Swimming Pool And Spa Chemical Maintenance, The Importance of Water Balance and how to manage it

Tip:To make efficient use of your swimming pool chemicals, managing good water balance is the main factor

Make sure that you understand the workings of your swimming pool or spa before adding any swimming pool chemicals Good water circulation and filtration are essential to achieving a safe and clear bathing environment.

The first step in treatment is to ensure good water balance, which will create the right conditions for bather comfort, chemical efficiency and equipment protection. There are three major factors affecting water balance, they are pH, total alkalinity and calcium hardness

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 levels (soft water) can lead to corrosion of the materials of construction. High calcium hardness levels (hard water) often leads to the formation of scale in pipe work and equipment.
these are guideline levels
•    Calcium Hardness should be between 100 – 200 ppm (mg/l).
•    When the measurement is below 75 ppm (mg/l), apply Hardness Plus
•    When the level exceeds 200 ppm (mg/l), apply Scale Inhibitor.

pH Measures

The pH scale has a range of 1 – 14 with 1 being very acidic, 7 being neutral and 14 being very alkaline. Make sure you keep your water within the 7.2-7.6 range which, because it is slightly alkaline, will protect equipment from corrosion and produce the perfect environment for bather comfort
•    Ideal pH level for spas is between 7.2 – 7.6.
•    If the level is below use pH Plus
•    When the measurement is greater than 7.6 apply pH Minus
Note
pH in Spas can be hard to control because the water is pumped fast and the temperature is greater. These issues mean that pH can vary more than with a pool

As a consequence rises in pH will lead the performance of chlorine (HOCl) sanitisers such as chlorine tablets to drop dramatically. Much higher doses of chlorine sanitisers such as will then be required. You can avoid this by using Bromine which is more stable over a larger range of pH than Chlorine Unlike chlorine, bromine keeps working in a spa for longer and so helps you minimise your hot tub chemicaluse

Total Alkalinity

Total Alkalinity (TA) acts as a buffer to prevent pH change. If TA levels are too low the pH will fluctuate widely.
High levels of TA will not only affect water clarity, but also make pH adjustments extremely difficult.
•    Ideal Total Alkalinity is 100 ppm (mg/l) When it drops below 80mg/l use Alkalinity Plus
•    When Total Alkalinity is above 140mg/l remedy it with pH Minus to reduce it
The balance of the water needs to be monitored regularly because it is essential to the effectiveness of your other treatments

Test Strips/kits are available for you to test the water regularly.

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