types of displacement pumps include piston, diaphragm, and peristaltic, these pumps are also referred to as hypo chlorinators
chemical storage containers (vats) - Answer- where disinfectant is stored while using the hypo chlorinator hypo chlorinator - Answer- a mechanical/electrical device that draws liquid chemicals from the chemical vats, through a tube, and then discharges the disinfectant to the return line through a tube or series of tubes that has an injector located in the effluent line the pressure of the discharge of chemicals from the hypo chlorinator must be high than... - Answer- the pressure of the effluent line in-line check valve - Answer- prevents filtered water from back flowing through the hypo chlorinator to the chemical container erosion feeder - Answer- a less common method of swimming pool water disinfection, disinfectants in solid or stick form can be introduced to the water through the use of an in-line chemical feeder on the effluent line (erosion feeder) what chemicals are usually used by erosion feeders - Answer- bromine or a chlorine compound, including stabilized chlorine compounds automated chemical monitoring device - Answer- a method of constantly monitoring the amount of disinfectant in the pool water through the addition of a chemical monitoring system, this piece of equipment monitors the level of disinfectant in the water through the use of electronic probes which are inserted into the return line and will automatically send a message to the hypo chlorinator (chemical feeder) when it is time to activate or disengage, this method can also be used to measure pH what are disinfectant level usually displayed in (unit) - Answer- oxidation reduction potential (ORP) proper water balance - Answer- pH, water temperature, total alkalinity, and calcium hardness Langelier Saturation Index - Answer- a formula to tell you if your water is balanced, pH ___ + TF ___ + CF ___ + AF ___ -- 12.1 = Langelier Index what score on the Langelier Saturation Index is considered to be balanced - Answer- between -0.3 and +0. negative saturation index of -0.3 or greater - Answer- is corrosive, susceptible to corrosion of the piping, pool heaters, and metal fixtures, can result in a blue stain if copper in corroded, can result in a rust stain if steel piping and fixtures are corroded
what is too high for calcium hardness - Answer- 400 ppm or more, the calcium can no longer be absorbed and will cause cloudiness in the water what is the main chemical to raise the calcium hardness - Answer- calcium chloride, preferably in in a state of flakes since they are easily soluble what affects the amount of calcium chloride that should be added - Answer- the temperature of the pool (calcium hardness levels change slower in hot water), the volume of the pool, and the desired increase what to do if the calcium hardness level is too high - Answer- remove pool water and replace it with the water of a lower calcium hardness value (dilution) total alkalinity - Answer- the ability of water to resist change in pH, the sum total of all alkaline minerals in the pool water, directly affects pH a low total alkalinity - Answer- susceptible to a reaction known as pH bounce as well as staining on the pool interior a high total alkalinity - Answer- can result in a bicarbonate scale and will tend to have a higher pH value what are sufficient total alkalinity values - Answer- 80 and 120 ppm optimum total alkalinity value - Answer- 100 ppm what is the main chemical used to increase the total alkalinity - Answer- sodium bicarbonate, which can be added without pH what is the main chemical used to lower the total alkalinity - Answer- muriatic acid, the introduction of the acid will also combine to lower the oH value of the water total dissolved solids - Answer- the organic and inorganic solids in the water, which can't be removed through either filtration or chemical disinfection, such as salts, metals, minerals, etc., can only be removed by the replacement of water, if reaches the maximum level of 1500 ppm the pool should be emptied and the water be replaced oxidation - Answer- oxidizing materials in the water, used to sanitize the water in order to provide bacteria-free water, organic contaminants (bacteria and microorganisms) are chemically removed what can facilitate oxidation - Answer- chlorine compounds, bromine, and alternate sources such as U/V and ozone systems
