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Understanding Swimming Pool Water Chemistry
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Understanding swimming pool water chemistry is an essential part of caring for and maintaining your swimming pool. Knowing how different factors such as pH, Total Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness, and Stain Producing Metals affect your pool water and pool equipment will save you a lot of time, money, and frustration. Knowing more will leave you better prepared to get your swimming pool water properly balanced the first time, saving you money by adding just what is needed at the right time, instead of heavy doses to fix any previous oversight. Now let's talk about the 1st and MOST IMPORTANT factor controlling your pool water balance.
How
pH Affects Pool Water Chemistry
Simply stated, pH is the measure of the relative acid or base of the pool water. The ideal level for swimming pool water is between 7.2 and 7.8, is recommended to be tested daily, and can be tested for with any pool water testing kit. A pH level above 7.8, referred to as being "to high" will lead to cloudy water, staining, scale deposits, filtration problems, and reduced chlorine efficiency. This means you can save money on chlorine by making sure your swimming pool's pH is in the appropriate range. If pH falls below 7.2, called being "to low", it could lead to corrosion of metallic pipes, etched plaster, rapid loss of chlorine residual, and possible irritation to swimmers. To maintain an ideal pH level in your swimming pool water, use a pH Increaser when the pH drops below 7.2 and a pH Reducer when the pH rises above 7.8. Now that your pH is perfect lets move on to the next factor in achieving good water balance in your swimming pool.
Total Alkalinity - What It Means To Pool Water
Total Alkalinity is the measure of your pool water's ability to
resist change in pH. Alkalinity does not have to be tested for as often as pH.
It is a measure of the buffering capacity or the ability of pool water to resist
a 
change
in pH, therefore good Total Alkalinity will make it much easier to maintain
good pH. The appropriate range for Total Alkalinity in pool water is between
75 and 120 ppm (parts per million). High Total Alkalinity (above 120 PPM) will
allow your pH to slowly creep up and resist efforts to change. Low Total Alkalinity
(below 75 PPM) allows your pH to "bounce" from one extreme to the
other, making it very difficult to keep your pH in the appropriate range. Ideal
Total Alkalinity (between 75 and 120 PPM) can be achieved by adding Alkalinity
Increaser if the Total Alkalinity is below 75 PPM and pH Reducer if Total Alkalinity
is above 120 PPM Now for the third factor affecting your swimming pool water
chemistry.
Calcium Hardness and How It Affects Water Balance
Calcium Hardness is the amount of dissolved calcium in your pool water. The ideal amount of dissolved calcium is between 100 and 500 PPM Calcium Hardness above 500 PPM (high Calcium Hardness) can cause calcium to precipitate from the water causing cloudy conditions and scale deposits. Low Calcium Hardness (below 100 PPM) can lead to corrosion. To maintain an Ideal Calcium Hardness level in your pool water and prevent cloudy water add a Rust and Scale Remover when the Calcium Hardness Level rises above 400 PPM A low calcium hardness level can be corrected by adding Water Hardness Increaser. Now that you know about pH, Total Alkalinity, and Calcium Hardness we will consider the fourth pool water balance factor.
Dealing
With Stain Producing Metals in your Pool Water
Iron, copper, manganese, and cobalt are metals which commonly cause colored water or stains in pools. If you are fortunate enough to have the "ideal" fill water, and a properly constructed and maintained pool, these would not be a problem. Since ideal conditions rarely exist, we recommend the regular use of a good sequestering agent to continually protect the pool against stain producing metals.
Sanitizing Your Pool Water
Making sure all the preceding factors of pool water balance are within their appropriate levels will allow you to sanitize your pool with fewer headaches, and pounds of chlorine, than ever before! Disinfecting is an essential element of any pool water treatment program. Stabilized Chlorine is designed to disinfect your pool water by releasing "free chlorine" into the water to control germs and other microorganisms, algae and organic matter. Because water conditions change rapidly, it is very important to test the water every day for chlorine residual. The free available chlorine reading should be between 1-2 PPM
Protecting Your Chlorine From Sunlight
At the start of each season it may be necessary to add Stabilizer. Sunlight can rapidly destroy chlorine residual in outdoor pools unless the pool water is "stabilized". Stabilizer, which is sometimes referred to as "conditioner", will shield your chlorine from rapid destruction by sunlight. In effect it will make the chlorine you buy last longer, saving you money in the long run.
Conclusion
With this basic information on swimming pool water chemistry you can fully understand the chemical implications of maintaining properly balanced pool water. We recommend taking the time to understand these factors as they will save you both time and money, leaving you more of both to spend on enjoying, not maintaining, your swimming pool. Read our article on maintaining your swimming pool to find a guide to the steps you should take, and how often you should take them, to keep that water sparkling.
Recommended Ranges of Swimming Pool Water Chemistry:
pH -7.2 - 7.8
Total Alkalinity - 75 - 120 PPM
Calcium Hardness - 100 - 500 PPM
Free Available Chlorine - 1 - 2 PPM
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