8.913-970.0 - L • WATERMAZE CLP 5024/7034
29
W
A
TER
TREA
TMENT
SYSTEM
OPERA
T
OR’S MANU
AL
CHEMICAL MAINTENANCE PROGRAM
Combined chlorine has only 1/15th the strength of free
chlorine. Ozonation is used in the CLP system. Chlorine
can be added to help with control if needed.
Inadequate or improper addition of chlorine could result
in algae and bacteria growth. Once algae and bacterial
growth starts, the system must be shock treated. It is
best to minimize the chances of an algae and bacteria
problem.
The killing of bacteria by chlorine exists in two phases:
1. The penetration of the active germicidal principal
(hypochlorous acid) into the bacterial cell.
2. The chemical combination of this ingredient with the
protoplasm (the complex composition which forms
the essential part of plant and animal cells). This
combining is directly responsible for the death of
the organism.
The activity of this germicidal effect is reduced in al-
kaline solutions (those with a pH greater than 7.5) and
expressed as follows:
pH
% of Effectiveness
4.0
100.0
5.0
99.6
6.0
95.8
7.0
69.7
8.0
18.7
9.0
2.2
10.0
0.2
Hypochlorite when added to solutions with a pH lower
than 6.0 can produce oxide which is toxic. In vehicle
washing, almost all cleaning compounds are alkaline
in nature. Hypochlorite will still control bacterial growth
and thus smell at higher alkaline ranges, but as the table
indicates, its effectiveness is reduced.
To compensate for this inhibited activity, a larger quantity
of hypochlorite is used. This will control bacterial growth
but will increase operational costs.
Typical hypochlorite has a pH of approximately 11.6. This
high pH will only increase the pH of holding tank water
making pH adjustment more diffi cult.
Trichloro-S-Triazine Trione is a chlorine compound which
has a pH of 3.0 and when added to holding tanks will
aid in the reduction of tank pH levels.
Unlike hypochlorite, which is usually 15 percent chlorine
and will produce sodium or calcium salts in holding tanks,
these new products are 99 percent chlorine which means
Owner Chemical Maintenance Program to
Maintain Recycled Water Quality
Daily monitoring and adjustment of
WATER MAZE
recycled water chemistry is essential. If not monitored
and controlled, the recycled water will become chemi-
cally unbalanced resulting in a host of problems such
as algae and bacteria growth, obnoxious odors, iron
discoloration and ultimately it will be unfi t for reuse and
must be disposed of.
The daily monitoring and adjustment maintenance pro-
gram presented herein will, if followed, provide suitable
recyclable wash water. The proper maintenance of the
water is not complicated and depends upon a few basic
principles which are:
1.
Physical
- effective fi ltration and recirculation of
the water
Effective recirculation of the water through the catch ba-
sin, and the CLP is achieved only if the system is utilized
often (daily 6-8 hours or more) or if the system is set to
recirculate the water throughout the total system. The
CLP has the controls and procedures to achieve continu-
ous effective water recirculation throughout the process.
Therefore, if the CLP is operated properly, it will achieve
the required need of effective fi ltration and recirculation.
2.
Chemical
- proper adjustment of alkalinity and pH
The most important factor to control and maintain is
the pH of the water (i.e. the acidity or alkalinity). If the
recycled water is acidic (low pH) it will dissolve iron into
solution. The presence of iron of more than 0.2 ppm will
result in rusty staining of virtually any metal the water
comes in contact with. Alkaline water can cause cloudi-
ness and greatly reduces the effectiveness of chlorina-
tion. Many of the cleaning detergents are alkaline and will
make the recycled water too alkaline. Also, high alkaline
water is diffi cult to fi lter and decreases fi lter media life.
The proper pH range to maintain is 6.8 - 7.2.
Alkalinity refers to the soluble salts in the water. These
include bicarbonates, carbonates, hydroxides and other
alkali compounds. The water's total alkalinity controls
its resistance (buffering ability) to large fl uctuations in
pH levels.
Another factor which should be monitored for proper
water chemistry balancing is calcium hardness. The
presence of too much calcium can lead to the formula-
tion of scale in the fi lters.
3.
Biological
- adequate disinfection, algae, bacteria,
and odor control
Chlorination and ozonation are used to control bacteria,
odor and algae formation. For chlorine to be effective, it
must be available as free chlorine. If the proper pH and
alkalinity is not maintained, or if the water contains dirt
particles, the chlorine will be combined chlorine and not
be effective in the control of algae and bacteria growth.
