Balancing your pH levels is a vital part of being a responsible pool owner. But what are pH levels, why are they important and how can you balance them?
Why Are pH Levels Important For Pool Water?
The pH level in your pool water indicates how acidic or alkaline your water is. A pH level of 7 means that your water is neutral, and you should aim for a level between 7.2 and 7.6. A level over 7 means the water is alkaline, and below 7 means it is acidic.
Balancing pH levels is crucial because having water that’s too alkaline or too acidic can be harmful to swimmers and pool equipment. Alkaline water that’s over 8 can cause skin rashes, irritation and scaling on pool equipment. On the other hand, acidic water under 7 can sting eyes, stain your pool’s walls and degrade equipment.
Even if your pool levels are currently in the desired range, pH levels can change over time. They can be affected by rain, swimmers in the pool and anything else that enters your pool water.
Routinely checking and balancing your pool water pH is essential to keep your pool safe.
How To Check Your Pool pH Levels
Testing your pool’s pH levels is relatively simple; you just need to use a water test kit. These convenient kits, which usually come in strip, tablet or liquid form, will provide you with quick results.
Follow the instructions to discover the pH level of your water. Then, you can learn if you need to increase or decrease your pH levels. It’s recommended to test your water at least twice a week if you use your pool frequently. Naturally, you should also test before you balance your pool chemicals.
How To Balance Your Pool’s pH Levels
To balance your pool pH levels, you need to use pool balancers. Use pH increasers, pH decreasers and pH buffers to alter your pool water’s pH levels.
Remember to thoroughly read through the instructions on the products you purchase so you can use them correctly and safely. It’s best to add balancers to your water gradually to avoid overdoing it.
A Step-By-Step Guide: Balancing Your Pool Water’s pH Levels
You can keep your pool water at a safe level by following a few simple steps.
Step 1: Clean Your Pool. Dirty pool water may mess with your reading. Anything that enters your pool water, like leaves and dirt, can affect your pool’s pH level. Before you test your water, clean your pool by removing debris. You should also make sure your pool’s filter is working. Your pool filters help your water stay clean and will distribute your pH balancers.
Of course, it’s good practice to routinely clean your pool and keep it free of contaminants and debris. Getting a robotic pool cleaner can streamline your pool maintenance and make life easier for you.
Step 2: Test Your Pool Water. Once your water is clean and you know your filter is working as it should, use a pH pool testing kit to learn the current pH level of your pool.
Remember that you should aim for a level between 7.2 and 7.6. If your level is higher or lower, you should balance your pool water.
Step 3: Add Balancing Chemicals To Your Pool Water. After you know your pH baseline, you can begin adding your pH increasers, pH decreasers or pH buffers. Remember that you should read through the instructions and that you should add chemicals slowly to prevent adding too much. Pay attention to how much you should use based on your pool’s current pH level and the size of your pool.
You must wait for the chemicals to dissolve before testing your water again.
Step 4: Retest And Repeat Step 3 If Needed. After an appropriate amount of time has passed, retest your water using your water testing kit and check for its new pH level.
If your pH level is between 7.2 and 7.6, you’ve successfully balanced your pool.
If your pH levels are still off, then you can add more balancers to readjust the levels. Be sure you add chemicals gradually. Give the chemicals time to dissolve and filter through your pool via your pool filter.
Repeat this process until your pool water is in the desired 7.2 to 7.6 pH level range.
Keeping Your Pool Safe With pH Balancing Supplies
Stock up on all the pool supplies you need with Crystal Clear Pools. We have water test kits, balancers, cleaning equipment and more for NZ pool and spa owners who want to keep their water safe and clean. Or, if you’d like some hands-on help from our professionals, we also offer services for pool and spa installation, repair and maintenance.
Need help? Call us on 09-391-0002 or send us a message online.
Crystal Clear Pools: Let’s keep your waters crystal clear.