3 Basics to Clear Swimming Pool Water

Most swimming pool owners want their swimming pool to sparkle all year long without too much hassle. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of do-it-yourselfers ever reach that goal. As a matter of fact, at some point throughout each year most will struggle with one or more of the many different pool problems associated with basic water chemistry issues.

The problem is they don't enjoy the chemistry piece of the pool maintenance puzzle. They just don't get why each chemical is important and how the different chemical parameters work with each other.

Following are 3 basics to keeping the swimming pool water clear all year long. If you can get these three elements under control, you are on your way to a beautiful pool year round.

But let these elements get out of balance and you soon will be faced with many different pool problems including cloudy pool water, algae blooms, skin and eye irritation, scale formation, and many more.

Needless to say it is well worth a small investment of time to gain a good understanding of these three pool chemistry basics.

Chlorine Level - keep a free chlorine level of 1 - 3 ppm at all times and test at least once a week. Without chlorine to sanitize the pool water, nothing else will matter... the pool WILL turn green.

Sanitation is essential to keeping pool water clean and safe for swimming. Maintaining proper chlorine levels will remove unwanted contaminants from the pool water by killing any microorganisms, including bacteria and algae.

PH Level - In order to allow the chlorine to do it's job efficiently, the pH must be kept in the proper range from 7.2 - 7.8, with the ideal level being 7.4 - 7.6. Test pH once a week and keep it in this range and you've won half the battle.

Alkalinity Level - In order to keep the pH in the proper range, the alkalinity level needs to be maintained properly. Put simply, total alkalinity is the measure of water's resistance to change in pH. If the alkalinity level is too high, the pH will tend to rise. If it is too low, the pH will fall. Get the picture?

The ideal range for Total Alkalinity levels is between 80-120. Test total alkalinity levels once a week until you get it under control. Once it has stabilized, testing once a month should do the job. If the pH starts to get out of balance, always test the alkalinity to see if it is the problem.

Get these three basic elements of swimming pool water chemistry under control and balanced and you are on your way to a great swimming season full of fun for the kids and entertainment for the adults... all without the headaches that many pool owners endure each year.

 

 

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