Protecting the Environment

Doing our share for our world....

At Deckside Pool Service we take protecting your facilities and our environment seriously. We use only the finest grade naturally occurring products to provide safe and sanitary water for your enjoyment.

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT: Pool water disinfecting
A pool's filter system does the heavy lifting in keeping the water clean, but it takes chemistry to do the fine-tuning. It's important to carefully monitor and manage the chemical balance in pools for several reasons:

•	Dangerous pathogens, such as bacteria (e.coli, Cryptosporidium, etc), thrive in water. A pool filled with untreated water would be a perfect place for disease-carrying microorganisms to move from one person to another.
•	Water with the wrong chemical balance can damage the various parts of the pool.
•	Improperly balanced water can irritate the skin and eyes.
•	Improperly balanced water can get very cloudy.

To take care of pathogens in the water, you have to introduce a disinfecting agent that will get rid of them. The most popular pool disinfectant is the element chlorine (CL), in the form of a chemical compounds such as calcium hypochlorite (a solid) or sodium hypochlorite (Na2Cl) a liquid. When the compound is added to the water, the chlorine reacts with the water to form various chemicals, most notably hypochlorous acid (HOCL). Hypochlorous acid kills bacteria and other pathogens by attacking the lipids in the cell walls and destroying the enzymes and structures inside the cell through an oxidation reaction. Saline Systems work in a very similar manner producing chlorine (CL) from electricity passing thru a cell in the system. Since we had sodium (NA) to create a higher salt level than naturally occurs in the water, the sodium remains.

After the chlorine (CL) has done its work, we have a small amount of sodium (NA) that remains in the water. When the pool or spa is drained, this natural salty water is drained to municipal water treatment facilities for recycling.

One problem with hypochlorous acid is that it's not particularly stable. It can degrade when exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun, and it may combine with other chemicals to form new compounds. Pool operators often include a stabilizing agent, such as Cyanuric acid, that reacts with the chlorine to form a more stable compound that does not degrade as easily when exposed to ultraviolet light.

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT: Pool pH
The water's pH is a measure of its total acid-alkalinity balance -- the relative proportion of acids and alkalis in the water. Simply put, water that is either too acidic or too alkaline will cause undesirable chemical reactions.

Deckside uses sodium bicarbonate or (baking soda) to raise the pH. We use muriatic acid (HCL) to lower the pH. Muriatic Acid dissolves into Hydrogen (H) and Chlorine (CL) in water. The hydrogen will combine with other hydrogen molecules and Oxygen to form H2O. (Pure Water).

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT: Enzymes
Why use Enzyme treatments?
Your pool water is constantly absorbing organic material from its environment.
What kind of organic material, you ask?

Organic contaminants come in a wide variety, including:

•	suntan & sunscreen lotions
•	body oils, sweat, (urine�cperspiration!)
•	cosmetics & hair care products
•	airborne vehicle fuels & exhaust
•	decaying vegetation

and the list goes .........These organic contaminants build-up in your pool water.

Natural enzymes, like those found in your own body, are designed by nature to break down or biodegrade organics. The enzyme treatments literally break down organic waste to basic elements like carbon dioxide and water that are then easily absorbed by the pool environment.

•	eliminates skin & eye irritation
•	eliminates strong chemical odors
•	no scum line
•	makes water feel soft & silky

Clear, Perfect Water...

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT: Helping our air quality
At Deckside Pool Service our service fleet of vehicles travels a combined distance of over 500 miles each day to service our customer's facilities. We have taken the following steps to help do our share.

•	Well maintained, later model and low emissions certified vehicles
•	Computerized route planning to minimize travel time, air pollution and fuel
•	Frequent vehicle service for maximum gas mileage

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT: Helping Manage Energy Costs
Our staff is continuously researching new products in the industry designed to maximize your enjoyment of your facilities while helping reduce your energy and utility costs.

•	Installation of high efficiency LoNox heaters
•	Annual heater inspection and tune-up to insure maximum efficiency of existing heaters
•	Advice and counsel on the effect of pool temperature on natural gas costs
•	Installation of Energy Star rated circulations and booster pumps
•	Recommendations on pump operating time to reduce electric usage
•	Constant vigilance for water leaks and water loss that can impact your water bill

Summary
Maintaining the proper balance of chemicals in the pool is a continual process, because any new element - byproducts from the chlorine generator, sunscreen, sweat, urine, oils from a swimmer's body, shampoo from swimmers hair, leaves, dirt and other stuff that falls in the water - CONTINUOUSLY shifts the water's total chemical makeup.

In addition to pH, pool service technicians also monitor total alkalinity, Free Chlorine, Combined Chlorine, Calcium hardness, total dissolved solids (TDS), Cyanuric acid, and levels of copper, magnesium, zinc and other trace minerals.

If your pool does not already have a computer controlled automated pH and ORP chemical control system, we strongly recommend that you investigate and install one of these systems to reduce your liability and insure safe water for your swimmers.

When you consider all the chemistry and machinery involved in swimming pools, it's clear that they really are remarkable examples of continuous improvement in engineering. It takes a surprising amount of work and ingenuity to build and maintain these sources of exercise, therapy.