Pool water???

[jchillin]

Hi, just curious...is the pool water salt water or chlorinated??? Hot tubs as well

 

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[Mom2B&Z]

Pools are salt water. Water slides are fresh/chlorinated. I think hot tubs are fresh too, I don't tend to go in them because some people spend the day drinking in the pool ;)

 

 

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[luckyinpa]

FYI pools are not heated. i even had researched on the NCL official forum and it said they were but in december i found out they lied

[chengkp75]

Hi, just curious...is the pool water salt water or chlorinated??? Hot tubs as well

 

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Even salt water pools are generally chlorinated. Any ship's pool, when the ship is within 12 miles of shore, must be on recirculation, and all recirculation pools, whether fresh or salt, must be chlorinated to the same level, 2-5ppm. The only time a pool will not be chlorinated is when the ship is outside 12 miles, a salt water pool may be switched to flow through, where sea water is pumped in continuously, and the overflow goes back to the sea. But because the change over to recirculation at 12 miles takes a couple of hours with the pool closed, many ships will not go to flow through unless there are a couple of sea days in a row.

[AmazedByCruising]

But because the change over to recirculation at 12 miles takes a couple of hours with the pool closed

 

 

Why is that? Do they need to drain the pool first?

 

While I've actually never been in a pool on a ship, I'd prefer fresh seawater :)

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/swimming-pools-urine-wee-study-revealed-a7607121.html

[chengkp75]

Why is that? Do they need to drain the pool first?

 

While I've actually never been in a pool on a ship, I'd prefer fresh seawater :)

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/swimming-pools-urine-wee-study-revealed-a7607121.html

 

No, but from the moment they switch to recirculation, the chlorine level must be at the proper level, so the pool must be closed until it actually does reach the proper chlorine level, which can take a couple of hours.

 

As for the urine level, the reason the USPH does not require more sophisticated chemicals or testing of ship's pools is because the pools are drained so frequently (typically weekly at most). Shore pools sometimes are not drained for years, so the disinfectant byproducts tend to build up, and require sophisticated chemical treatment. USPH inspectors I've worked with, who were ex-NYC health inspectors will tell you that the only time NYC public pools are drained is to paint them. If the pool water chemistry gets too far out of whack, they will do a partial drain and restart treatment.

[AmazedByCruising]

No, but from the moment they switch to recirculation, the chlorine level must be at the proper level, so the pool must be closed until it actually does reach the proper chlorine level, which can take a couple of hours.

 

Ah, I misread your previous post. I thought it took hours to switch to seawater, but it takes hours to go back.

 

Btw, I wonder which pool is worse in terms of bad bacteria/liter. One that has seawater, 3 hours old, and depending on the time the switch took place, saw a few guests. The other that had hundreds of guests over a week period, but is chlorinated at the prescribed levels.

 

I'd choose the first pool, also because it would contain less hair, skin, sunscreen, etc.

 

As for the urine level, the reason the USPH does not require more sophisticated chemicals or testing of ship's pools is because the pools are drained so frequently (typically weekly at most). Shore pools sometimes are not drained for years, so the disinfectant byproducts tend to build up, and require sophisticated chemical treatment. USPH inspectors I've worked with, who were ex-NYC health inspectors will tell you that the only time NYC public pools are drained is to paint them. If the pool water chemistry gets too far out of whack, they will do a partial drain and restart treatment.

 

That's interesting. I wonder how often pools are drained over here.

[chengkp75]

Ah, I misread your previous post. I thought it took hours to switch to seawater, but it takes hours to go back.

 

Btw, I wonder which pool is worse in terms of bad bacteria/liter. One that has seawater, 3 hours old, and depending on the time the switch took place, saw a few guests. The other that had hundreds of guests over a week period, but is chlorinated at the prescribed levels.

 

I'd choose the first pool, also because it would contain less hair, skin, sunscreen, etc.

 

That's interesting. I wonder how often pools are drained over here.

 

No, its not that they are switching to sea water, the pool is always on sea water, just that one mode is flow through, and one mode is recirculation.

 

Not sure exactly what you're talking about, but of course a pool where the water is only 3 hours old, and has had a small bather load, will be better as far as disinfectant byproduct than a week old pool that has had a larger bather load. As far as bacteria, the older water may have more, but in both pools they will be dead, unless you mean to compare a flow through pool?

[money4me]

I was on the Jade last Oct-Nov. They had two pools next to each other, one salt, one fresh.

 

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[Rulers Mom]

No, its not that they are switching to sea water, the pool is always on sea water, just that one mode is flow through, and one mode is recirculation.

 

chengkp - Thank you for all that interesting information!!

[casofilia]

Hot tubs are fresh, well they were on the Star.

