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Maintaining the proper chemical balance in your pool water not only keeps the water sparkling clean, it also helps protect your heater, pump, and other system components from damage, and can assist in keeping your pool finish looking like new. The pH level of pool water is a measure of its acidity.
What happens if you swim in a pool with low pH?
Low pH is bad for swimmers, your pool and your wallet. Acidic water is corrosive. The most immediate effect is felt by swimmers as the water will sting their eyes, nasal passages and will dry out skin and hair, causing itching. There are a number of professional products that you can use to raise the pH in your pool.
Is it better to have high or low pH in pool?
Proper pool pH is right in the middle — pool pros recommend that pH be between 7.3 and 7.6 for optimum performance and cleanest water. If the pH gets higher than 7.8, the water is becoming too alkaline. Water with a pH that’s too high also can cause skin rashes, cloudy water and scaling on pool equipment.
How does pH level affect swimming pool water?
pH level in swimming pool water If the water pH is higher than 8, anyone who swims in the pool is at risk of skin rashes, while a pH of lower than 7 can sting swimmers’ eyes. Some of the many factors that can affect your pool’s pH level include heavy rain, the number of swimmers in the pool and chemicals.
Does pool shock raise pH?
When you shock a pool, you test and adjust the pH level for a reason. With that said, if you shock a pool outside of the 7.2 to 7.4 pH range, not only will you waste a significant amount of the chlorine used, you will also end up with cloudy water.
Does adding chlorine increase pH?
Using liquid chlorine raises the pH of the water. Liquid chlorine does not raise pH. When added to water, liquid chlorine (which has a pH of 13) makes HOCl (hypochlorous acid – the killing form of chlorine) and NaOH (sodium hydroxide), which raises pH. So the net effect on pH is zero (or almost zero).
Should I adjust chlorine or pH first?
Rule of thumb is to do the PH first. And do not bother to drive to pool store to spend the extra money for a PH DECREASER. Buy a plain baking soda for 50cents a pound in Walmart! Chlorine will not work fully until your PH is in the proper range.
Does low pH in pool cause algae?
pH Imbalance: The ideal pH level for pool water is 80 to 120 parts per million at its peak, depending on the pool surface. When pool water is too acidic (pH is low), chlorine is used up at higher rates. This creates a window of vulnerability where the pool could then form algae.
At what pH is chlorine most effective?
The pH scale goes from 0 to 14, where pH 7 is neutral. If the pH is above 7, the water is basic; if it is below 7 the water is acid. The optimum pH for pool water is 7.4, since this is the same as the pH in human eyes and mucous membranes. A pH of 7.4 also gives good chlorine disinfection.
Does high chlorine cause low pH?
Having too much chlorine in your pool water can be dangerous. Exposure to high levels of chlorine can cause lung irritation, skin and eye damage, and provoke asthma. High chlorine levels decrease the pH of your pool’s water, making it more acidic.
Can you swim in a pool with high pH and alkalinity?
Can You Safely Swim in a Pool With High Alkalinity? As long as you have enough chlorine in your pool (around 3ppm for total chlorine) and the pH level is balanced (between 7.4 to 7.8), then a pool with high total alkalinity is still safe to swim in.
How do I make my pool pH stable?
Adding a basic substance such as sodium carbonate will increase the pH. With proper care, your pool will stay at an ideal pH level of 7.2-7.6, which makes your chlorine up to ten times more effective. It will also prevent any sort of maintenance issues or irritation and redness for bathers.
What happens if you put too much shock in a pool?
Adding too much shock or overshocking your pool will kill off algae. The negative of adding too much shock is it will upset the chemical balance of your pool. It’s likely to do that regardless of if you overshocked the pool or not. The pH will either go up or down depending on which product you used.
Why does my pool pH keep going up?
Algae can raise the pH. Adding strong liquid chlorine, calcium or lithium hypochlorite chlorine may raise it. Suddenly heating the water, whether from a pool heater or a string of sunny days, could up the pH. For a new pool, pebble or plaster finishes raise the pH.
Why is the pH in my pool always high?
Pool pH is Always High The most common reason for a consistently high pH level in pools is the use of liquid chlorine or a saltwater system as the primary sanitizer. If your pool has water features, such as a waterfall or fountain, these will also raise pH levels in your pool (more on that below).
