19
CHLORINE RESIDUAL LOW OR NIL
* Not enough chlorine being produced
* Insufficient running times and/or heavy bather load
* Insufficient chlorine stabiliser level and/or strong sunlight conditions
* pH too high or low
* Poor circulation [refer below]
* Algacide has been added within the last 4 weeks
* Excessive calcium inhibiting chlorine production
* Cell is old and needs replacing
NO LIGHTS AT ALL
* No power to WATERMAID® Power Supply
* Time clock incorrectly set or faulty
* Problem inside WATERMAID® Power Supply - refer to qualified service technician for repair
SCALE BUILD-UP ON CELL ELECTRODES
[refer to section 6]
* Excessive calcium level in water
* Insufficient magnesium in water
PH ALTERS RAPIDLY AND EASILY
* Low total alkalinity in marblesheen, pebbled, quartzon or tiled pools and may be the result of
contamination [e.g. debris, urine, surrounding vegetation etc]
POOR CIRCULATION
* Dirty and/or clogged filter
* Skimmer baskets full and require emptying
* Faulty pump
* Low speed pump
* Water level is low
* Cell is clogged with scale
FILTER PROBLEM
If the WATERMAID® chlorinator is capable of registering 75 - 100%, but the pool water is cloudy, there
may be a filter problem.
* The filter may need backwashing
* Longer running times of the pool equipment may be required
* Sand filters: The sand in a sand filter should be replaced every 5 years
* Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.) filters: The pads may need changing
(Continued)
TROUBLESHOOTING
Copyright © Watermaid Pty Ltd
2
1. ESSENTIALS FOR A HEALTHY POOL
The recommended daily levels for swimming pools and spas as determined by a test kit are given in the
table below. Check the expiry date on the test kit, as test results may be inaccurate if used after that
date.
There are three fundamental requirements for maintaining a swimming pool or spa: a) Filtration, b)
Chlorination and c) pH. A pool should be looked at daily to check that the water is clean and clear and
the finest details of the walls can be seen at the deepest part. This will indicate whether the pool has had
enough filtration and chlorination for the load conditions that were applicable the day before. Any other
condition requires testing and rectification before entering the water.
a) FILTRATION
It is first necessary to pass water through a filter to remove debris. A standard sized pool pump with
normal filter pressures will pump about 10,000 litres (2,642 gal) an hour, so an average 60,000 litre
(15,850 gal) pool then requires six to ten hours of filtration a day in summer conditions. This will turn
over the equivalent of 1½ times the total volume of water.
However, about 65% only of the actual
water and debris will have passed through the filter.
For spas, the water usually turns over several
times per hour.
b) CHLORINATION
The WATERMAID® pool chlorinator takes care of the chlorination. As mild saline water flows through the
WATERMAID® Cell, it is converted by electrolysis into chlorine as sodium hypochlorite. Chlorine is
required after filtration to react with any remaining debris (both visible and invisible), remove stains by
oxidation and sterilise the water of harmful bacteria.
A chlorine residual (or reserve) is required for any imminent bather load. A total of 1 to 3 ppm for pools
and 3 to 5 ppm for spas of free available chlorine is required to maintain a clean clear condition.
Because of its instability, chlorine has a half-life of some 35 minutes in strong sunlight and even less in
the presence of contaminants. Therefore, the use of a
chlorine stabiliser
is strongly recommended
as it lengthens the half-life of chlorine to about 140 minutes and helps maintain a chlorine residual in the
pool on hot sunny days. At the beginning of the summer season, chlorine stabiliser (iso-cyanuric acid)
should be added to the pool.
Generally, at dawn and at dusk, any wind will die down, which
are the best times to commence filtration. Leaves and floating
debris will be swept to the skimmer box without restriction if
the pool is well designed.
Longer filtration cycles can reduce the chlorine
requirement and conversely, more chlorine can reduce
the filtration requirement.
For an average 60,000 litre (15,850 gal) pool, add 2½ Kgs
(approx. 6 lb) of chlorine stabiliser. After this initial dose, the
pool should be topped up with chlorine stabiliser throughout the
hot summer period to maintain a level between 30 and 50 ppm.
Factors such as sunlight, filter and pump efficiency, stabiliser
level, bather load, debris, water temperature, salt level, water
level, chemical balance and age of the Cell, ALL affect the final
chlorine level
.
FILTER & PUMP
60,000L
or
15,850 gal
10,000 L / hr
2,642 gal / hr
6 - 10 hours / day
Free Available Chlorine (ppm)
pH
Total Alkalinity (ppm)
Pools
1.0 - 3.0
7.2 - 7.8
100 - 200
Spas
3.0 - 5.0
7.2 - 7.8
100 - 200
Recommended chlorine
stabiliser level: 30 - 50 ppm
Do NOT exceed 80 ppm
Copyright © Watermaid Pty Ltd
Note:
Indoor pools do
not require the addition
of chlorine stabiliser.
Nor do spas due to the
high turnover rate of
the water.
