Balancing, and keep your pool’s water in balance shouldn’t be too difficult or time consuming. The key to sparking, balanced water is stay on top of it by testing it often, keeping if free of dirt and debris, and regular proper treatment. If you allow your water chemistry to drift out of balance, it is far more difficult and costly to return it to balance. Regular weekly testing and balancing techniques are all it takes to sparkling beautiful water.
Your water is constantly changing, year round. The water chemistry maintenance that you must perform in the heat of summer is very different than in cooler months. Most anything can affect your pool’s water. Everything from weather, pets, beauty products, and pesticides, to the quality and quantity of the chemicals you use to maintain your pool and spa water. Check out this Top 10 list of things that can negatively affect your pool and spa water.
Top 10 things that can negatively affect your pool’s water
- Swimmers and pets (frequency of use)
- Rain water
- Fill or source water
- Circulation
- Lower-quality chemicals
- Phosphates
- Sunlight
- Wind
- Heat
- Dirt and Debris
Water testing rule of thumb:
During the height of the season, and during heavy use, test chlorine and pH levels 2 to 3 times a week. Also test immediately after a heavy rain storm, after a pool party, after pets swim in the pool, and after you or a neighbor fertilizes lawns and plants or treats their property with pesticides. Test for total Alkalinity, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Calcium Hardness once a month. The following is the acceptable water chemistry levels for pools and spas. Continuously adhering to these levels will ensure your water is safe and in balance for swimmers.
| Water chemistry acceptable levels | Pool | Spa |
| pH | 7.2 – 7.8 | 7.2 – 7.8 |
| Alkalinity (Plaster) | 80 – 120 PPM | 80 – 120 PPM |
| Total Dissolved Solids | < 2,000 PPM | < 2,000 PPM |
| Chlorine (Total and Free) | 1 -3 PPM | 2 – 4 PPM |
| Calcium Hardness (Plaster) | 200 – 400 PPM | 200 – 400 PPM |
Coming Soon: Look for more detailed articles on water chemistry management as well as other valuable subjects.