 | Sanitation means rendering sanitary or killing living things. In
swimming pools and spa water sanitation is the killing of all bacteria and
algae plus any other life forms in the water -- disease-causing or not.
Sanitation is better than disinfecting. |
| Oxidisation will rid ammonia and nitrogen compounds from pool or spa water.
The strength of Oxidation is measured in millivolts and called a ORP
or REDOX potential. Oxidation and another chemical reaction called
Reduction always occur at the same time. The substance that gains the
electrons is called the oxidizing agent. |
| Disinfection as a medical term means the destruction of the germs
of disease. In swimming pool and spa water disinfection means the killing of
all the pathogenic (disease-causing) organisms in the water. The active
forms of chlorine and bromine gases (dissolved in the water) are two of the
more common types of disinfectants. |
| Superchlorination is a term used to mean the addition of enough
chlorine to the water to kill all living things (sanitation) and to destroy
any organic wastes -- ammonia and nitrogen compounds -- present in the water
(oxidation). |
| "Shock treating or shocking" has come to mean adding anything to
the water that will remove or destroy ammonia and nitrogen compounds.
Chlorine is one chemical that can be used for this purpose. Non-chlorine
shock treatment, also known as permonosulfate compounds, can also be used to
oxidise organic wastes. |
| pH controls the effectiveness of chlorine
and bromine as oxidisers and disinfectants. |
