Most recovery room owners know they need chemicals in their water.Chlorine, bromine, something to keep the bacteria in check.
What a lot of people don't realise is that cold water makes chemical dosing significantly harder.
Chlorine works slower in cold water.At 26 degrees, like a heated pool, chlorine is highly active.It kills bacteria quickly and breaks down at a predictable rate.
At 5 degrees, chlorine is still working, but it's sluggish.It takes longer to kill bacteria.And it doesn't break down as fast, which sounds like a good thing, but it means the levels can build up.Suddenly your members are complaining about skin irritation and a strong chemical smell.
Then there's pH.Cold water holds pH differently.It's more resistant to change, which makes it harder to adjust.And if the pH drifts, your chlorine becomes even less effective regardless of how much you put in.
This is why a lot of recovery rooms test their water, see a normal chlorine reading, and assume everything is fine.The reading might be correct, but the actual kill rate at that temperature is much lower than they think.
Commercial cold water filtration systems account for all of this.They dose differently, they monitor differently, and they cycle the water at rates designed specifically for cold, not warm.
We don't sell filtration systems, but we work with the best in the country who do.If you're managing your own water chemistry and you're not confident it's actually doing its job at your pool temperature, hit reply and we'll connect you with someone who can help.