Swimming pool water chemistry should be maintained.
Maintaining the chemistry of your swimming pool will keep it pleasant and safe for your friends and family to use.You can save money by doing this yourself.The pool needs regular maintenance to keep it clean and within acceptable levels.
Step 1: The pool water should be tested.
Pick up several pool testing kits from a pool supply store.The pool water should be tested twice a week.To make sure the pool is safe to use, always test the water after changing any elements.If you follow the directions on your kit, you can measure the alkalinity, pH, free chlorine, and cyanuric acid levels in the water.If you fill containers with pool water, you can add drops of bleach or other chemicals to the samples.To evaluate the water's chemistry, dip a test strip into each container.The Water Quality and Health Council has a website where you can get free test strips.
Step 2: If possible, run the pool pump.
Maintaining the chemistry in your pool requires proper circulating of the water.The water should stay clean if the pump runs continuously.You should run the pump at least 10 hours a day if you can't keep it on all the time.If you don't wash your filter regularly, the contaminants will travel out of your pool and into the waste port.
Step 3: Your pool needs to be cleaned.
The chemistry of the water can be disrupted by skin, oils, sunscreen, and hair products.A net skimmer can be used to remove bugs, leaves, and other surface debris.Get a deeper clean by vacuuming the pool walls and floor.You can clean the walls and floor of your pool with a pool brush.When you are done, make sure to clean and empty all the filters.
Step 4: The pool should be shocked.
3 lbs of calcium hypochlorite shock is needed to shock the pool.As chlorine works to clean your pool, it can bind to other chemicals like ammonia and nitrogen, which can cause skin conditions like jock itch.If you want to eliminate combined chlorine, shock your pool on a regular basis.It's a good idea to shock your pool after rainstorms and pool parties.
Step 5: The alkalinity needs to be between 80 and 120 parts per million.
Large increases or decreases in the acidity and basicity of the water can be prevented by the presence of alkalinity.Before adjusting the pH, you need to test the alkalinity.To increase the alkalinity, mix baking soda with water and pour it into the pool.If the alkalinity is too high, adjust it with muriatic acid.
Step 6: The pH should be between 7.2 and 7.8.
The term basic refers to how acidic your pool water is.The tap water you use to fill your pool has a neutral pH of 7, but can be changed by Additives or Contamination.If your reading is above or below the ideal range for pool water, it's important to adjust it.The water won't hurt your skin or eyes if you have the right pH.If swimmers have a problem with burning eyes, the pH is probably to blame.Pool owners with zero CYA will notice that the chlorine is more effective at a low pH than owners who have it in their water.
Step 7: Lower the pool's pH levels.
There is a pool supply store that sells muriatic acid.To find out how much to add to your pool, read the packaging.When the pool pump is on, pour the acid directly into the deep end.Retest the water after about 6 hours of continuous purification.Bouncing occurs when the pH levels switch between high and low.
Step 8: The pH needs to be increased.
The total alkalinity and pH of your pool water can be raised by soda ash.6 ounces of soda ash per 10,000 gallons will raise the pH by 0.2.Put the soda ash into a bucket and fill it with water.The mixture should be spread around the pool's perimeter.The soda ash should be distributed evenly if the pump is on.
Step 9: The levels of chlorine should be adjusted if they are above or below.
The amount of chlorine is measured in parts per million.There may be harmfulbacteria in the water if the levels are lower.If the chlorine levels are too high, you might experience skin and eye irritation.
Step 10: The amount of chlorine in the pool can be increased by using chlorine tablets.
It's much less work to use chlorine tablets or sticks instead of granular chlorine, which has to be pre-dissolved in water and added on a daily basis.The least expensive form of chlorine is 3 in tablets, which are slow-dissolving and require less maintenance.If you have a swimming pool, a hot tub, or a spa, you should use 1 in ( 2.5 cm) chlorine tablets.The active ingredients in chlorine tablets and sticks are called Trichlor and Dichlor.There is a concentration of Trichloro-S-Triazinetrione in chlorine tablets.If you choose to use granular chlorine, look for a concentration of at least 50% of Dichloro-S-Triazinetrione.
Step 11: The chlorine tablets should be put in the floating chlorine feeders.
You can find out how many to use based on the chlorine levels in the water and the size of the pool by reading the packaging.Put the tablets in the pool.The chlorine will be distributed throughout the pool water as the feeder floats around.Some pools have a skimmer basket that hooks on the side of the pool.Drop the chlorine tablets into the basket if your pool has this.Skimmer baskets can be used with above-ground pools.Other pools have chemical feeders.Chemical feeders meter out precise amounts of chlorine into your pool water automatically and offer very precise control over how much chlorine is added to the swimming pool.If a feeder is adjusted correctly, you won't have to worry about your chlorine level for a long time.
Step 12: The levels of chlorine should be lowered with a chlorine neutralizer.
If you add too much chlorine or shock to your pool, you can use a chlorine neutralizer to lower it.To find out how much to add, follow the instructions on the package.When the pump is on, pour the liquid into the pool.
Step 13: At no higher than 40 parts per million, maintain the levels of cyanuric acid.
In outdoor pools, isocyanuric acid must be used to keep the sun from burning off the chlorine.It is included in most dichlor/trichlor tablets.A stabilizing ingredient in chlorine that prevents it from being destroyed by the sun, it does so at the cost of reducing the effectiveness of the chlorine.The chlorine won't lose its ability if the water is tested regularly.High levels of CYA contribute to Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) which interfere with chlorine activity.If the CYA is too high, use chlorine tablets or sticks that don't contain it until the levels drop.