In The Swim Knowledge Pool: Water Balancers
Why Pool Water Balancers are Important
Pool water balancers help you manage water quality and avoid pool staining from improper water chemistry. In addition, pool chlorine levels are regulated by pool water balance levels, and incorrect ranges cause skin and eye irritation, and destroys chlorine's ability to kill bacteria and other harmful contaminants.
- High pH and alkalinity levels also makes chlorine very sluggish and at a pH of 8.0 over 50% of your chlorine is wasted.
- Low pH is also a problem, and at a pH of 7.0, chlorine is overly active and depletes more rapidly.
- High pH and alkalinity levels can cause unsightly scale deposits, cloudy water and eye irritation.
- Low pH and alkalinity levels can cause etching and corrosion to pool equipment, covers and pool surfaces.
- Low alkalinity levels makes your pH level erratic and unstable, even after adjustment.
- High alkalinity levels makes your pH level overly stable and difficult to adjust pH up or down.
- Low calcium hardness creates aggressive water that seeks to satisfy a demand for hardness, in troublesome ways.
- Low stabilizer levels allows the sun to burn-off chlorine as fast as you can add it, resulting in unsanitary pool water.
In order to maintain swimmer comfort and health and to protect the condition of pool surfaces and equipment, it is important to keep both pool ph chemicals on-hand. Other water balance levels are slower to change, but be sure to test and adjust alkalinity, hardness and stabilizer levels every spring, and each month during the season. With regular pool water testing, it's easy for any pool owner to make chemical adjustments and maintain balanced pool water.
- pH Increaser is a base used to raise low pH levels when 7.2 or lower
- pH Reducer is an acid used to lower pH levels when 7.8 or higher (also lowers Total Alkalinity)
- Alkalinity Increaser is used to raise low alkalinity levels when below 80 ppm
- Calcium Hardness Increaser is used to raise low hardness levels when below 200 ppm
- Stabilizer or Conditioner (Cyanuric Acid) is used to protect chlorine from the sun, best in range of 20-50 ppm
As with all of our products at In The Swim, our water balance chemicals are of first-class quality and are available at economical, affordable prices. With the help of a good test kit and quality pool balancers, pool owners can easily maintain high water quality to protect their pool surfaces, reduce chlorine expense, and protect the health of swimmers. Water is balanced when pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, chlorine and stabilizer levels are all within their recommended ranges:
- pH: 7.2 to 7.8
- Total Alkalinity: 80 ppm to 120 ppm
- Calcium Hardness: 200 ppm to 400 ppm
- Stabilizer (Cyanuric Acid): 20-50 ppm
- Free Chlorine: 1.0-2.0 ppm