THE POOL SHOP ITALY
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Pool Care and Advice
Measurement of water quality - pH balance
Chlorine will only disinfect your swimming pool correctly if the pH has a value between 7.2 and 7.6.
pH is the terminology used to express the degree of acidity or basicity in the water. The scale for swimming pools is from 0-14. If the level is greater than 7 it has a very strong base, if it is less than 7 it has a strong acid base. Between 7.2. and 7.6 the water is neutral and this is the ideal level for your pool water.
What happens if the level is below 7.2?
If the water level is below 7.2 the water becomes acidic and the following can occcur:
Corrosion of the metal parts in the structure of your pool, particularly the impellers of the pump;
Eye irritation for bathers;
Decreased effect of disinfection system;
Staining of the walls of your pool.
If the level is below 7.2 you will need to add pH plus to increase the levels, follow the manufacturer's instructions to bring the pH levels up to 7.2.
What happens if the level is above 7.6?
If the water level is above 7.6 the following can occur:
Slow and inefficient chlorine activity;
Discolouration of swimming pool walls;
Eye irritation for bathers;
Cloudy water.
If the level is above 7.6 you will need to add pH minus to reduce the levels, follow the manufacturer's instructions to bring the pH levels down to below 7.6.
Everything for your swimming pool
Excludes above ground pools
Total Alkalinity
Total alkalinity is the measure of the water's ability to resist pH change. If the total alkalinity level is low, the pH will fluctuate widely and be difficult to maintain. When total alkalinity is high, the pH can become difficult to move and the water can cause scale formation.
The ideal reading is between 80-120ppm (parts per million). It is important that you test your pool regularly for its total alkalinity levels.
If the level is too high, add Alkalinity Reducer, if it is too low, add Alkalinty Increaser.
Water Clarification
Pool water can contain microorgansims which are too small to go through the filter process and withouth treatment though they start to turn the water cloudy. Flocculant is a chemical used to bind these microorganisms together to form larger particles which can then be eliminated through the filter system.
Chlorine
Chlorine is a disinfectant which kills bacteria in the water. It is a gas so must be bonded to another chemical to make it solid and enable us to put it in the water. These solids however are then left in the pool as residuals.
Whilst the chlorine gets used up by doing its job, it is also burnt up by the sunlight so it is usually bonded to cyanuric acid to help stabilise it and keep it in the pool longer. The cyanuric acid does not get used up and is left in the pool. To eliminate a build up of acid in the water it is therefore necessary to change some of the water by carrying out regular backwashes.
Fast chlorine/Shock Chlorine
Dichlorine, better known as fast chlorine or shock chlorine is used to restore water when treatment has been neglected, when there have been large numbers of bathers or after a storm.
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