Interactive fountains are very popular in America and are becoming more and more so here at home in South Africa too. They are common along popular beach fronts and water parks and offer fun in the sun and a great place to cool off on a hot summer’s day. They’re a great alternative to sitting at home in front of various screens and can make a memorable day out for the whole family.

Unfortunately, if they’re not cleaned properly, they can also harbour a host of bacteria and disease. That can mean you carry a lot more home with you after your day out than a wet swimming costume and a tan.

How To Keep Interactive Fountains Clean

Many people think that moving water doesn’t contain any contaminants, but this is a dangerous misconception. Although it’s true that the water in interactive fountains is continuously circulating, this simply means that any nasties in the water – such as E-coli bacteria, dirt, urine and, yes, even vomit – gets rinsed down the drains into the water holding area, only to be sucked up again and sprayed back out of the fountain. It’s not nice to think about but it happens, and people can get sick as a result.

There have been several outbreaks of gastrointestinal diseases in the States that can be directly linked to specific water parks and fountains. Problems arise as there are not always Health Regulations in place governing the building of interactive fountains, and many may have been built without a proper disinfection and filtering system. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the people who handle the maintenance of these fountains to ensure that they are thoroughly and regularly cleaned.

Here are some top tips on how best to keep your interactive fountain sparkling clean and contaminant-free:

• Keep a watchful eye on the readings from chlorine and acid feeders. Manually – and regularly – test the water in the filling tank – and don’t always rely on automatic readers. “Trust, but verify” is the golden rule of thumb.
• As with a pool, the water in an interactive fountain or splash pad gets filtered through a sand or large cartridge filtration system. This needs cleaning often – especially during the peak holiday seasons when thousands of bathers track in grass and dirt every day.
• If the fountain has been drained and closed during the winter, or out of season, a thorough check must be carried out before refilling and restarting. All moving parts should receive preventative maintenance, and any UV lamps should be replaced. Before the fountain is re-opened to the public, all lines should be flushed and the system should be allowed to cycle at least one full cycle before allowing the public to use it.

If you’d like any help or advice on cleaning and maintaining an interactive fountain, chat to the friendly experts at Pool Spa and Filtration supplies. Your health and happiness are important to us.