Keeping Your Pool Water Clean

It’s important when you own your own pool to keep the water in the pool clean. This is done through three steps: Making sure the water is chemically balanced, sanitizing the water, and shocking the pool.

Balancing the Water Chemistry

When the water in your pool is balanced, it’s easy to maintain your pool, but when things become unbalanced, that’s when you’re more likely to run into problems. There are three tests that you can do on your pool to make sure the water is where it’s supposed to be. The pH balance should be tested twice a week. The best results are within 7.2 and 7.6. The calcium hardness test should be performed every two weeks and should be between 175 ppm (parts per million) and 225 ppm. The alkalinity test should be done monthly, and it should be between 125 ppm and 150 ppm.

Sanitizing the Pool Water

Chemicals are used to keep pool water sanitized. These chemicals are antibacterial and include chlorine, baquacil, or salt water generators. Whatever you use, the levels of these products in the water must be maintained within healthy levels. Chlorine, for instances, must be kept between 1.0 ppm and 3.0 ppm.

Shocking the Pool

When organic compounds, such as sweat, makeup, suntan oils, etc., combine with the residual chlorine in the pool water, chloramines are created. These chloramines are ineffective at sanitizing the water, but they can cause a very strong chlorine smell. They can also cause your eyes to become irritated and the water to become cloudy, and are food for algae and bacteria. By using a Shock product weekly, chloramine levels will be reduced, and your pool water will remain healthy and sanitized.

So if you have a home pool, make sure you are keeping the water healthy by using the proper pool supplies so your family can continue to enjoy the pool on hot summer days.