The first step in maintaining your pool water is adjusting water balance. Unbalanced water is dangerous water! It can cause damage to pool surfaces and to equipment through corrosion or scale deposits. Corrosive water will pit the finish of a pool and ruin filters and copper heat exchangers by dissolving the metals. Corrosive water will also stain a pool finish. Scaling water can cause deposits on tile and other pool surfaces. It can also cause circulation problems by clogging pool filters. A cloudy pool is often a sign of scaling water.

Water balance is determined by Total Alkalinity, pH, Calcium Hardness, Temperature and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). Temperature and TDS are minor factors. In this area of the country, your main concerns should be Total Alkalinity and pH.

Total Alkalinity (TA)

When dealing with unbalanced water, always adjust Total Alkalinity (TA) first. TA buffers the water from drastic swings in pH. Drastic swings in pH can quickly lead to the problems discussed above. The recommended range for TA is 80-120 ppm. To increase TA add Sodium Bicarbonate. To decrease TA add Muriatic Acid to the deep end of the pool.

pH:

Always make sure that TA is within range before adjusting pH. pH measures the acidity of water on a scale from 0-14. 7 is neutral. Below 7 the water is acidic, above 7 the water is alkaline. The pH of the human eye is 7.5. The recommended level for pool water is 7.4-7.6. To increase pH add Sodium Carbonate. To decrease pH add Muriatic Acid—apply at various points around pool.

High levels of chlorine can give you a false TA or pH reading.

Sanitation

Once your water is properly balanced it is time to work on sanitation. Although there are other forms of water sanitation, the most common form of water sanitation in this area is chlorine sanitation. Chlorine sanitation is the only type discussed here.

Proper pool water sanitation is essential for a safe swimming environment. A sanitizer is used to reduce the level of microorganisms in water to safe levels. Chlorine is used to kill or inactivate the microorganisms. It is used to kill and control bacteria and algae and destroy and break down organic waste. Undestroyed, disease and infection causing microorganisms can be transmitted to swimmers.

There are three measures of chlorine residuals: Free, Total, and Combined. Free chlorine kills germs and oxidizes organics. At acceptable levels it has no taste or smell and causes no irritation to swimmers. Free chlorine is what is pool owners normally test. Combined chlorine is formed when chlorine reacts with ammonia wastes. Combined chlorine causes the “chlorine” odor of heavily used pools. When the level of combined chlorine becomes high the sanitizing ability of the chlorine is hindered. It then becomes necessary to super chlorinate or “shock” the pool.

Cyanuric acid, known as stabilizer or conditioner is the compound that prevents the dissipation of chlorine residuals by sunlight. It is added to a pool when the pool is initially filled and more is added with the use of stabilized chlorine tablets. If the cyanuric acid levels are too high or too low in a pool the chlorine will not be effective.

At a minimum a pool owner should regularly test the pH and free chlorine. If there is trouble keeping one of these in line, a full water analysis should be done. APES offers professional water analysis free to all customers.

In addition to water chemistry, proper circulation and filtration must be maintained in order to offer clean, safe, inviting pool water. Check your manufacturer’s guidelines or call us for information about backwashing and establishing a maintenance program for your filter.