Vision of the Seas pool question

[shellunderwater]

What type of water do the pools on the Vision have? Fresh/chlorinated or sea/salt water?

 

Adult aged DD is sensitive to chlorinated water. We're debating doing a port day on the ship, but not sure if it isn't sea water.

 

Not worried about kiddie pool, just regular pool and solarium.

 

Thanks.

 

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[Clarea]

What type of water do the pools on the Vision have? Fresh/chlorinated or sea/salt water?

 

Adult aged DD is sensitive to chlorinated water. We're debating doing a port day on the ship, but not sure if it isn't sea water.

 

Not worried about kiddie pool, just regular pool and solarium.

 

Thanks.

Salt water pools on Vision.

[shellunderwater]

Salt water pools on Vision.

 

Thanks Bob!

 

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[BillB48]

While the pools are salt water on the Vision, when the ship is in port the pools will most likely be in a recirculate mode. I don't know how this compares to a shoreside pool.

 

I saw the following on CC sometime ago, I don't know who the OP is.

 

Dear RCI customer:

 

The ships have a procedure in place to ensure that the swimming pools are drained, cleaned and sanitized.

 

The pool water is drawn from the sea.

While in recirculation mode, the swimming pool water shall be filtered and disinfected by bromination or chlorination to maintain a free halogen residual 1.0-3.00 mg/L (ppm). Halogenation and pH tests shall be carried out every 4 hours.

Enjoy your cruise !!

[chengkp75]

What type of water do the pools on the Vision have? Fresh/chlorinated or sea/salt water?

 

Adult aged DD is sensitive to chlorinated water. We're debating doing a port day on the ship, but not sure if it isn't sea water.

 

Not worried about kiddie pool, just regular pool and solarium.

 

Thanks.

 

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Forums mobile app

 

Note that even sea water pools will be chlorinated. While at sea, and more than 12 miles from shore, the pool may be set up for "flow through", where fresh sea water is pumped in and the overflow goes right back to the sea. However, once within 12 miles of shore, sea water pools must be either drained or switched to recirculation mode. All pools in recirculation mode, whether salt or fresh water, must be chlorinated to 2-4ppm. So, during your port day, the pool will be on recirculation, and chlorinated.

[shellunderwater]

Thanks for the additional info.

 

We do Belize, Costa Maya then Cozumel in three days. They will hardly have time to change them over. Lol

 

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[chengkp75]

Thanks for the additional info.

 

We do Belize, Costa Maya then Cozumel in three days. They will hardly have time to change them over. Lol

 

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They may well leave them as recirculation, but it only takes about 5 minutes to go from recirc to flow through, and about an hour to go the other way (it takes time to build up the chlorine level).

[orville99]

"Salt Pool Basics

 

While the phrase "saltwater pools" may bring to mind sand, waves and jellyfish, in reality, this alternative to standard chlorinated pools isn't really like the beach at all. The water in the ocean has a salt content of about 35,000 ppm, while the water in a saltwater pool has a far lower concentration of salt at around 3,000 – 6,000 ppm. The water in a saltwater pool is actually more like a saline solution, which contains about 6,000 ppm. This means that if your pool is properly maintained, it shouldn't taste or smell salty at all. Saltwater pools can be found both in the United States and in other countries. Saltwater pools are not chlorine-free pools. The saltwater system is actually just an alternative method of chlorinating a pool, making your own chlorine daily.

 

Salt Pool Myths: Take them with a grain of salt.

 

The most common myth regarding salt pools is that they are sanitized by salt and a better choice, if you have sensitivities or allergies to chlorine. Salt pools are, in fact, sanitized using chlorine. A salt-chlorine generator separates the chlorine and sodium molecules in salt and reintroduces them into the pool water. It is the chlorine that sanitizes your pool!

 

Another misconception is that salt pools do not require other chemicals. This is completely false and not using other chemicals could damage your pool or be potentially harmful. It is critical that a salt pool still maintain a proper pH, Total Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness and Stabilizer levels. There is no magic inside a salt-chlorine generator that balances pool water. These parameters should be checked and balanced regularly."

[chengkp75]

"Salt Pool Basics

 

While the phrase "saltwater pools" may bring to mind sand, waves and jellyfish, in reality, this alternative to standard chlorinated pools isn't really like the beach at all. The water in the ocean has a salt content of about 35,000 ppm, while the water in a saltwater pool has a far lower concentration of salt at around 3,000 – 6,000 ppm. The water in a saltwater pool is actually more like a saline solution, which contains about 6,000 ppm. This means that if your pool is properly maintained, it shouldn't taste or smell salty at all. Saltwater pools can be found both in the United States and in other countries. Saltwater pools are not chlorine-free pools. The saltwater system is actually just an alternative method of chlorinating a pool, making your own chlorine daily.

 

Salt Pool Myths: Take them with a grain of salt.

