Water Chemistry 101
Pool and spa water chemistry, along with proper filtration, is the key to clean, healthy water. It doesn’t matter if you have 100 or 1,000,000 gallons of water, the same balance levels and chemical types are required—only the quantity will vary. Everything that enters the body of water affects water balance: swimmers, rain, pollution, animals and chemicals.
Every pool, each season, creates its own demand for different chemicals. The pool in your neighbor’s yard, with the same system and environment, may react totally different than yours. Every pool also develops a pattern each season. After observing how your pool reacts to different bather levels, rain and the environment, you will get a handle on your pools chemistry pattern and what’s required to keep the water balanced.
Here are the accepted levels for balanced pool and spa water. Read up – we’ll be quizzing you later!
Pool |
Spa |
|||
Total Alkalinity |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plaster | 80-120 ppm | 80-120 ppm | ||
| Vinyl | 100-150 ppm | 100-150 ppm | ||
| PH | 7.2-7.6 | 7.2-7.6 | ||
| Bromine | 2-4 ppm | 3-5 ppm | ||
Chlorine |
||||
| Total | 1.0-3.0 ppm | 2.0-4.0 ppm | ||
| Free | 1.0-3.0 ppm | 2.0-4.0 ppm | ||
| Combined | < 0.2 ppm | < 0.2 ppm | ||
| Cyanuric Acid | 30-100 ppm | 30-100 ppm | ||
Calcium Hardness |
||||
| Plaster | 200-400 ppm | 200-400 ppm | ||
| Vinyl | 175-300 ppm | 175-300 ppm | ||
| TDS | < 2000 ppm | < 2000 ppm | ||
| Copper | < 0.3 ppm | < 0.1 ppm | ||
| Iron | < 0.3 ppm | < 0.1 ppm |
If you found this article helpful, make sure to share it with your family & friends!
