Which Swimming Pool Chemicals Do I Need?

If you’re a new pool owner, the list of swimming pool chemicals and the uses for each of them can seem overwhelming. Chlorine is a given – everyone knows that a pool needs chlorine to stay clean and clear but how much? How often? What kind? And what’s this bromine stuff? It’s really not as confusing as it seems, and you don’t need a chemistry degree to understand which pool chemicals to add and when. Here are some basic tips and some information to help you understand the best and easiest way to take care of your swimming pool.

Pool Water pH and Chlorine

The main purpose of most pool chemicals is to maintain your pool water at a pH level between 6.8 and 7.2. In case you don’t remember your high school chemistry, pH is a measure of the relative alkalinity/acidity in a substance. The ideal pH balance for pool water is 7.2 – the normal pH balance for the fluid in your eyes. A pH balance of 7.0 is neutral. Below that, the water is acidic. Above that, the water is alkaline. Either one will result in problems with minerals and bacteria in the water, and in eye and skin irritation for the swimmer.

When the pH is too low, the acid in the water will begin to dissolve the surface of your swimming pool if it’s made of plaster, concrete or grouted tile. This encourages algae to grow, which results in nasty, clouded, foul pool water. The metal parts of your pool and pool equipment begin to corrode and release sulphates, which result in stains on the walls and floor of your pool. Chlorine activates too quickly when the pool water is too acidic. It doesn’t sanitize properly, and the chlorine stings your eyes, fades your clothes and dries out your skin.

When the pH is too high, the water is alkaline. Generally, it means that there is too much calcium in the water. The excess calcium will form lime scale on the walls and floor of the pool as well as in the hoses and other parts of your filter. If you’re using a sand filter, excess calcium carbonate tends to turn the sand in your filter to cement, impairing its ability to remove impurities from the water. Alkaline water affects the ability of chlorine to do its job, too – the higher the alkalinity, the less of the chlorine you put into the water will get used. At a pH of 8.0, you’d need to use five times as much chlorine to get the same effects as you would at the ideal range of 6.8 to 7.2. And again, the swimmers will deal with burning eyes, dry skin and hair that turns to straw.

Which Swimming Pool Chemicals to Use

If the pH is too low, the water is acidic. You need to add an alkali to the water to decrease the acidity. The most common alkali used as swimming pool chemicals is soda ash. Your pool maintenance store can provide you with information about how much soda ash your pool needs.

If the pH is too high, the water is alkaline. You need to add an acid to the water to increase the acidity. The two most common acidic swimming pool chemicals are muriatic acid and sodium bisulphate.

Maintaining the proper pH level in your pool will extend its life, make it more enjoyable for you and your family and save you money on other swimming pool chemicals, such as chlorine and algaecides. Make sure that you check the pH daily, and make adjustments as needed.

Daily Pool Maintenance Tips

Your backyard swimming pool is a lot of fun, but it can be a lot of work if you neglect basic daily pool maintenance. An in-ground pool is likely to be one of the larger investments you’ll ever make in your home, so it makes sense to keep up on the daily care and maintenance. Taking care of basic pool maintenance tasks daily will only take a few minutes once you’ve got it down to a system, and it will save you from having to do harder labor – or invest in expensive repairs – down the line. Following these tips are part of the best and easiest way to take perfect care of your swimming pool/spa.

Give your pool a quick visual inspection daily. Once you get used to how your pool is supposed to look, it will only take a few seconds to check the color and clarity of the water, check the water level in the pool and note any unusual odors or appearance clues that something needs attention.

The water level should be about half way up the skimmer intake on your pool filter. If the water level is too high because of rain, you’ll need to drain some water from it. If it gets too low, you’ll need to add water to prevent damage to the pump motor.

Do a quick chlorine test. You should check the pH balance and chemicals at least once a week, but testing the chlorine concentration daily is a good way to avoid running into problems. All you have to do is drop a single drop from your chlorine test into the pool water. Depending on the type of reagent you’re using, the drop will turn either pink or yellow as soon as it hits the water if there’s enough chlorine. If there’s no color change, you need to add chlorine to bring it up to par.

Skim the swimming pool surface to remove any leaves or other debris before it can cause other problems. Fish out any debris that’s sunk to the bottom of the pool.

Give the steps a quick brush to remove any dirt and catch the beginnings of any algae before it takes hold. If you see any signs of algae elsewhere in the pool, brush that as well.

Clean out the skimmer and pump baskets daily. This is the one single thing you can do that will head off many different pool problems caused by clogged baskets and filters.

Empty the pool cleaner bag if necessary.

This simple daily pool maintenance routine shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes, and will keep your pool sparkling clean and clear. As you get to know your pool, you’ll find which tasks you can skip and which must be done every day.