 

The most common myth regarding salt pools is that they are sanitized by salt and a better choice, if you have sensitivities or allergies to chlorine. Salt pools are, in fact, sanitized using chlorine. A salt-chlorine generator separates the chlorine and sodium molecules in salt and reintroduces them into the pool water. It is the chlorine that sanitizes your pool!

 

Another misconception is that salt pools do not require other chemicals. This is completely false and not using other chemicals could damage your pool or be potentially harmful. It is critical that a salt pool still maintain a proper pH, Total Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness and Stabilizer levels. There is no magic inside a salt-chlorine generator that balances pool water. These parameters should be checked and balanced regularly."

 

While this may be true on land, these are recirculation pools (since the salt concentration is lower than sea water), hence the need for chlorination. The flow through pools onboard cruise ships do not use chlorine (or even a salt to chlorine generator). This was the real attraction for the cruise lines to use sea water for the pools, and why sea water pools are switched to flow through when at sea for more than a day, as the chemical cost goes to zero, and the maintenance time required drops as well.

 

Due to the fact that ship's pools are drained and the water changed very frequently, usually once a week, there is no need for other pool chemicals other than chlorine and acid (to maintain Ph level, which is critical to proper chlorine sanitizing).

[orville99]

While this may be true on land, these are recirculation pools (since the salt concentration is lower than sea water), hence the need for chlorination. The flow through pools onboard cruise ships do not use chlorine (or even a salt to chlorine generator). This was the real attraction for the cruise lines to use sea water for the pools, and why sea water pools are switched to flow through when at sea for more than a day, as the chemical cost goes to zero, and the maintenance time required drops as well.

 

Due to the fact that ship's pools are drained and the water changed very frequently, usually once a week, there is no need for other pool chemicals other than chlorine and acid (to maintain Ph level, which is critical to proper chlorine sanitizing).

 

Which makes them all chlorinated.;) Fundamental chemistry: salt (NaCl) ionizes in water (NaCl + H2O = NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide) and HCl (Hydrochloric acid)

Edited October 4, 2014 by orville99

[chengkp75]

Which makes them all chlorinated.;)

 

No, you are missing what I'm saying. When the pool is on flow through mode, there are NO chemicals added to the water, since it is continually renewed. The construction guidelines require that the entire water in the pool be renewed every 4 hours. USPH does not require any chemical additions to a flow through pool. When switching from flow through to recirculation, the pool needs to be shut down until the chlorine reaches the required level. Chlorination is only required in a recirculation pool.

[chengkp75]

Which makes them all chlorinated.;) Fundamental chemistry: salt (NaCl) ionizes in water (NaCl + H2O = NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide) and HCl (Hydrochloric acid)

 

However, hydrochloric acid does nothing for sanitizing your pool. It is hypochlorous acid is what is desirable, and why the Ph is important. If the Ph is not correct, not enough hypochlorous ions are produced to oxidize the bacteria quickly.

 

But if you are being tongue in cheek, yes, all salt water pools have chlorine in them, from the sea salt, but it is not in the form that will sanitize a pool, nor in a form that irritates humans.

[orville99]

No, you are missing what I'm saying. When the pool is on flow through mode, there are NO chemicals added to the water, since it is continually renewed. The construction guidelines require that the entire water in the pool be renewed every 4 hours. USPH does not require any chemical additions to a flow through pool. When switching from flow through to recirculation, the pool needs to be shut down until the chlorine reaches the required level. Chlorination is only required in a recirculation pool.

 

Salt water by definition is chlorinated - it is a naturally occurring chemical process. I agree that there is no need to introduce additional chlorine into a flow through pool, but the basic scientific fact remains.

[chengkp75]

Salt water by definition is chlorinated - it is a naturally occurring chemical process. I agree that there is no need to introduce additional chlorine into a flow through pool, but the basic scientific fact remains.

 

Yes, salt water is "chlorinated" if you mean does it have the element of chlorine in it. However, even your post about salt water pools shows that something is needed for a salt water pool to become "chlorinated", meaning it is being sanitized by chlorine.

 

The most common myth regarding salt pools is that they are sanitized by salt and a better choice, if you have sensitivities or allergies to chlorine. Salt pools are, in fact, sanitized using chlorine. A salt-chlorine generator separates the chlorine and sodium molecules in salt and reintroduces them into the pool water. It is the chlorine that sanitizes your pool!

 

The salt-chlorine generator does not create hydrochloric acid, it produces hypochlorous acid. Unless the seawater has a carefully controlled Ph, not enough hypochlorous acid will be produced. Seawater is accepted to have a Ph of 7.5-8.4, whereas pools should be kept at 7.0-7.6 to maintain sufficient hypochlorous acid production. There is no sanitizing benefit in a flow through sea water pool, not by the sea water, and not by additional chemicals.

 

Anything else is merely semantics.

Edited October 4, 2014 by chengkp75