| Have you ever come out of the pool and felt | | | | results from alkaline materials including |
| like a dry sponge? Maybe that feeling is a | | | | carbonates, bicarbonates and hydroxides - |
| little too common in what's supposed to be | | | | mostly bicarbonates in your pool. Alkaline |
| your backyard oasis. The reason for the | | | | water is acid neutralizing, meaning that it |
| uncomfortable residue, clothes discoloration, | | | | helps prevent wide variations in pH. |
| eye irritation, staining, cloudy water, and | | | | |
| even scale buildup is that your water is off | | | | In a few words, Total alkalinity is a measure |
| balance. | | | | of water's resistance to change in pH. |
| | | | |
| Get your water right on the scale by | | | | Same as pH, if the Total Alkalinity is low, |
| balancing your water. This simple procedure | | | | the result is "pH bounce", meaning that the |
| will lengthen the life of your water, pump, | | | | pH will tend to "bounce" in and out of range. |
| heater, filter, and other equipment. | | | | If the Total Alkalinity is too high, yes you |
| Balancing and testing your water will also | | | | also have problems. This will make your water |
| make your pool care a breeze.pH is the most | | | | to become very difficult to adjust to a |
| important factor in water balance. The pH | | | | normal pH. |
| range is used to measure the relative acid or | | | | |
| base of the water. This you probably learned | | | | Not to worry, any alkalinity problem can be |
| in your basic chemistry class in high school. | | | | fixed. See chart for exact information. |
| | | | |
| Here are the exact fields in which you should | | | | The third factor in balanced water is |
| see your water: | | | | measuring Calcium Hardness. The normal range |
| | | | for Calcium Hardness is between 175 and 275 |
| The range runs from 0 to 14, with a pH of 7 | | | | ppm. This is referring to the amount of |
| being a neutral. Readings between 7.2 and 7.6 | | | | dissolved minerals, mostly calcium carbonate, |
| are considered acceptable, or in the comfort | | | | in water. |
| zone, for swimming pool water. Balanced water | | | | |
| must be held safely between two harmful | | | | Although under normal conditions this is not |
| extremes. | | | | a problem in a properly operated pool, this |
| | | | chemical imbalance also heads up problems. |
| If your water comes on the low side of the | | | | For example, a low Calcium Hardness can lead |
| scale, it becomes corrosive and starts to | | | | to corrosion of equipment or the etching of a |
| attack pool surfaces and equipment. We call | | | | plaster finish. Like everything else we have |
| this your corrosion zone. Ha! Now you know | | | | discussed, the other side of the scale says |
| why your water heater is corroding. | | | | that a high Calcium Hardness level causes |
| | | | cloudy water and scaling. |
| On the other hand, if your pool water tips | | | | |
| the scale on the high side you will start to | | | | Calcium Hardness is also a very controllable |
| notice scale buildup, and this is your | | | | element in your pool. See chart to adjust |
| scaling zone that will leave unwanted | | | | your Calcium Hardness levels. |
| deposits in your pool. | | | | |
| | | | Lastly, Stabilizer is an important factor in |
| Unbalanced water not only brings bad news but | | | | your pool water's "health". Without this |
| also may put a hole in your pocket. How's | | | | factor the sun's rays would quickly destroy |
| that? Your sanitizer's effectiveness will be | | | | the chlorine in your pool. Stabilizer is |
| hindered if your water is off balance. So | | | | Cyanuric Acid that acts as a "sun shield" to |
| this is probably your answer if you start | | | | make the chlorine last longer. This means |
| seeing an increasing amount of chlorine to | | | | that your chlorine could last up to 3 ½ |
| keep your pool clear. | | | | times longer!! Imagine the savings! |
| | | | |
| The second factor you must look at is at the | | | | Proper stabilization requires 30 to 50 ppm of |
| Total Alkalinity of your pool. Total | | | | Cyanuric Acid, and outdoor pools should start |
| Alkalinity measures the alkaline materials | | | | by raising it to a minimum level of 40 ppm |
| dissolved in the water, and the acceptable | | | | Cyanuric Acid. Afterwards, you can simply use |
| range is between 80 and 150 ppm. Expressed in | | | | stabilized chlorine to maintain the proper |
| parts per million (ppm), total alkalinity | | | | Stabilizer levels. |