Attention: Water balance is very important to ensure that your swimming pool chemicals work properly and for as long as they should
You must be familiar with the way your pool or spa works before adding any swimming pool chemical Having free flowing water circulation and good filtration is important to maintaining a clean and healthy pool or spa
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 depends on the levels of calcium salt in your water. This depends on where you live Low calcium hardness levels (soft water) can lead to corrosion of the materials of construction. Hard water (water high in calcium) can lead to limescale foriming in your pipes and equipment
Calcium Hardness Guide Measures
• Ideal calcium hardness levels are between 100 – 200 ppm (mg/l).
• If the measurement drops below 75 ppm (mg/l), apply Hardness Plus
• If the level is above 200 ppm (mg/l), use 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 create the perfect environment for bather comfort
• Ideal pH level for spas is between 7.2 – 7.6.
• When the measurement drops below use pH Plus
• If the level is greater than 7.6 use pH Minus
Note: pH in Spas can be difficult to control because the water is circulated quickly and the temperature is set higher. These things mean pH can vary more than in a pool
As a consequence rises in pH will lead the performance of chlorine (HOCl) sanitisers such as chlorine shock to drop dramatically. Significantly greater doses of chlorine sanitiser are then needed This can be avoided by using Bromine Tablets, Bromine (HOBr) is a highly effective sanitiser, and it is stable over a much wider pH range than chlorine treatments. Bromine also remains in the spa for longer than chlorine so it reduces the quantity of spa chemical you use.
Total Alkalinity
Total Alkalinity (TA) acts as a buffer to prevent pH change. If TA levels are too low the pH will fluctuate widely.
If Total alkalinity is too high then water clarity can be affected but it also makes it difficult to make changes to water pH levels
• optimum 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
Water balance should be checked regularly and, certainly, every time you top up or refill your pool or spa.
Test Strips/kits are available for you to test the water regularly.
