Club’s pool area tests positive for Legionnaires’ bacteria

DanHolohan

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/club-s-pool-area-tests-positive-for-legionnaires-bacteria-1.12872681

BobC

National grid always includes energy tips in their bills and they always tell you to turn the water heater down to 120. I've written them a couple of times to tell them that is bad advice because that isn't hot enough to kill legionella but they just turn a deaf ear to the warning.

Someday a bright lawyer is going realize how vulnerable they are to a lawsuit and clean their clock.

Bob

DanHolohan

Bob, thanks for trying.

Gordy

I have wondered how heated pools fared with legionella. Pool heaters do not get that water up to killing temps. Their temps are actually in breeding range. Same with hot tubs. I seem to remember someone on this site who passed from a hot tub legionaries incident. A long time ago.

Abracadabra

Gordy said:

I have wondered how heated pools fared with legionella. Pool heaters do not get that water up to killing temps. Their temps are actually in breeding range. Same with hot tubs. I seem to remember someone on this site who passed from a hot tub legionaries incident. A long time ago.

Wouldn't the chlorine added to the pool water kill the legionella?

ChrisJ

Abracadabra said:

Gordy said:

I have wondered how heated pools fared with legionella. Pool heaters do not get that water up to killing temps. Their temps are actually in breeding range. Same with hot tubs. I seem to remember someone on this site who passed from a hot tub legionaries incident. A long time ago.

Wouldn't the chlorine added to the pool water kill the legionella?

You'd think, but I suspect the proper amount of chlorine is so low it may not.

Remember, the stuff grows in city water as well.

Gordy

Depends on how diligently the water chemistry is maintained, however chlorine does not always lead to total eradication.

Gordy

One has to remember chemicals are a huge expense. Price proper chemical chlorine for pools. Even though chlorine bleach is much cheaper, but lasts for a shorter duration. It doesn't take much to try, and stretch the limits of chemical treatment.

Edit: a home pool with minimal occupants is far different than a health club scenerio.

Abracadabra

I'm not sure, but I believe the amount of chlorine used in pool water is far more than what's used in municipal water supplies.

ChrisJ

Abracadabra said:

I'm not sure, but I believe the amount of chlorine used in pool water is far more than what's used in municipal water supplies.

Depends on who runs the pool.
Growing up, our pool at home was the only one I had been in that I could open my eyes under water and not have them burn. It also didn't stink like chlorine like everyone else's.

My dad didn't just add chlorine from time to time, it was an hour long production.


He used to add the stuff at night before bed. Out side of that, I never paid much attention and never really asked what was going on.


But it was always crystal clear, and never smelled.

Abracadabra

@ChrisJ a good pool shouldn't smell. The "smell" of chlorine you get at a pool is the chlorine being tied up as chloramine, which irritates skin/eyes and prevents free chlorine from killing all the other bugs that would be in a pool.

Sounds like your dad kept a good pool going.

Canucker

Abracadabra said:

@ChrisJ a good pool shouldn't smell. The "smell" of chlorine you get at a pool is the chlorine being tied up as chloramine, which irritates skin/eyes and prevents free chlorine from killing all the other bugs that would be in a pool.

Sounds like your dad kept a good pool going.

@Abracadabra I was thinking the exact same thing. I'm a pool snob when it comes to water treatment, nobody's pool is as clean as mine but it sounds like I would have jumped in your dad's pool @ChrisJ

Gordy

Biggest factor I have found is running pump 24/7. I'm like @Canucker.

ChrisJ

Gordy said:

Biggest factor I have found is running pump 24/7. I'm like @Canucker.

I think often my dad only run it 50% of the day. I can't remember, but I know there were times it was off. I seem to remember him running it more than most, but not 24\7.

Also, he was only using a simple sand filter, though it was a large one.

Gordy

My experience has been more filtration uses less chemicals. I used sand media filter starting out, switched to cartridge filter never looked back. Balancing pumping continuous came easier.

Canucker

I probably only run the pump about 8 to 10 hrs a day, it's not a huge pool. If it was bigger I might run it longer, depending on the test results. The biggest key for me was getting a good test kit so I could properly balance the chemistry. I do run the pump more in the spring, as there would be a lot of pollen on the surface if I didn't.
@Gordy what difference does the CF make over a sand filter? I have access to a lot of filter mediums, just curious what you found

Gordy

I just found the paper media did a much better job filtering, and it was not a hassle. Pull it out hose it off done. I could get 2 years out of one easy. Plus the whole assembly (pump, filter housing) was easy to store for winter. Much smaller.

One draw back is if rain fills pool you do not have the back wash option to lower the water level. Not a big deal.

Gordy

I was shocking once a week, and a couple chlorine tabs in the skimmer was my regiment for chemicals. Covering pool when not in use has a huge benefit n chemical consumption also.

Canucker

I definitely used the cover to keep the sun from breaking down the chlorine, it's a big help. I used a bit of diatomaceous earth to improve the filtration, works wonders. I only shock the pool when I close it for the season and only use the chlorine tabs until the cyanuric acid level is where I want it. That stuff causes trouble if it gets too high. I've had a couple of friends with green pools that used it too much

Gordy

Never had green , or cloudy. Except one year pulled the winter cover back crystal clear. Pumped cover down as good as it gets. Pulled cover off last little bit with leaves Pine needles ect. Give it the heave hoo dumped right in the pool.......

Gordy

There is a lot of variables. Rain, occupants, frequency of use, temps when using heater. I just found a filter, and routine that kept maintenance to a minimum. I don't own one anymore, but I was using bleach the last season. Far cheaper than the tablets except it does not last as long.

Canucker

Gordy said:

Never had green , or cloudy. Except one year pulled the winter cover back crystal clear. Pumped cover down as good as it gets. Pulled cover off last little bit with leaves Pine needles ect. Give it the heave hoo dumped right in the pool.......

Short swimming season here, by the time the stabilizer levels are high enough to cause a problem it's the end of the season and water is getting drained. They were excessive in the puck use.
Had the same thing happen with my cover, @Gordy what a mess that was. Haha

Gordy

yeah it takes then wind out of your sails for sure when you watch leaves,pine needles, and brown water saturate a perfect start to pool opening.......

Gordy

Thank god I don't have to take care of the puppy anymore.