Importance of Pool Water Balance

The health of your swimming pool is determined by multiple key factors such as circulation, cleaning and chemicals. However, among the most important aspects of pool care is water balance. Balance and harmony is the key to healthy living, and the same goes for your pool water. If everything is balanced, you will avoid any potential issues with your pool, including cloudiness and algae growth.

Water balance is extremely important for a number of reasons:

1. It helps sanitising chemicals to work effectively.

Maintaining the pH balance in your water will ensure you get the most out of your sanitising chemicals. For instance, in water with low pH, your water is more acidic and will eat up the sanitiser faster. This doesn’t give your sanitiser enough time to do its job properly.

2. It decreases the chance of water problems.

If your water is acidic, and your sanitising chemicals, such as chlorine or bromine, aren't working as well as they should, then you are opening yourself up to water issues, including cloudiness and algae growth. Your sanitiser’s job is to keep these issues at bay by constantly killing off the bacteria and debris that cause them.

3. It prolongs the life of your pool equipment.

Low pH causes your water to be acidic. In this case, your water will do whatever it takes to increase its pH level. Your water wants to be balanced. It’ll start to take what it needs from PVC, vinyl, concrete, and other parts of the pool, thus corroding and deteriorating your pool and equipment.

In fact, most equipment manufacturers' warranties do not cover damage due to low pH.

On the other side, if your pH is high, this can cause scaling. Your water tries to get rid of everything that’s making it alkaline, so it leaves a film around PVC pipes, heater elements, concrete, and liners. For instance, extra scaling in your pool’s heater will cause it to use more energy to heat your pool. It’s like clogging your pool’s arteries from ingesting too much unhealthy food.

How to Balance Your Pool Water?

The first step to achieving perfect water balance is testing. If it’s the start of the pool season, take a sample of your water to your nearest pool store to have it professionally analysed. You should do this at least once a month and you should test your water at home, with a test kit or test strips, at least once a week. These are the recommended pool water balance parameters:

1. pH 7.2 – 7.6 (Ideal 7.4). The problem with pH is that numerous factors can affect it, including animals, humans, plants, and weather, which is why your pool requires alkalinity to act as a pH stabiliser.
2. Total Alkalinity (TA) 80 - 120ppm. Total Alkalinity helps to keep the pH from moving up and down the scale rapidly. By keeping your alkalinity levels between 80 and 120ppm (parts per million) you will help to maintain your pool’s pH balance.
3. Calcium Hardness (CH) 200 – 300ppm (Ideal 250)
4. Free Chlorine 2 – 3ppm
5. Cyanuric Acid (CYA) 30 – 50ppm

Remember, these numbers can change quickly, especially after rain. So, make sure you keep an eye on your water balance. If you'd like professional assistance, you can connect with a local expert using our Dealer Locator.