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The Chemicals Behind a Balanced Pool



You’re going to feel as though you have become a mini scientist after experimenting with the chemicals that will clean and balance your pool. When maintaining a balanced pool will be at times confusing and frustrating it is also the most rewarding aspect when it comes to taking care of your pool. Pool balancers will have to be added to make sure the pH, alkalinity and hardness levels are at the correct levels. That is not the only chemical you will have to use, other chemicals such as sanitizers, clarifiers, shock and algaecide with have to be added to minimize all sorts of bacteria. The benefits you get however are worth the time and energy you spend putting into your pool; your pool’s life will be elongated and you will be healthier and safer in the water you spend your time in. Over time all pools will need extra love to stay clean and balanced; if your pool is constantly acidic for example, over time the surface will begin to dissolve and the metals in your pool will corrode. That is why it is important to frequently check the balances of chemicals in your pool through the use of different test kits so you know exactly what chemicals need to be added to your pool.

 

What is a Balanced Pool?

ph balance chart

The chart above shows the perimeters of having a balanced pool, this includes the pH, hardness and alkalinity levels falling into the listed ranges. Check out our other blogs such as “Why Chlorine is important for your pool” for a more in-depth exploration of this chemical. The better you understand the chemicals going into your pool the easier it will be to balance your pool and keep it maintained for the rest of the season.

 

Having an Unbalanced Pool

You may go on vacation for a few days or just completely forget to check your pool’s chemicals because it happens to the best of us, we are all human. But don’t worry it is not the end of the world; testing your pool every once and a while or irregularly is not horrible as long as it does not become a bad habit. There will be times when you can just simply look at your pool and know exactly what is wrong or off; other times you may not be able to discover the problem without testing the water. For example, if you notice that your pool has become cloudy it can either mean it is low in pH, high in alkalinity, there is not enough sanitizer or that there is a defect in your filtration system. There will not be any telltale signs if your pool is acidic however. You would never want to send your children into the pool for an acid bath without knowing that there is danger in your seemingly clean and clear pool. There are health risks that are created when your pool is unbalanced along with harming the structural integrity of the pool itself and in turn shortening its lifespan.

 

Overview

Learning your pool and the chemicals you need to add to it will take some time so don’t give up if you aren’t understanding it at first or you are not seeing the results that you’d like. There may come a point when you don’t even need to test the chemicals in your pool to know what to add and how frequently it is needed. To begin you should test your pool’s balance a few times a week to ensure everything is staying clean and safe.



Greg The Pool Guy General Maintenance