How Do We Treat Our Pools?

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) requires all public pools to follow strict guidelines for managing water quality in public pools.  As an annually licensed and inspected facility, our Swim Studio must follow these guidelines so we can teach you to swim. 

One important area that we have to manage is the disinfectant chemical levels in our water.  The disinfectant chemicals help to kill harmful micro-organisms and keep the water clean and clear.  The IDPH specifies that facilities must either use bromine or chlorine (liquid or powdered) to disinfect the water. 

Most pools (including our satellite locations) will use chlorine to disinfect their pool water. However, because we keep our water warm at our Swim Studio, we use bromine to disinfect our Endless Pools.   The IDPH requires that we:

• Check our bromine levels twice per day
• Ensure that the levels are within safe ranges, and
• Document our measurements on a required IDPH environment log. 

If chemicals are outside the required ranges, we are required to shutdown the pool, adjust the chemicals, and wait for one pool cycle (~ 75-90 minutes) before re-opening the pool.  All of these checks are there to ensure the safety of the water for our patrons and coaching staff.

We are also required to check the following on a daily basis:

• pH levels in the water are balanced to keep the water from being irritating to the eyes and skin
• Temperature of the water to ensure that it is in a safe range neither too hot nor too cold
• Water flow rate to ensure that our pump is cycling water through the system to be filtered, cleaned, and heated at a frequency that meets IDPH standards
• Water clarity -- generally speaking, can we see the drains on the bottom of the pool or is the water very cloudy?  This one is a "soft ball" because we hate cloudy water, too.
• Log the number of people who use each pool during the day to check for variations in volume that might affect the amount of chemicals that we'll need

In addition to these required checks, we do the following:

•  Check the Total Alkalinity levels to ensure they are in IDPH ranges -- if the levels are too low or too high the water can irritate the skin
• We drain our pools (at least) once every other week to ensure that we have clean water cycling through the system.  Our pools are small and as we have a lot of people coming through them each week, we feel it's best to drain on this schedule instead of waiting for two months to change the water as is suggested by national pool maintenance standards.

Despite all of these checks, people's skin and eyes can be irritated by the water.  For the eyes, we suggest goggles when possible.  For the skin, we suggest to our coaches and clients that they shower before and after their swim, rinse and clean their suits frequently, and use moisturizer on their skin, especially over the dry winter months. 

If you or your child get a rash that persists or spreads, or if you or your child start to have sinus problems, you might be allergic to the chemicals -- bromine and chlorine are almost always the usual culprits.  If you feel that you or your child is experiencing an allergic reaction to pool chemicals, first and foremost, see your doctor!  Secondly, inform us so we can get you any specific chemical names and brands and so we can do a thorough check of our water.  Along with your doctor, we can help you make an informed decision how to keep you safe and healthy in the water!