Maintaining chemical balance is a fundamental task for any pool owner. The benefits of well-treated water are lower maintenance costs, more dazzling water and greater safety.
The importance of maintaining chemical balance in water
One of the most important steps in maintaining your pool is water balance. Generally, water balance can be one of the most confusing processes in pool maintenance. Due to its complexity, some new pool owners may not know everything they need to do to keep their water safe, comfortable and corrosion free.
Why keep a properly balanced pool?
Safety: Whether you are treating a pool with a salt machine or one with traditional chlorine, the pH of the water has to be correct. If this does not happen, then the chlorine disinfectant will not work at its maximum effectiveness in attacking germs and bacteria.
Comfort: Your water balance must be right or it will affect your skin and eyes. The pH should be neither too acidic nor too basic to be comfortable.
Corrosion: An unregulated pool can be corrosive to the liner, stairs and fences, as well as other equipment such as the pump or vacuum robots.
What are the reference values in a regulated swimming pool?
Keep the pH level in your pool within the recommended values is one of the most important values, if not the most important, to keep your pool equipment and finish intact. The pH refers to the acidity or basicity of your pool water. A controlled pH level should be between 7.2 and 7.6 on the numerical scale of a test kit. Values below 7 reflect acidic water. Values above 8 indicate basic water. Low levels will cause your chlorine to dissolve faster while a high level will lead to chlorine inactivation.
The control of chlorine level in water is also essential for proper disinfection. It can be purchased in two forms, organic and inorganic. Organic chlorine is the most common and practical to use, referring to trichloroisocyanuric acid (commonly known as trichlor) and dichloroisocyanuric acid (better known as dichloro or shock chlorine). Inorganic chlorine is available in calcium hypochlorite and sodium hypochlorite (liquid chlorine).
At Onpool, we recommend the following benchmarks:
Cloro delivers: 0.5 to 1.5 ppm (mg/l)
Combined chlorine: 0 to 0.5 ppm (mg / l)
Cloro total: 0,5 a 1,5 ppm (mg/l)
A total alkalinity refers to the degree of alkalinity of the water. It\'s important to keep in mind that alkalinity and pH level go hand in hand. Highly alkaline water leads to a high pH. A low pH leads to water with a low pH. A normal swimming pool should have an alkalinity level of around 100 ppm.
Another important value is total hardness in water, which refers to the amount of calcium in the water. If this value is low, your pool plaster may be affected. On the other hand, too high calcium can cause your water to become cloudy, and limescale deposits can even form. Common values range from 200 to 400 ppm, with 300 ppm being the ideal value for a common pool.
the level of stabilizer, or cyanuric acid, in the water is a relatively unknown reference value, but its control is crucial in the maintenance of your pool. When using trichlor or dichloride, the level of cyanuric acid will slowly increase. A low level of stabilizer will make your chlorine have little resistance to the action of ultraviolet rays, being easily destroyed by them. There are studies that show that a swimming pool treated with unstabilized chlorine loses 90% of its residual chlorine in just two or three hours on a sunny day! The same pool, under the same conditions, when treated with stabilized chlorine only loses 10% to 15% of the residual chlorine. (White et al., 1972)
On the other hand, too high a level will cause the chlorine to lose its effectiveness and remain in the pool for too long.
We recommend a stabilizer level between 40 to 100 ppm.
If you have a specific problem with your pool that is not covered in this article or you need a tip regarding its implementation, you can always contact Onpool to find the solution you need through the various contacts we have at your disposal.