One of the most critical steps when it comes to pool maintenance is learning how to maintain the chemical balance of your pool water. And that covers everything from the chlorine levels to pH. Getting the pH right helps to ensure you to ensure your pool is fresh and clean.
Proper pH Level for Pool
In this article, we’ll consider some of the ins and outs of testing your pool water and adjusting the pH. All you need is a good test kit and some basic knowledge.
What is pH?
pH is a measure of your pool water’s acidity – and it can affect everything from cleanliness and comfort to corrosion and algae growth depending on the depth of your pool. The pH of your water can also affect the effectiveness of other chemicals such as chlorine in your pool.
The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, where a pH below 7 is acidic and one above 7 is basic. If the pH is 7, then the water is neutral. Ideally, the pH level of your pool should be between 7.2 and 7.6.
A High pH Gives:
- Cloudiness
- Lime precipitation
- Poor chlorine disinfection
- Skin irritation
A Low pH Gives:
- Damage to the pool liner
- Aggressive water, which may damage the pool’s mechanical components.
- Irritation of the mucous membranes and eyes
Ideally, you’ll need to use either a pH increaser or decreaser to balance water that is outside of the range. For instance, use sodium bisulfate to lower the pH, and sodium carbonate to raise it.
It’s also important to note that your pol chemistry can be affected by factors such as
- Whether you have hard or soft water
- Temperature
- Heavy rainfall
- Pool usage
- High bather load
Unlike traditional chlorine pools, salt chlorine pools are more prone to having a higher pH. And that’s mainly because they have a different chemical makeup. If you have a saltwater pool, therefore, it’s important to keep an eye on the numbers and have a decreaser on hand.
Why pH Balance Matters
Here are some of the main reasons your swimming pool needs to be balanced:
- It helps chlorine to work effectively. Chlorine has a critical role to play in keeping your pool clean and free of potentially harmful bacteria and germs. For chlorine to work effectively, your pool has to be well balanced. pH levels that are either too high or too low will prevent chlorine from working at optimum efficiency.
- It makes your pool water easy on the eyes by preventing unsightly algae growth and mineral buildup and also prevents eye irritation.
- It prevents irritation and corrosion.
Bottom Line
The proper pH level for pool is within the 7.2 to 7.6 range. Anything that enters the pool can affect the PH level. For this reason, it’s important to stay on top of your pools pH level to ensure it stays within the optimal range and follow the proper pool cleaning tips to keep it clean when you’re designing a brand new pool or renovating it. If you are in the market to build a new pool, be sure to reach out to numerous pool builders to get different quotes and make sure you take all of the necessary safety precautions such as installing a pool gate.