Balancing Your Pool Water
Water chemistry is probably the most important aspect of owning a swimming pool. Proper water chemistry protects your liner and filter equipment. Most of all it protects us as swimmers. The clearest pool in most cases is the pool that is most out of balance.
There are four components to balancing pool water:
Alkalinity – Buffers the PH, holds it more steady.
PH – When levels are low, this is acidic. This can cause skin and eye irritation and is harmful to filter components.
Calcium – When it’s out of balance it will cause your liner to become hard and brittle cutting life expectancy down.
Stabilizer / Conditioner – It holds chlorine molecules from being dissipated by the sun. Proper stabilizer/ conditioner levels can cut your chlorine consumption in half!
Home Test Tips
There are a variety of home test kits such as dip and read strips as well as vials with reagent droppers. When testing your water always be sure to reach elbow deep for your sample. The surface water is typically warmer and somewhat stagnant.
Always remember to size up your test results on a white back drop and away from the sun. Remember these home test strips are to help you be close to optimal levels. It is very important to bring your water into the store once a month to acquire accurate readings.