Testing Chemicals

Use test kits to measure for free available chlorine, pH, total alkalinity and calcium hardness. Below are suggested ranges for healthy water from pooltechdirect.com

The following are brief descriptions and treatment suggestions from pooltechdirect.com to keep your water elements balanced.

• pH determines the water's acidity. Maintain pH for equipment and swimmer protection. If the pH is less than 7.2, use sodium hypochlorite to raise it. If the pH is higher than 7.6, use granular acid to lower it.

 

• Free available chlorine kills bacteria, algae and most viruses. It also eliminates grease and oil. If the free available chlorine is too low, add a shock treatment. A shock treatment is a high concentration of chlorine. Shocking adds 5.0-10.0 PPM of free available chlorine to pool water. Test and balance the pH before doing a shock treatment. Shock treat after sundown with the pump and filter turned on. After a shock treatment, test the free available chlorine. Do not enter the pool until the reading is 1.0-3.0 PPM. If it is too high, allow the chlorine to evaporate naturally.

 

• Total alkalinity is the measurement of the water’s ability to maintain the proper pH level. If total alkalinity is too high or too low, use an alkalinity adjuster.

Calcium hardness is a measurement of calcium in the pool. If the water is too hard, it can raise pH levels and cause scale to form. To solve this problem, add sodium hexametaphosphate. If the water is too soft, it can cause tile grout to dissolve or the vinyl liner to crack. Add calcium chloride dihydrate in this situation.