Information AboutSwimming Pool |
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A swimming pool, '''swimming Bath ''', or '''wading pool''' is an artificially enclosed body of Water intended for recreational or competitive Swimming , Diving , or for other bathing activities that do not involve swimming, e.g. Play , wading, water exercise, floating around on inner tubes, or merely cooling off on hot days. It usually contains the chemical Chlorine to control bacteria. One can distinguish between private and public pools: in warm parts of the world private ones are usually outdoors, while public ones can be outdoors or indoors, with some complexes having both. In some parts of the world, a swimming pool for private use is considered a Status Symbol (an indoor private pool even more so). Swimming pools can be constructed either above ground (generally constructed from plastic and metal), or in the ground (usually formed either out of reinforced Concrete and lined with special plaster, a one piece fiberglass shell, or prefabricated sectional walls and a Vinyl liner). HISTORY Artificial swimming pools have been built by the Ancient Greeks and Romans who used them for athletic training in the Palestra s and also for nautical games, and military exercises. Roman emperors had private swimming pools in which fish also were kept, hence the Latin word for pool, ''piscina.'' TYPES OF POOLS Public pools Public pools are often found as part of a larger leisure centre or recreational complex. These centres often have more than one pool, e.g. an indoor heated pool, an outdoor saltwater or unheated chlorinated pool, a shallower 'children's pool', and a paddling pool for Toddler s and Infant s. There may also be a Sauna area. In the swimming pool area and/or in the Sauna area there may be one or more spa pools or Jacuzzi s. If a swimming pool (sometimes combined with facilities for allied sports and activities, such as a diving tank) is located in a separate building, the building is called a "natatorium". Many public swimming pools are Rectangles either 25 m or 50 m long, but a backyard pool can be any size and shape desired. There are also very elaborate pools, with artificial Waterfall s, Fountain s, Splash Pad s, wave machines, varying depths of water, bridges, and island bars; they may belong to a Hotel or Holiday Resort . There are often Lockers for clothing and other belongings. The lockers generally require a coin to be inserted as deposit or payment outright. Competition pools FINA sets widely recognized standards for competition pools, which must be 25 m or 50 m long and at least 1.35 m deep. Competition pools are generally indoors and heated to enable their use all year round, and to more easily comply with the regulations regarding temperature, lighting, and Automatic Officiating Equipment . An '''. Depth must be at least 2 m, and there are also regulations for color of lane rope, positioning of backstroke flags, and so on. Pools claimed to be "Olympic pools" do not always meet these regulations, as FINA cannot police use of the term. Length Most pools in the world are measured in metres, but in the US pools are sometimes measured in yards. In the UK most pools are in metres, but older pools measured in yards still exist. In the US pools tend to either be 25 yards (short course yards), 25 metres (short course metres) or 50 metres (long course). United States high schools and the NCAA conduct short course (25 yards) competition. There also exist many pools 33⅓ m in length, so that 3 lengths = 100 m. This is sometimes jokingly referred to as "inter-course". United States Swimming (USS) swims in both metric and non-metric pools. However, the international standard is metres, and world records are only recognised when swum in 50 m pools. In general, the shorter the pool, the faster the time for the same distance, since the swimmer gains speed from pushing off the wall after each turn at the end of the pool. Exercise pools In the last two decades, a new style of pool has gained popularity. These consist of a small vessel (usually about 2.5 m x 5 m) in which the swimmer swims in place, either against the push of an artificially generated water current or against the pull of restraining devices. These pools go under several names, such as ''swim spas, Swimming Machines ,'' or ''swim systems.'' They are all examples of different modes of Resistance Swimming . Hot tub In the swimming pool area and/or in the sauna area there may be one or more ''hot tubs'' (small pools in which people sit on an underwater bench along the edge with water streams and air bubbles). The water temperature is usually very warm to hot, 30 to 40 °C (86 to 104 °F), so that one can only stay a limited amount of time in it, but sometimes only mildly warm, in which case one can stay as long as one likes. Infinity pools An infinity pool is a swimming pool which produces a visual effect of the water extending to the horizon or to "infinity". In reality the edge of the pool is below the water level, the water spilling into a trough from where it is pumped back into the pool. The effect is particularly impressive where the invisible edge appears to merge with a larger body of water such as the ocean, or with the sky (if the pool is located on the side of a hill or mountain). Other pools Motel s often have pools, often outside, as an amenity for the recreation of their guests and children, especially motels in warmer climates. Larger pools