what is the most prevalent method used to achieve oxidation - Answer- chlorination, which should occur 24 hours every day and chlorine residuals should be checked a minimum of once per hour how is chlorination introduced to the swimming pool in most cases - Answer- through mechanical feeders what happens is the legal minimum chlorine levels aren't met - Answer- the pool closes for a period of no less than one hour, after the minimum chlorine residual has been reestablished sodium hypochlorite - Answer- the main disinfectant used in public pools for chlorination, it is used in a liquid state, yellow in color, and has 10-15% chlorine available when delivered to the pool, has a pH value of 13+ and will increase the pH of the water, extremely corrosive how is sodium hypochlorite stores - Answer- in chlorine vats, which must be covered at all times, chlorine vats go inside a large secondary or containment vat what causes chlorine to lose strength in storage and dissipate quickly - Answer- sunlight what is one of the biggest disadvantages of sodium hypchlorite - Answer- the formation of compounds known as chloramines (combined chlorines), which occurs when the sodium hypochlorite reacts with nitrogen and ammonia, which significantly impacts the oxidation process and therefore the effectiveness of the chlorine how are amines usually introduced to the swimming pool water - Answer- through human bodily wastes such as urine and perspiration what precaution can decrease the amount of amines in the pool water - Answer- showering before entering the pool which types of pool are most susceptible to chloramines - Answer- spas and indoor pools calcium hypochlorite (HTH) - Answer- a granular chlorine product with an available chlorine strength of 65%, has a high pH and will raise the pH level of the pool, generally used to provide a direct dosage of chlorine to a limited area, part of it is insoluble and will leave a calcium residue in the water which can lead to cloudy water calcification - Answer- the hardening of sand, when calcium hypochlorite reacts with the media in a sand filter chlorine gas - Answer- extremely toxic and requires special handling, it's in gas form and has 100% available chlorine, heavier than air, this is rare in public swimming pools today, very low pH, requires constant pH monitoring
what are the two types of UV sanitation - Answer- low pressure (LP) and medium pressure (MP) ozone generation - Answer- another effective secondary disinfection system, destroys organic (biodegradable) compounds in the water, greatly reducing the creation of chloramines and cryptosporidium, increases oxygen levels in the filter, increase the efficiency of the filter media in high rate sand filter systems how is ozone generated - Answer- ozone is a form of oxygen that is created when electrical energy breaks apart an ordinary oxygen molecule (O2) starting a chemical reaction that results in ozone (O3) free available chlorine - Answer- the available chlorine existing in the form of hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite ion, generally referred to as "good chlorine", this is the most effective form of sanitizer and disinfection in pool water, at pH of 7.5 the amounts of hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite ion are equal, as the pH decreases the percentage of hypochlorous acid increased making chlorine most effective between pH levels of 7.2 and 7. combined available chlorine - Answer- the available chlorine, which is combined with nitrogen and ammonia in the water to form chloramines the process to destroy chloramines - Answer- referred to as breakpoint chlorination, where the free available chlorine (FAC) level in the pool water is raised to ten times the amount of the combined available chlorine (CAC) level, the CAC will continue to rise with the addition of chlorine until the breakpoint chlorination occurs formula to determine the combined chlorine level - Answer- TAC - FAC = CAC total available chlorine (TAC) - Answer- the sum total of chlorine in all states minimum residual level for main pool - Answer- - free chlorine residual: 1.5 ppm
- free bromine residual: 3.0 ppm
- oxidation reduction potential in 650 mV minimum residual level for wading pool - Answer- - free chlorine residual: 2.0 ppm
- free bromine residual: 4.0 ppm
- oxidation reduction potential in 650 mV minimum residual level in the spa pool - Answer- - free chlorine residual: 3.0 ppm
- free bromine residual: 4.0ppm
- oxidation reduction potential in 650 mV disinfection by products - Answer- the use of chlorine as a disinfectant can lead to the formation of DBPs, including trihalomethans and chloramines, DBPs can be toxic or
even carcinogenic, they occur as a reaction between the organic and inorganic matter and chlorine in the water chemical storage - Answer- all chemicals should be kept separate areas, in the original containers which should be placed in another containment tanks Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) - Answer- this must accompany a hazardous product, a requirement of the Department of Labor and OSHA under the Hazard Communication Standard OSHA - Answer- a federal agency that establishes and administers federal safety rules and regulations for the protections of employees in the workplace, Occupational Safety and Healthy Administration Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) - Answer- any employee who uses any chemical product needs to receive training on the new GHS standard preventing recreational water illness (RWI) - Answer- although many forms of bacteria are oxidized