No Green Here?
If you want to do more than the basics of pool water management, (scooping and vacuuming) then you need to spend some time understanding pool water chemistry.
The greatest issue with pools (and spas) is inconsistent or simply no pool water maintenance. There is a learning curve for sure, however, if you want to save money, then this is one area where a little time on your part will bring big savings.
If your pool water goes green, then it’s going to take time and money to bring it back to a healthy and swimmable state. And a green pool is simply not swimmable but can be causing issues with the pump and filtration equipment as well. So, if this scares you, and you are tempted to engage a pool water technician, not all of them are as caring as you. Yes, they may come at $50+ per call (say $100 – 200 per month) plus chemicals and on a regular cycle, or as needed. But what happens if the pool goes green between visits. How will they attend then? So, it’s in your interest to know beforehand, at least the basics of pool water chemistry. And even your regular pool technicians’ attention may not be foolproof as they are on a time limit per pool to get through the daily number. And if your pool goes “off”, well of course they get to add chemicals at your cost.
Keeping it healthy every day does require a routine and consistency in maintaining the correct balance. Fortunately, there is plenty of information available to guide you and make sure you know what you are looking at and how to keep your pool healthy.
So, either way, it’s best you are familiar with pool water chemistry and understand what is going on with your pool, what chemicals are being added and why. As it is, pools are mild chemical baths, and the fewer chemicals the better for your health, of course keeping pool water swimmable at the same time.
For many pools maintaining a healthy, well-balanced pool is not difficult and you will only ever need a few chemicals. Many of the chemicals you see in your pool shop are only there for when there is problem. By monitoring the key 4, Chlorine, pH, Calcium Hardness, and Total Alkalinity, you will have covered most of the key factors. And this will prevent issues from arising.
The complexity (or lack) of pool water chemistry management is related to a few key factors and these include:
- weather conditions (rain, drought, heat or cool).
- supply of pool water (town supply, bore – well, rain), the first 2 may contain a range of minerals and metals, that add issues.
- pool usage profile (none, little, weekly parties or irregular usage profiles)
- actual surface of the pool, (Paint, Fiberglass, Marcite, Pebble Tec or the more modern plasters), the first 2 provide a non-reactive, hard, smooth surface meaning less chemical needs as the surface is inert. The remainder in the list above are softer, reactive surfaces, which need more chemicals and management, and surfaces are absorbent, (mold and algae growth).
As you can see there are a range of factors to consider and once you are knowledgeable about them then you can look after your most times or at least know what the technician is doing and why (why the charges)
How to test
Chlorine, best to plan ahead so the level is never 0. Big weekend coming with kids etc, then be proactive a few days in advance and keep the chlorine level up 1 – 3 ppm and after the party add some more (night-time). After heavy rain, or several hot days also check and add, etc chlorine even to the 3 – 5 ppm free chlorine level. Letting it get to 1 ppm means you have no leeway, and it can soon be 0.
You can test the Chlorine level with Test Strips however you are much better to get a proper test kit such as Taylor K2005, (online or pool shop). This will allow you to test daily and get a good understanding of how your pool Chlorine level fluctuates, due to weather and bather activity. Then you can be confident of your pool and its hygiene needs and be proactive, saving it from going green. This will save you a good amount of cash, for a few minutes of work each day.
For the pH, Calcium Hardness, and Total Alkalinity, see the separate “I’m A Pool Water Chemist Now”, Blog Page
