PH, Calcium Hardness, Alkalinity, Metals and Cyanuric Acid are just a few specific elements that need to be balanced in your pool water in order to ensure water clarity as well as bather comfort. Balancing pool water is the third step to regular maintenance. Keeping your pool water balanced is the key to preventing future problems such as skin irritations and swimming discomfort.
Splash Perfect Chemicals for Balancing Pool Water
Let’s start with one that you’ve probably heard of more often than not, PH. You’ve all heard about PH and how important it is to your pool water. PH can affect how comfortable the water is in your pool. If your PH is perfect, that means it’s between 7.4 and 7.6. A good PH level in your pool protects your swimming pool equipment from corrosion and damage and also protects your skin from becoming itchy or your eyes from becoming red after your swimming experience.
You will find that some of our products (and most of them) tackle multiple things at once. To determine exactly what you need, make sure to read the product descriptions. Remember that this third step of maintaining balance within your pool water is essential from future problems. So, making sure all of your ground is covered during regular maintenance will help you in the long run. After all, we want you to enjoy the benefits of your pool whenever you want. Let’s control your pool rather than letting it control us!
How to Balance Pool Water Using Chemicals
Here’s the breakdown to help you choose what to use when.
If you’re looking to increase your total alkalinity, PH, or calcium hardness of your pool, Balance Pak 100, 200, or 300 are for you! However if your pool water has high pH and you need to decrease the amount of PH and total alkalinity, Lo ‘N Slo is your new best friend. If you notice that you’re using more chemicals during times when the sun is shining, and you want to protect your chemicals in the intense heat, Stabilizer 100 is for you.
If you detect signs of metal or scale build-up and you want to prevent that, Pool Magnet Plus or Scale Inhibitor will do the trick.
List of Pool Chemicals Needed for Complete Pool Maintenance
- Pool Water Sanitizer
- Pool Oxidizers
- Swimming Pool Algaecide
- Chemicals for Balancing Pool Water
- Pool Water Enhancer
- Winterizing Pool Chemicals
- Pool Test Strips
The Science Behind Balancing Pool Water
The proper balance of the swimming pool pH is essential to keep it fresh and also safe for everybody to enjoy and also keep your cost of maintenance low. Maintaining the perfect levels of chemicals in your swimming pool allows you to save time and money.
Factors to consider for a balanced pool water.
- Total Alkalinity
- pH Level
- Chlorine Compounds
- Chloramines
- Cyanuric Acid Level
- Amount of Dissolved Solids
- Temperature
Total Alkalinity
The reason why total alkalinity should be properly maintained is that it can greatly affect the pH level in the water. Without proper alkalinity balance, the ph balance pool level may consistently fluctuate. You can increase water’s alkalinity by using a sodium bicarbonate solution and you can decrease the level by adding muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate. The desired range for alkalinity is 100-150 ppm or parts per million.
pH Level
The pH level is another factor you must consider when maintaining your swimming pool water chemistry. If the pH level is not well balanced, swimmers may experience common discomforts and chlorine becomes useless. It can also cause your equipment to deteriorate quickly and eventually need replacement prematurely because it will shorten their lifespan. Pools with good ph balance pool water are always safe for bathers.
Chlorine Compounds
The moment you add chlorine solution in the water its strength percentage becomes dependent to the pH level of the water. With 7.0 pH level, 75% of chlorine is active hypochlorous acid. With a 7.5 pH level, the activity of chlorine drops to 48%. At the undesirable pH level of 8.0, chlorine activity is only 22%. The proper range of chlorine for your swimming pool water chemistry is 1.0 to 3.0 ppm.
Chloramines
When the chlorine chemicals react with contaminants in the pool water, like ammonia and organic nitrogen mixtures, chloramines are ultimately formed. Basically, the chlorine becomes useless as a disinfectant. As well, they are often the culprit of most eye irritation and odor problems. Chloramines can be eliminated easily by just adding 10 ppm of free available chlorine compounds per ppm of chloramines.
Cyanuric Acid Level
Cyanuric acid or CYA is a stabilizing compound that prevents chlorine from being destroyed by the sun. If the level of CYA is too high, chlorine will eventually lose its sanitizing effect. To keep chlorine active, CYA levels should be maintained no higher than 40 ppm.
Amount of Dissolved Solids
This refers to all the solid materials dissolved in your pool water. As the water is being reused and chemical are being added, loads of hazardous materials develop and cause adversarial effects on your swimming pool water chemistry.
Temperature
The temperature may not necessarily affect your swimming pool water chemistry. However, it is important to make any swimming experiences enjoyable and refreshing. For typical enjoyment, the ideal temperature range is around 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.