through the proper sanitizing, other steps should be taken to make sure no bacteria is able to spread, no patrons with open wounds or large adhesive bandages should be allows to enter the facility conjunctivits - Answer- pink eye staphylococcus - Answer- rash bacterium of the skin and mucous membranes which commonly infects the skin, eyes, and urinary tract pseudomonas aeruginosa - Answer- proliferates in warm, moist conditions, prevalent in water that does not maintain proper chlorine levels, ear infections and skin rash are common symptoms atypical mycobacteria - Answer- opens lesions and sores of the skin rhinovirus - Answer- tonsilitis, strep throat, pneumonia, and flu-like symptoms shigella - Answer- diarrhea, stomach cramping, vomiting cryptosporidium - Answer- microscopic parasitic diarrheal disease of the intestines, most common and severe of the waterborne illnesses pool water contamination - Answer- the introduction of human body wastes, fluid, and bloodborne pathogens into swimming pool water is a serious problem which can lead to severe illness and possibly even death
pool log - Answer- in addition to the operators daily report a logbook should be maintained with a daily journal of the swimming pool and operations, such as opening time, condition of pool at opening, weather, any operation breakdowns or malfunctions, materials or supplies delivered, situations involving patrons that required the accident/incident forms - Answer- any time there is an accident or incident that involves a type of injury, a form should be completely and accurately documented, be as specific and detailed as possible in these forms in service training - Answer- a record must be kept of all in service training, which should be rescheduled at regular intervals and emulate different scenarios such as drowning, spinal injury, etc. what are the eight required tests for public swimming pools - Answer- FAC pH CAC total dissolved solids total alkalinity calcium hardness saturation index cyanuric acid how often should you perform a FAC test - Answer- hourly how often should you perform a CAC test - Answer- hourly how often should you perform a total dissolved solids test - Answer- daily how often should you perform a total alkalinity test - Answer- daily how often should you perform a pH test - Answer- hourly how often should you perform a calcium hardness test - Answer- daily how often should you perform a saturation index test - Answer- weekly how often should you perform a cyanuric acid test - Answer- weekly test kit storage - Answer- stored in a neutral climate with no extreme temperatures and no exposure to direct sunlight, if expired they should be discarded flash test - Answer- obtain a water sample from the pool and insert proper amount of test chemical, then compare the color of the water with the proper level color on the test cell, clean and neutralize before next test
titration test - Answer- gives a higher and more accurate range in ppm, much more accurate in testing for free chlorine and combined chlorine due to the high velocity of water in spas, what are the three concerns - Answer- body entrapment, hair entanglement, evisceration what to do if body entrapment/hair entanglement/evisceration occurs - Answer- immediately turn off the suction pump, gently break the vacuum (suction area) and render first aid as needed spa maximum temperature and max exposure time to spa - Answer- 104 degrees, limit exposure to 15 minutes what groups of people are at high risk in spas - Answer- elderly, pregnant women, small children, people with heart and/or high blood pressure issues, a sign should be posted at every spa listing potential risks for patrons the most effective disinfectant in spas - Answer- bromine, which does not affect the pH or introduce chromamines the most effective filter media in spas - Answer- DE TDS levels in spas - Answer- the TDS level should be closely monitored, when the TDS reaches 1500ppm the pool should be emptied and refilled with fresh water free available chlorine (FAC) - Answer- the available chlorine existing in the from of hypochlorous acid or hypochlorite ion, the most effective form of sanitizer and oxidizing agents in pool water total available chlorine (TAC) - Answer- the sum total of all chlorine (FAC and CAC) in the pool water combined available chlorine (CAC) - Answer- the available chlorine, which is combined with ammonia and nitrogen to form the class of compounds known as chloramines breakpoint chlorination - Answer- used to destroy combined chlorine; to reach breakpoint, free chlorine must be increased by 10x CAC chlorine demand - Answer- the amount of available chlorine consumed in the process of destroying bacteria and any other oxidizable matter in the water sodium hypchlorite (NaOCl) - Answer- liquid chlorine beach, strength of 10% to 15%, pH of 13, calls for large acid demand calcium hypochlorite (Ca(OCl)2) - Answer- strength of 35% to 65%, raises calcium hardness, acid required to neutralize, pH of 11.