sometimes have a Diving board as an accessory affixed above the water at the pool's edge. Diving pools should meet minimum depth requirements to prevent diving injury. Home pools can be permanently built-in, but non-permanent pools are often assembled above ground and can be disassembled. They are used mostly outdoors in yards. For toddlers and small children, small temporary-use pools made of plastic can be blown up with air to form the sides of the pool and the inside filled with water. When finished, the water and air can be let out and this type of pool can be folded up for convenient storage. A variety of Toy s are available for children (and other people) to play with in pool water. Such toys are often blown up with air so they are soft but still reasonably rugged, and can float in water. As an alternative, some people use Hot Tub s at home for recreationally soaking their bodies in water. Wading pools, also called "baby pools", are usually small, shallow plastic pools that usually cost around $10.00 and can be found at Department Store s. These pools can be inflatable or made of hard plastic. WATER CLEANLINESS AND DISINFECTION Swimming pool water must be maintained with very low levels of Bacteria and Virus es to prevent the spread of Disease s and Pathogen s between users. Strong oxidising agents are often used, especially simple chlorine compounds such as Sodium Hypochlorite . Other disinfectants include Bromine compounds and Ozone generated on site by passing an electrical discharge through oxygen or air. Chlorine may be supplied in the form of sodium hypochlorite solution, powdered calcium hypochlorite ("cal hypo"), cyanurated chlorine compounds (so called "stabilized" chlorine), or by dissolving chlorine gas directly in water. Maintaining a safe concentration of disinfectant is critically important in assuring the safety and health of swimming pool users. When any of these Pool Chemicals are used, it is very important to keep the PH of the pool in the range 7.2 to 7.6; higher pH drastically reduces the sanitizing power of the chlorine due to reduced ORP, while lower pH causes bather discomfort, especially to the eyes. Where the water is sanitised by means of oxidisers, some suppliers of electronic monitoring equipment recommend that the efficacy of the oxidiser be measured by the Oxidation-reduction Potential of the water, a factor measured in millivolts, where the minimum acceptable ORP level in public pools is 650 millivolts. This is supposed to ensure a 1-second kill rate for microorganisms introduced into the water. Unfortunately, a commonly used non-chlorine supplemental oxidizer, potassium monopersulfate, can produce measured 650 mV levels even in the absence of all sanitizing residuals. Cyanurated ("stabilized") chlorinators can give falsely high chlorine readings when tested with OTO (ortho-tolidene, a yellow indicator dye used in inexpensive test kits), since the chlorine indicated by the dye is mostly in a combined form instead of free, and does not contribute to ORP. ORP test cells are available as handheld instruments, and as probes for mounting permanently in the pool circulation plumbing to control automatic chlorine feeders. Test kits to make basic meaurements of free chlorine and pH from a sample of pool water, which are the most important items to control in a swimming pool, are packaged with small dropper bottles of reagents. These reagents are typically OTO for chlorine and phenol red for pH. The kits include vials for mixing a water sample with the test reagents, and color charts for reading the indicated levels. Besides chlorine and pH, which should be checked frequently, more sophisticated reagent kits provide tests for acid demand and base demand, total alkalinity (TA), calcium hardness, and cyanurate ("stabilizer") concentration. These additional tests tend to vary only over weeks or months in a well-maintained pool, and thus need not be checked as frequently as chlorine and pH. Pool sanitation, which necessarily involves toxic or mechanical means of killing microbes, can sometimes unintentionally irritate the swimmers, especially if poorly maintained, especially a too high level of chlorine and/or too low pH. Non-chlorine sanitizing chemicals and devices are promoted as being less harsh, but any sanitizer is harsh if overused, and proper levels of chlorine are not. Water circulating through a pipe can be sterilized with UV light instead of chemicals, but some level of chemical sanitizer is still needed, because only a small portion of the pool water passes through the circulation system at any given time, and the circulation system typically only runs for a few hours each day. UV sterilization also does not inhibit algae from growing on pool surfaces, and it does not break down dissolved nitrogenous nutrients that feed algae growth, so some type of oxidizing sanitizer is still needed to check these trends, although it need not be dosed during bathing hours for this purpose. Generally, a well managed pool will have no smell or taste, be scrupulously clean, and have crystal clear water. Most people would not want to swim in a pool that appears dirty even if germs were under control. A pool pump circulates water through a strainer and filter to remove dirt and other suspended particles. The plumbing circuit may also include a gas or electric heater, solar panels, and chemical injectors. The proper management of a backyard swimming pool can be a difficult and