A Guide to Water Balance For Swimming Pool and Maintenance
Remember: Maintaining water balance is critical to ensuring the effective action of your pool chemicals.
Make sure that you understand the workings of your swimming pool or spa before adding any pool chemicals Good water circulation and filtration are essential to achieving a safe and clear bathing environment.
Water balance is the first thing to establish when treating your pool or spa. This helps make sure the later stps like sanitation are effective and use the minimum chemicals required There are three major factors affecting water balance, they are pH, total alkalinity and calcium hardness
Calcium hardness
Hardness is the measurement of calcium salts in the swimming pool or spa water and this will vary depending where you live. Low calcium hardness can cause damage to your pool materials. High calcium hardness levels (hard water) often leads to the formation of scale in pipe work and equipment.
Calcium Hardness Guide Measures
• Ideal calcium hardness levels are between 100 – 200 ppm (mg/l).
• If the level drops below 75 ppm (mg/l), apply Hardness Plus
• When the level exceeds 200 ppm (mg/l), apply Scale Inhibitor.
pH Measures
pH can range from 1 to 14 where 1 is very acid and 14 very alkaline It is essential to maintain spa water within the 7.2 – 7.6 range which, being mildly alkaline, will protect equipment from corrosion and give the ideal conditions for the people enjoying the pool or spa and also gives the best sanitiser efficiency.
• Ideal pH level for spas is between 7.2 – 7.6.
• When the level drops below use pH Plus
• When the level exceeds 7.6 use pH Minus
Note
pH can be difficult to control in spas because the system water turns over quickly, is highly agitated and is at greater temperature than swimming pools. [All these factors
pH rises can be caused by this which causes chlorine products such as chlorine tablets to lose effectiveness. Much higher doses of chlorine sanitisers such as will then be required. This can be avoided by using Bromine Tablets, Bromine (HOBr) is a highly effective sanitiser, and it is stable over a much wider pH range than chlorine treatments. Unlike chlorine, bromine keeps working in a spa for longer and so helps you minimise your hot tub chemicalsuse
Total Alkalinity
pH Changes are buffered by total alkalinity If TA levels are too low the pH will fluctuate widely.
If Total alkalinity is too high then water clarity can be affected but it also makes it difficult to make changes to water pH levels
• Ideal Total Alkalinity is 100 ppm (mg/l) When it is below 80mg/l remedy it with Alkalinity Plus
• When Total Alkalinity is above 140mg/l use pH Minus to reduce it
The balance of the water needs to be monitored regularly because it is essential to the effectiveness of your other treatments
Test Strips/kits are available for you to test the water regularly.
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Tags: bromine, chemicals, chlorine, hot tub, pool, pool maintenance, spa chemicals, swimming, swimming pool chemicals, water balance
