General Info

How to Maintain Your Swimming Pool Water Chemistry

Proper water chemistry is required to keep a swimming pool safe and clean for swimmers, and maintaining a swimming pool's chemicals can save pool owners time and money. Any pool owner can maintain their own swimming pool with the same results as the high-priced professionals.

Follow These step

1

Determine what type of chlorine you should use. Chlorine, which kills bacteria, algae, and microorganisms, is available 3-inch tablets and a granular form. Despite the wide range of prices, the only real difference you may find is the concentration of the active ingredients. The active ingredient in 3-inch tablets is called "Trichlor" (or Trichloro-S-Triazinetrione), and the active ingredient in granular chlorine is called "Dichlor" (or Sodium Dichloro-S-Triazinetrione).

2

The most common form of chlorine is 3-inch tablets, which are slow-dissolving and require less maintenance. Chlorine sticks are larger and dissolve even slower than 3-inch tablets but are not as popular. 1-inch chlorine tablets dissolve more quickly than 3-inch tablets or chlorine sticks and are better suited to above-ground swimming pools, small in-ground swimming pools, and spas. Look for a concentration of 90% Trichloro-S-Triazinetrione in chlorine tablets.

3

Granular chlorine works just as well as the tablets, however inorganic chlorine such as calcium hypochlorite must be pre-dissolved in a bucket of water before adding to a swimming pool. It must also need to be added to the swimming pool almost every day. These allow very precise control over the chlorine level of the swimming pool but require daily testing and addition of the chemical. Look for a concentration of 56% to 70% Sodium Dichloro-S-Triazinetrione in granular chlorine

4

If you choose to look for calcium hypochlorite (solid) or sodium hypochlorite (liquid). You should also make an extra effort to test your pH; these two chemicals contain strong bases and will raise pH if used in sufficient quantity

5

Add the chlorine to your swimming pool. Floating chlorine feeders and automatic chemical feeders, it slowly dissolve the 3-inch chlorine tablets into your pool water. Automatic chlorine feeders are a great help to properly maintaining your swimming pool. Chemical feeders slowly meter out precise amounts of chlorine into your pool water automatically, and offer very precise control over the amount of chlorine being added to the swimming pool. If a feeder is adjusted properly, you may not have to worry about your chlorine level for a week or more

6

You should never simply dump chlorine tablets into your swimming pool or place them in the skimmer basket of your swimming pool. If a chlorine tablet is dissolving in your skimmer basket, all of the water passing through your pool plumbing and circulation system will carry a high level of chlorine. This high concentration of chlorine (which gives the water a very low pH) slowly eats at the inside of the circulation system and can cause premature failure of your pool pump and filter components

7

Maintain a proper pH level. This can be just as important as having chlorine in the pool at all. The pH level in your pool should be about the same as the pH level of human tears, 7.2, though in the range of 7.2 - 7.6 is optimal. Chlorine is about 10 times more effective at sanitizing your water when the pH is at 7.2 rather than at a high ph level of say 8.2. pH can best be measured with a drop-type test kit .

8

If pH is high, add a small amount of Muriatic Acid and retest the water after about 6 hours of continuous filtration, readjusting pH as needed. This will prevent "bouncing". If you have a true pH bounce problem, that is typically due to a LOW Total Alkalinity issue; once properly adjusted, the pH should maintain itself well over a period of 1 to 3 weeks depending on rain

9

If swimmers are having a problem with "burning eyes,” high or low pH is probably to blame, not high chlorine

10

Test the water at least two times per week to ensure balance. Maintain your pool chlorine (FAC or free available chlorine - the good kind) level at 1-3 ppm at all times and you are guaranteed an easy and low-maintenance swimming pool.