General Pool Maintenance

Water balance

Water balance is applicable to all sanitised pools. This is an industry standard, and no different for Enviroswim.

Important – high pH affects the efficacy of any sanitiser.

E.g. Chlorine is only 3% effective at a pH of 8.0, compared to 75% effective at a pH of 7.0.

Source: Public swimming pool and spa pool advisory document © Health Protection NSW 2013

Enviroswim has very few checks & balances compared to a conventional pool. The following test should be completed at regular intervals throughout the year, even in winter. Before contacting us with an issue please make sure your pool water is balanced.

	Ideal range	Testing	Action
Alkalinity	60 – 150 ppm	Pool shop or test kit. Frequency: 3 monthly	Lower by adding Hydrochloric acid. Raise by adding Sodium Bicarbonate.
pH	7.2 – 7.6 ppm	Pool shop or test kit Frequency: 7 Days	Lower by adding Hydrochloric acid. Raise by adding Sodium Bicarbonate.
Calcium Hardness	170 – 250 ppm	Pool shop Frequency: 3 Monthly	Lower by diluting the pool water. Raise by adding Calcium Chloride.
TDS	1000 – 1500 ppm	Pool shop or TDS Meter Frequency: 3 monthly or after excessive rainfall	Lower by diluting the pool water. Raise by adding salt (refer to Manual Page 11).
Copper	0.2 – 0.4 ppm	Enviroswim Copper Test Kit Frequency: Fortnightly	Lower by diluting the pool water. Raise by increasing ioniser setting or run time of the Enviroswim system.

Pb

Pb is displayed due to lack of water flowing over the oxidiser plates. If there is no water flow in the clear housing, check the pump and valves. The oxidiser plug may be in the wrong outlet on the Enviroswim controller.

For a Pre 4 system (blue face), check the sensor cable (white cable) is securely connected to the oxidiser plates, and that there is no damage to the cable.

For Post 14, Post 17 and V3 systems, ensure the oxidiser is connected to the ‘oxidiser’ output on the control box (middle socket).

Oxidiser not reaching "15"

The common cause is low Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) levels, resulting in poor conductivity. If your TDS is low, add the required amount of pool salt.

Low TDS is caused by dilution from heavy rainfall, a pool leak or excessive backwashing of sand filters.

If the TDS is within operating parameters, check the following:

the cell plates are not worn/damaged
no scale build up on the oxidiser plates (scale build up is an indicator of incorrect water balance)
sensor on the oxidiser plates is clean (refer to Page 12 in the user manual)
oxidiser setting is on Max

Green or cloudy Pool

If the pool water is green/cloudy or algae is growing on the surface it is due to one of the following common problems/issues:

Poor water balance (see water balance requirements)
Filter needs cleaning/backwashing
Insufficient daily run time
Power outage
Variable speed pumps running on a low setting, causing insufficient water flow and filtration
High phosphate levels (caused by excessive garden debris in pool)

How to correct a green/cloudy pool?

The following example is based on a 50,000 litre pool. For larger or smaller pool volumes adjust chlorine and acid dosage accordingly.

Make sure the filter is clean & pump running correctly.
Add 2 litres of pool acid at the furthest point away from the skimmer box, while the pump is running.
Half an hour after adding the pool acid, add 10 litres of liquid chlorine at the furthest point away from the skimmer box, while the pump is running (must be liquid chlorine).
Run pump for 24 hours after which time the water should be clear.
After pool water has cleared, clean the filter and balance pool as per the user manual.

Remember, once the pool is clear you have not solved the issue that caused the green/cloudy pool. You will need to check that the operating parameters (see User Manual Page 8) are correct and determine if there are any other issues with the equipment or water balance.

Low Copper

Ideal Range: 0.2 – 0.4 ppm

The daily copper output is influenced in two ways:

The daily run hours of the Enviroswim system.
The position of the ioniser setting (0 – 100% in 20% increments).

Check the following:

Water balance (ensuring pH is between 7.2 – 7.6)
The ioniser plug is connected securely into the ‘ioniser’ socket (far right socket)

Electrodes are free of any build-up
Electrodes have not disappeared completely
Copper test kit has not expired
Insufficient run time (as a guide, 1 hour for every 10,000L of water)
Pool and/or equipment is not leaking
Dilution due to excessive rain or filling pool with fresh water, resulting in low TDS
Ioniser is set too low

When testing the copper, ensure the pH has been within the correct range (7.2 – 7.6) for the previous 24 hours. Some equipment that is used in pool shop will give a misleading copper reading, as the influence of the silver in an Enviroswim pool will affect these machines when reading light refraction.

NOTE: It is important to test for copper using an Enviroswim Copper Test Kit, within the expiry date and kept out of direct sunlight.

High Copper

Ideal Range: 0.2 – 0.4 ppm

The copper output is influenced in two ways:

The operating time of the Enviroswim system.
The position of the ioniser setting (0 – 100% in 20% increments)

Increasing either one of the above will increase copper production, and decreasing either one will reduce copper production.

The copper level will continue to increase if the ioniser setting and daily run time are set too high for the pool size & conditions. Check copper level regularly and make adjustments, paying particular attention to seasonal changes. Remember to check copper levels after the pool pH level has been below 7.6 for the previous 24 hours to ensure an accurate reading.

NOTE: It is important to test for copper using an Enviroswim Copper Test Kit, within the expiry date and kept out of direct sunlight.

If the copper is accidentally overdosed the ioniser output can be turned off for weeks or even months until the copper level drops to the recommended operating level (0.2 – 0.4 ppm). The system will continue to perform at full capacity using the ultrasonics and oxidiser. Unlike most pool chemicals, copper and silver do not evaporate, therefore the residual level of copper will only deplete when killing algae and bacteria.

Example: If the copper level is twice as high as recommended, the pool should be diluted with 50% fresh water. This is an extreme example as it would take months of ignoring operating instructions to overdose the copper by this amount.