Moment of Clarity …

Flocculation. That is one heck of a word. flok-yuh-leyt-ion. When I stumbled upon it, all sorts of definitions ran through my mind (none of which I will say in polite company). Turns out, the actual definition means, “to form flocculent masses, as a cloud or a chemical precipitate; form aggregated or compound masses of particles.”

In the pool industry, flocculation refers to one step in the chemical process of clarifying and treating pool water that contains unchecked amounts of suspended particulate matter (yes, I totally typed that).  Think of items such as silt, organic matter, algae, suntan oils and lotions, bacteria and protozoa, minerals and metals. When your pool or spa water turns cloudy that means your sanitizers levels are not where they should be.

So why is water clarity so important? There are several reasons, the foremost being hygiene of the water as cloudy water can harbor bacteria and viruses such as E.coli, Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Safety of the bathers is also compromised if water clarity prohibits visibility often ending in tragedy when swimmers entering the water can’t see the swimmers already present. Filter treatment is one step to achieve water clarity.  The second is through chemical treatment.  This is where flocculation is key.  Combined with a coagulant, flocculation (there’s that word again) can remove organics and oils. Be sure to go for one that is proven to remove organics though as many clarifiers coagulate, but not all completely flocculate.

Happy Swimming!

Pinnacle Pool & Spa
Serving the Greater Sacramento Area
(888) 994 -7665 (POOL)