Copper Sulfate In Pool Water

Experts say copper is often found in chemical agents used to rid pools of algae but high levels can be dangerous.

Copper sulfate in pool water.

Unfortunately i don t see a good alternative to dumping 3 4 or all of the pool. You ideally do not want any copper or any other metals in your swimming pool water since this dissolved copper can very easily come out of solution and cause ugly stains in your pool. By properly assessing the swimming pool s alkalinity you can add the appropriate amount of copper sulfate to a swimming pool to control algae growth. They took a water sample.

Copper sulfate is 25 copper so your copper concentration is almost 8 ppm about 4x what is considered safe. Therefore it should not be used as part of your regular pool chemical treatment. Copper found in swimming pool water is common for pool owners as there are many sources for copper to find its way into your pool water and water naturally can hold a certain amount of dissolved copper. Copper sulfate pentahydrate crystals powder or liquid are the most convenient ways to handle copper sulfate when cleaning gardens pools or drains.

Copper sulfate dissolves well in liquid which is what makes it such an effective cleaner for pools and reservoirs. The derr s were determined to figure out what happened. Most copper sulphate contains around 20 25 copper so a 50 000 liter pool would require 100 120 grams copper sulphate if the pool is green i would give a once off double dose. It s also much cheaper than proprietary chemicals.

You may be quick to blame the chlorine but the culprit is typically dissolved copper in the pool water. Copper can enter the pool in many ways including when you add water. The american journal of public health recommends using copper sulfate in swimming pools only as a method to control growth of algae. Copper salts react with chlorine to produce cupric oxide and and may cause grey black stains on pool surfaces.

Even if you have carefully measured the required amount it does not guarantee your safety. Copper based algaecides and algaestats are the commonest source of copper salts for pools but copper sulphate is also a preventative treatment and an effective cure for many algae attacks. A liter of water weighs a kg so 0 5 16000 0 00003125 or 31 25 ppm. One part per million of copper in drinking water is quite safe and 0 5 parts per million is enough to control green algae in swimming pools.

It is more likely in rural areas where well water is used to fill the pool and in regions where the local geology has a lot of mineral copper in the underlying stone. This is not a matter of concentration. The fact is that copper sulphate actively reacts with many substances that are contained in water.