Indoor pools are often pretty stunning. In northern climates, they are quite the attraction in hotels & condominiums & apartment buildings.  They provide year round enjoyment for millions of people around the world as they vacation or just go about daily living. Indoor pools provide terrific places for low-impact and “zero gravity exercise” for healthy individuals as well as those who may need physical therapy.  You’ll find them in many towns and cities across the country. Schools, community centers, are busy with swimmers twelve months each year. Indoor pools are not just for the rich!

More importantly, indoor pools require special treating. Yes, they are swimming pools. Yes, they have the same type of filtration systems that outdoor pools have.  But there are differences in the care that is required. This article will help you to understand those needs.

There are 4 main concerns of indoor pools that need to be addressed: Odors, Oxidation, Bather Load, and General Care.

Indoor Pool Odors. Who hasn’t walked into a hotel or building and there is that immediate “pool chlorine” odor? You KNOW that the facility has a swimming pool! The question is why? Why does it have to be that noticeable? Many people wonder and question – sometimes rightfully so – how well the pool is being cared for.  Indoor pools should not “smell.” Will they have an odor? Yes, but they should not smell. If a pool smells – especially if the odor is acrid or pungent – you can be sure that something in the pool is not right. And if your eyes become irritated, the situation could be even worse.  Keep in mind that the problem is NOT the chlorine.  The problem is the water balance.

Water balance is the single most often misunderstood problem of pool care and how great a difference it makes.  When water balance is incorrect, nothing works right chemically: chlorine or sanitizer efficiency is affected, the water can become cloudy, the water can become irritating to skin, hair & eyes, the water smells, etc.

Briefly, high pH and total alkalinity lead to “slow” and inefficient chlorine and sanitizer activity.  Algae & bacteria growth is promoted leading to cloudy water.  Some eye irritation and a sometimes “slimy” feel. Low pH and total alkalinity lead to “too fast moving” chlorine or sanitizer; the water may be very clear but has a strong odor as well as an acidic “feel”. Chlorine is more rapidly used up and exhausted.

In cases of pools having attached spas, chemicals and bather wastes are aerosolized and spewed into the surrounding air.

A further problem is the continual formation of chloramines or combined chlorines or bromines. These form when there is excess waste like nitrogen.  Sanitizer efficiency is severely reduced and a pungent “chlorine” odor is emitted.  Chlorine “odor” is fine. Think of a bathroom or sick room that has been cleaned with chlorine (bleach). The odor left behind tells you that it is CLEAN. That’s the chlorine odor we want. This leads us to the question of Oxidation.

Oxidation. The bottom line is indoor pools need to be shocked as often as, if not more often than, outdoor pools. In the oxidation process (shocking or super chlorinating), unfiltered or not filterable waste (greases, body oils, body powders, perfume, nitrogen) are oxidized (burned off) are released into the atmosphere or surrounding air.

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