Keep Chlorine and pH Fighting For You, Not Against You
Who knew chlorine and pH are so important when it comes to sanitizing pool water and killing germs? We do and so do the experts at the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Chlorine and pH can both pack a punch; just make sure they’re fighting for you, not against you. Here’s how to get and keep them in your corner.
Protecting swimmers from recreational water illnesses (RWIs) is the reason you need to regularly check both chlorine and pH levels. Chlorine and pH are the first line of defense against germs that can make swimmers sick. Consistent, proper chlorine level is vital to clean healthy pool water. But for all your germ-killing efforts, we know that there are things and circumstances that can throw your chlorine levels off. Sunlight, dirt and debris, and all the things that swimmers, – never mind the family dog – bring to the water, – like detergents, shampoo and sunblock – can diminish the effectiveness of chlorine.
Test water often
- Treat water as needed keeping chlorine between 1.0 – 3.0 ppm and pH between 7.2 – 7.8
- Keep your water consistently balanced, reducing unhealthy chemical highs and lows
2 reasons why is pH important?
- The germ-killing power of chlorine varies with pH level. As pH goes up, the ability of chlorine to kill germs goes down
- A swimmer’s body has a pH between 7.2 and 7.8, so if the pool water isn’t kept in this range then swimmers will start to feel irritation of their eyes and skin. Keeping the pH in this range will balance chlorine’s germ-killing power while minimizing skin and eye irritation.
Source: CDC
