Remember: Maintaining water balance is critical to ensuring the effective action of your pool chemicals.
Make sure that you understand the workings of your swimming pool or spa before adding any pool chemical Good water circulation and filtration are essential to achieving a safe and clear bathing environment.
Water balance is the first thing to establish when treating your pool or spa. This helps make sure the later stps like sanitation are effective and use the minimum chemicals required The main criteria affecting water balance are calcium hardness, pH and Total Alkalinity.
Calcium hardness
Hardness is the measurement of calcium salts in the swimming pool or spa water and this will vary depending where you live. Low calcium hardness can cause damage to your pool materials. High calcium hardness levels (hard water) often leads to the formation of scale in pipe work and equipment.
Calcium Hardness Guide Measures
• Calcium Hardness should be between 100 – 200 ppm (mg/l).
• When the level drops below 75 ppm (mg/l), apply Hardness Plus
• If the level exceeds 200 ppm (mg/l), apply Scale Inhibitor.
pH Measures
pH can range from 1 to 14 where 1 is very acid and 14 very alkaline It is essential to maintain spa water within the 7.2 – 7.6 range which, being mildly alkaline, will protect equipment from corrosion and produce the optimum conditions for the individuals using the pool or spa and also gives maximum chemical efficiency.
• Ideal pH level for spas is between 7.2 – 7.6.
• When the level drops below apply pH Plus
• When the measurement is greater than 7.6 apply pH Minus
Note
pH can be hard to moderate in spas as the system water turns over quickly, is very agitated and operates at higher temperature than swimming pool systems. [All these factors
This can lead to rises in pH which reduces the performance of chlorine sanitisers like chlorine tablets. Significantly greater doses of chlorine sanitiser are then needed This can be avoided by using Bromine Tablets, Bromine (HOBr) is a highly effective sanitiser, and it is stable over a much wider pH range than chlorine treatments. Unlike chlorine, bromine keeps working in a spa for longer and so helps you minimise your spa chemicaluse
Total Alkalinity
Total Alkalinity (TA) acts as a buffer to prevent pH change. The water pH varies drastically when Total Alkalinity levels are very low
• Ideal Total Alkalinity is 100 ppm (mg/l) When it is below 80mg/l use Alkalinity Plus
• When Total Alkalinity exceeds 140mg/l remedy it with pH Minus to reduce it
Water balance should be checked regularly and, certainly, every time you top up or refill your pool or spa.
Use Test strips to measure your water balance, they are very easy to use
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