[AmazedByCruising]

No, its not that they are switching to sea water, the pool is always on sea water, just that one mode is flow through, and one mode is recirculation.

 

Yeah I meant flow through mode, sorry.

 

Not sure exactly what you're talking about, but of course a pool where the water is only 3 hours old, and has had a small bather load, will be better as far as disinfectant byproduct than a week old pool that has had a larger bather load. As far as bacteria, the older water may have more, but in both pools they will be dead, unless you mean to compare a flow through pool?

 

My English seems to get worse, both writing and comprehending

 

I hope to understand correctly that when flow through mode stops, the pool needs to be closed for a few hours while waiting for chlorine levels to be high enough. And that fresh seawater is considered safe without using any chlorine at all.

 

What I was trying to say is that during those hours, with almost fresh seawater in the pool, there's less need for chlorine to be at a level that is designed for water that has been used for days in a row. So USPH could extend the rule to something like "Recirculated pools are considered safe when chlorine is at 2-5ppm, or when the pool has been in flow through mode for at least 8 hours no longer than 3 hours ago".

 

But because the change over to recirculation at 12 miles takes a couple of hours with the pool closed, many ships will not go to flow through unless there are a couple of sea days in a row.

 

If USPH would consider the water safe during those hours, even when the normal chlorine levels aren't reached yet, ships could switch to using fresh seawater every time they are outside the 12 mile zone long enough. They'd use less chlorine and I think guests will like the idea of having fresh water everyday as well.

[chengkp75]

Yeah I meant flow through mode, sorry.

 

 

 

My English seems to get worse, both writing and comprehending

 

I hope to understand correctly that when flow through mode stops, the pool needs to be closed for a few hours while waiting for chlorine levels to be high enough. And that fresh seawater is considered safe without using any chlorine at all.

 

What I was trying to say is that during those hours, with almost fresh seawater in the pool, there's less need for chlorine to be at a level that is designed for water that has been used for days in a row. So USPH could extend the rule to something like "Recirculated pools are considered safe when chlorine is at 2-5ppm, or when the pool has been in flow through mode for at least 8 hours no longer than 3 hours ago".

 

 

 

If USPH would consider the water safe during those hours, even when the normal chlorine levels aren't reached yet, ships could switch to using fresh seawater every time they are outside the 12 mile zone long enough. They'd use less chlorine and I think guests will like the idea of having fresh water everyday as well.

 

 

Basically what you are asking for is an exemption for a recirculation pool, just because it was in flow through mode a few hours ago? Then why not allow a pool that is freshly filled, with sea or fresh water, to be open to bathing before the chlorine level is acceptable? The chlorine level does not care how many bathers have been in the water, how long the water is recirculated, or how much bacteria is in the water, it must be at a certain level to kill the bacteria. So, if its okay to swim in a recirculating pool with low chlorine at one time, why isn't it okay to do so at any other time?

 

In flow through mode, the water is introduced at the bottom of the pool, and overflows at the gutters along the edge of the pool, at the top, where the bathers are. Therefore, not only is the water, with any contamination continuously diluted by the addition of fresh sea water, but the area of most likely contamination is that which goes out of the pool quickest. This is why there is no need for sanitizing the water.

[Moby0215]

I was on the Jade last Oct-Nov. They had two pools next to each other, one salt, one fresh.

 

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Are you sure about that? I would have thought one was adult only and one was family.

 

 

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[AmazedByCruising]

Basically what you are asking for is an exemption for a recirculation pool, just because it was in flow through mode a few hours ago? Then why not allow a pool that is freshly filled, with sea or fresh water, to be open to bathing before the chlorine level is acceptable?

 

Well, actually USPH should allow that as well. Let's assume that it's common sense, or some research finds out, that a freshly filled pool that doesn't have an "acceptable" chlorine level, poses no threat to passengers' health, and certainly no danger to the general public of the US at all. In that case it would be nice if the ship can switch to flow through mode outside 12nm anytime, telling USPH that they are interfering with the internal affairs of a ship without a special mandate to do so.

 

Instead of exemptions to a broad rule, I think USPH should stick to precise rules. Reusing water is what might cause a problem, so the rule should be something like "recirculation mode is allowed, but chlorine level must be at 2ppm within 4 hours".

 

The chlorine level does not care how many bathers have been in the water, how long the water is recirculated, or how much bacteria is in the water, it must be at a certain level to kill the bacteria. So, if its okay to swim in a recirculating pool with low chlorine at one time, why isn't it okay to do so at any other time?

 

Because at the other times, hundreds of drunken people would have been in that pool bringing e-coli and whatever. 10 seconds after a pool switches to recirculating, no scientist in the world can detect it did.