Water Maintenance
Healthy pool water is water that's safe for your family and your swimming pool. It eliminates potentially harmful bacteria and protects your swimming pool and equipment against corrosion and scale build-up.
There are two aspects to maintenance of your swimming pool water: sanitation and water balance.
Water sanitation
Everything that enters your pool, including swimmers, pets, leaves and top-up water is a source of bacteria. To keep bacteria under control, your pool water should be treated with a sanitising chemical, usually chlorine, and continuously filtered to remove dead bacteria.
An adequate level of sanitiser residual will ensure that any new bacteria are quickly eliminated without affecting the quality of the water. Regular testing and required chlorine top-ups will help you maintain the desired residual level of 1.0 or 2.0 ppm (part per million).
Water balance
Having the right water balance is crucial your health and the longevity of your swimming pool and equipment.
A chemical imbalance can lead to corrosion and scale build-up, causing costly damage and preventing proper sanitation.
pH level
The pH level indicates how acidic or alkaline the water in your swimming pool is.
- The pH level ranges from 0 to 14
- 7 is the neutral pH (a value below 7 is acidic and above 7, alkaline)
- For most swimming pools, the recommended pH range is 7.2 to 7.6, and 7.0 to 7.2 for fibreglass pools
- Swimmers, rain, top-up water and chemicals all affect the pH level
- A pH imbalance can cause skin irritation and poor sanitation
- Sanitiser levels should be checked regularly and adjusted accordingly
Total alkalinity
Total alkalinity refers to the level of bi-carbonates, carbonates and hydroxides in your pool water.
- The recommended range is between 60 and 200 ppm, depending on the type of swimming pool
- Low total alkalinity can erode concrete and painted pool surfaces, and destabilise pH levels
- The total alkalinity of your top-up water will affect the total alkalinity of your pool
- To raise total alkalinity, add bi-carbonate of soda to your pool water
- To lower total alkalinity (and pH level), add acid to your pool water
Calcium hardness
Calcium hardness is the level of dissolved calcium present in your pool water.
- The recommended calcium hardness range is 80 to 500 ppm
- Low calcium hardness can lead to corrosion
- High calcium hardness can result in scale build-up
- Test your pool water for calcium hardness once a year by an accredited pool supplier
- If you use calcium hypochlorite in your pool, you may need to test and adjust calcium hardness more frequently
- Add chemicals in small amounts, filter the water, test and if needed, add more chemicals