time-consuming task. The chemical balance of the water has to be carefully monitored to make sure that it not become fouled with Algae or bacteria. Either of these will make the water smell and look unpleasant and can be a serious Health Hazard . The water must also be kept clear of debris such as fallen leaves and sticks, as these encourage fouling and become very slippery and dangerous as they start to decompose. Most people keep their pool either covered over or drained entirely during the months of the year in which it is not in use, as this is the easiest way to keep it sanitary (draining however can be a serious safety hazard with deeper pools and re-filling can be fairly expensive in areas where water is scarce). Public and competitive swimming pools are therefore often, especially in colder climates, indoor pools—covered with a roof and heated—to enable their use all year round. Chlorine may be generated on site, such as in Saltwater Pool s. This type of system generates chlorine by electrolysis of dissolved salt (NaCl) using an electrical cell in the pool plumbing, instead of manually dosing the pool with chlorinating chemicals. Chlorine generators avoid the need for constant handling of sanitizing chemicals, and can generate sanitizing power at a lower cost than the equivalent chemicals, but they have a large up-front cost for the apparatus and for the initial loading of the pool with salt. The salt content gives the pool water a brackish taste, but not as salty as seawater. Pool water that splashes and evaporates, such as on a pool deck, leaves a salt residue. Being closer to isotonic salinity than fresh water, saltwater pools have an easier feel on the eyes, and a touch typically characterized as "silky", not unlike bath salts. SAFETY It is always advisable to keep a close watch on small children around swimming pools, especially private pools that do not have professional Lifeguards , as pools present a significant risk of infant and toddler death due to drowning. In regions where residential pools are common, drowning is a major cause of childhood fatalities. Adults are more likely to be aware of risks, but it is still a good idea to have more than one person around when using a private pool. In public pools there is a lower risk of accident, with trained lifeguards on duty whenever the pool is open. Because of the risk of Drowning and the desire for greater safety, combined with technological advances that make such safety possible, more and more public pools are equipped with computer-aided Drowning Prevention or other forms of electronic and sometimes automated safety and security systems. Among these are the Poseidon system, Swimguard , and the Drowning Early Warning System (DEWS). Where Safety and Privacy are concerned, the trend seems to be toward safety. The best way to ensure safety around swimming pools is to be educated. Knowing how a swimming pool works greatly improves safety. For instance, long haired individuals must avoid water inlets. These inlets, also known as "skimmers", are rectangular holes on the wall that are sometimes partially or completely underwater. In private swimming pools there can be one to two inlets; on public pools there can be five to twenty "skimmers". Another thing to avoid are the "main drains" which are usually identified as round mesh covered objects on the pool floor, as poor design can occasionally result in a safety problem. Building codes and product standards have eliminated these hazards for current designs, but not all pools are up-to-date or up to standard. Also the bigger the body of water, the greater "force" it needs to have the water circulating. Stronger water pumps are used on large bodies of water to keep the swimming pool healthy so extra care must be taken when swimming along the sides or floor of the swimming pool. DRESS CODE In public swimming pools , whereas at pools (especially indoor pools) more minimal forms of bathing attire, such as Lycra briefs for men or lycra one-piece tanksuits for women, are often worn. For diving from towers perhaps 10m high, sometimes bathing suits are doubled up (i.e., men will often wear one brief inside another) so that the swimsuit does not rip on impact with the water. While splashing around on beaches, especially on Urban Beach es, looser fitting bathing attire that is more modest is often worn. Some public swimming pools have regular hours for Nude swimming, and some pools even require nudity. In the US, until recently, many YMCA pools required users to be naked or to have a bathingsuit made of materials that will not contaminate the pool; the words often used were " Nylon bathingsuit or no bathingsuit". More recently, dress codes in many pools have been relaxed to allow for additional modesty. Many pool operators allow people to swim fully clothed if they can prove that they have a second set of clothes that are only for use in the pool, and if they are willing to go through the showers in this second set of clothes prior to entering the pool. In France, the general rule is that Board Shorts are not permitted, for similar hygiene reasons. OTHER USES Swimming pools are also used for events such as Synchronized Swimming and Water Polo as well as for teaching Diving and Lifesaving techniques. They have also been used for specialist tasks such as teaching water-ditching survival techniques for helicopter crews and Astronaut training. SEE ALSO
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