4 Simple Steps to Economically Keep Your Pool Maintained and Your Water Clear and Clean(3)

Keep Your pH and Total Alkalinity (TA) Properly Adjusted

pH is probably the most important thing to keep properly maintained. It not only effects the physical aspects of the pool, like the pool liner, ladders, lights, but it also has a great influence on achieving the proper chemical balance in the pool.

The pH of the water is is very important. It can become unsafe to have pH too low. Low pH is acidic. You know what acid does. So water with a low pH can begin to eat away at parts in the pool, like screws and other metallic pieces. If you have a light in the pool, the light ring might begin to rust. These are all expensive things to fix or replace.

On the other end, a high pH can lead to murky water, filter problems and perhaps stain your liner. Again, things you don’t really want to deal with.

If your pH is too low, you should add pH increaser as necessary. Similarly, if your pH is too high, then you should add pH reducer.

Total alkalinity is difficult to explain. In overly simplistic terms, Total alkalinity (TA) keeps you from having wide variations in pH every time a different chemical is added. In pool talk, total alkalinity buffers the pH.

If your total alkalinity begins to be too low, add total alkalinity increaser as necessary.

These are some of the things they will check for when the pool water is tested. Also, you can and should be testing these on your own.

By testing regularly (weekly), and adjusting your pH and TA as needed, pH and TA will usually be okay.