We as pool operators have a lot on our plates. Many of you have multiple properties. Many of you have job requirements other than maintaining the pool. Safety is our number one concern. What happens if someone claims to have gotten ill from your body of water? We need to be protected. This comes from proper water chemistry and proper logging of results.
Recreational Water Illness
Waterborne illnesses are no fun. Some recreational waterborne illnesses are E.Coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Legionella, Pseudomonas, Norovirus, Diarrhea, Vomiting, Lice, Pinworms, MRSA, Ear Infections, Cryptosporidium, Shigella, Naegleria, Rashes or just Red, Irritated eyes. This is pretty scary. Did you know that one in three swimming-related disease outbreaks occur at hotels? That is straight from the CDC.
If someone were to get sick at your facility, it puts your property at risk of bankruptcy from attorney’s fees, medical costs such as ER visits and possible hospitalization, pain and suffering payouts, paying for the client’s loss of work, etc. All of this can happen if the pool and spa water is not tested and treated correctly.
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin back in 1993, there was a cryptosporidium outbreak. The cost of an ER visit was in the thousands. People that had to be hospitalized had a bill that was in the tens of thousands. Don’t let that be you that has to pay these medical costs. My roommate recently had to go to the ER (Not for a waterborne illness) and his bill was $19,000. I use this info just as a reference to show the significant rise in medical care.
Let’s say a client gets sick at a restaurant, but is blaming it on your body of water. Do you have accurate pool test logs to show that the water was balanced correctly? Someone getting sick at your facility is not just sad, but expensive. Especially if they win. It could mean temporary or permanent closure of your property! We need to avoid this at all costs. But how?
Properly Balanced Pool Water - the Key to Avoiding Recreational Water Illness Costs for Your Facility
The main way we can protect ourselves is by having properly balanced pool water chemistry. Training your staff to test and dose properly is another major way we can ensure that our water is balanced. The Pool Shark H2O App can be a huge asset for you and your team. When paired with the LaMotte Spin Lab it is even easier. The LaMotte Spin Lab only requires a small syringe of water to be put into a spin disc. The spin disc is then inserted into the spin lab. In just 60 seconds, boom! Your water test results are immediately sent to any device you have the Pool Shark H2O App installed on. Prefer manual testing? That is totally fine if it is done correctly. You can then manually enter your results into the Pool Shark H2O App and get proper dosing instructions.
The Pool Shark H2O App does many things. It uses the Langelier Saturation Index. Water is either neutral, which would be a 0. Scale-forming which would be a positive number. Or, it can be corrosive, which is a negative reading. Both scale-forming and corrosive water can wreak havoc on your pool’s surface, plumbing and even the pool equipment. The goal is to be 0.15 in either direction or less. The LSI method tells you which fields to adjust to accomplish this. You can view the results on any device Pool Shark H2O is installed on. This means you can monitor all your properties remotely. You do not even have to be on site to check your body of water. By dosing correctly, you also save money by not wasting chemicals and make your pool equipment last longer.
Cloudy water is not only unsightly, but can pose a drowning risk. We must always be able to see the main drain in our pools. Speaking of drains. We all know drains have to be VGB compliant. Did you know they are required to be changed every 5 years? The Pool Shark H2O App reminds you when your drains need to be changed so you have one less thing to worry about. The App also has custom checklists so you can better manage your property.
Proper Water Test Logging
Different regions have different health department code requirements. Some people only have to test their water once a day while others are required to test every hour. Old-fashioned paper log books are a thing of the past. The Pool Shark H2O App keeps digital records of all of your water tests. This avoids the logs from going unused, getting wet, or getting lost. Health Inspection visits are a breeze with all pool logs instantly available. The cloud-based storage relieves you from having boxes and boxes of previous water tests that we are required to save.
Speaking of saving, if someone were to fall ill and blame your facility, you will have the proper logs showing proper water chemistry. This will save you from spending a ton of money on lawsuits because you will be able to prove the safety of your water at any given time. Don’t lose your job or have your property shut down due to poor record keeping. Let’s do all we can to cover our behinds while keeping our guests safe! See you poolside!
