EngZone Engineering Services
Ozone Water Disinfection Plants
Committed To Achieving Total Customer Satisfaction
Ozone Water Disinfection Plants
Introduction
Today, spas are becoming more and more popular. They can be found at fitness centers, resorts, hotels and in healthcare centers. In fact, they are becoming so affordable that many people enjoy them in the privacy of their own homes. The warm water relieves aches, pains, stress and provides for a wonderfully relaxing experience. However, there has been some negativity with regard to the cleanliness of spas and the spread of illness.
People should not be discouraged from enjoying a spa; a properly maintained spa will not pose any health problems to bathers. Using ozone in spa water treatment is a great step towards achieving clean and healthy water. This article will discuss spa water treatment and how ozone is the key to achieving clean water. Finally, there will be a brief discussion on how ozone generators are installed on a spa.
Water Sanitation
Proper water sanitation involves three important factors: disinfection, oxidation and a residual.
- Disinfection is the killing of viruses and bacteria on contact.
- Oxidation is the breakdown or altering of non-living bather wastes such as organic compounds (greases and oils) from sources such as suntan lotions, body oils and nitrogen containing compounds or amines found in perspiration and urine.
- The residual is the free available disinfectant always present in the water to ensure that disinfection is being carried out at all imes. In order to have the best water quality and maximize the bathers’ enjoyment of the spa, all three water sanitation requirements should be met through a combination of water chemicals and/or treatments.
Uniqueness Of Spas
Before any treatment or a combination of treatments can be established, one must realize that treating spa water is very different from treating the water of a typical swimming pool. The following factors must be given special consideration when treating spa water: high water temperature and small volume of water.
Spa water is typically maintained between 96-104°F. Chemical reactions take place at a much faster rate at these temperatures than in cooler swimming pool water.
For approximately every 20° increase in temperature, the rate of these reactions is doubled. Hot water temperature and aeration also cause the water to evaporate quickly.
As it does so, the total dissolves solids (TDS), such as any minerals and salts, as well as organics and bather waste that have been dissolved in the water are left behind in the spa. High levels of TDS can decrease the effectiveness of some chemical treatments.
High water temperature also causes bathers to sweat. Sweat contains body oils, salts, urea and uric acid. It has been approximated that an average bather can sweat as much as a pint in just 20 minutes and, therefore, approximately 40 percent more bather waste is released into the spa than into a pool.
The action of the jets also quickly scrubs off dead skin cells and dirt. Thus a spa has a much heavier organic load in the water than a pool. A good oxidizer is needed to effectively remove such a high content of non-living bather waste.