How to Maintain Pool Water

Maintaining the right chemical composition of pool water is essential to keeping the environment safe and clean for swimmers, and it also saves time and money for pool owners. With the steps below, you can get your pool water serviced with the same efficiency as hiring a professional at the same expense.

Table of Contents

Use chlorine-containing products

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Determine the type of chlorine product to use. Chlorine is a bactericide, algae and microorganism, it is available in the form of a bottled solution, tablets with a diameter of 7.5 cm or 2.5 cm, sticks and granules; however, when you check the specifications on the label, you will find that their active ingredients are the same. Even so, the prices of these types vary greatly, in fact their only difference is the concentration of the active ingredient. The active ingredient contained in 7.5 cm or 2.5 cm tablets and sticks is “Triclo” (or Triclo-S-Triazinetrione), and the active ingredient in powdered chlorine is “Dichloro” (or Sodium Dichloride). -S-Triazinetrione).

The most common form of chlorine used is the 7.5 cm tablet (because it is the cheapest), it dissolves slowly and requires less maintenance. Chlorine rods are larger and even more slowly dissolving than 7.5 cm tablets, but are uncommon. 2.5 cm chlorine tablets dissolve faster than 7.5 cm tablets or chlorine sticks and are more suitable for aboveground pools, small underground pools and salon tubs. Look for chlorine tablets or chlorine sticks with a Triclo-S-Triazinetrione concentration of 90%.

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Note that cheap chlorine products in the form of sticks and tablets in the “big box” often have unsecured binders and fillers. You’ll notice a difference as they melt: cheap products tend to dissolve quickly within 2 to 3 days instead of slowly dissolving and keeping their shape.

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Granular chlorine works just as well as the tablets and sticks mentioned above; however, inorganic chlorine such as calcium hypochlorite must be pre-dissolved in a bucket of water before being poured into the pool. You also have to add granular chlorine to the pool almost every day. Other organic chlorines (Sodium Dichlor) or Inorganic Lithium Hypochlorite do not need to be dissolved first. These agents allow very precise control of the chlorine level of the pool but require daily testing and chemical addition. Look for granular chlorine with concentrations of Sodium dichloro-S-Triazinetrione from 56% to 62%.

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Using cyanuric acid

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Note that cyanuric acid should be used with caution. Cyanuric acid (CYA, also known as isocyanuric acid) comes in dichloro/trichloro tablets. Although cyanuric acid is the stabilizer in chlorine that keeps it from decaying in the sun, the cost is that chlorine’s effectiveness is degraded (reduced oxidizing capacity). If you use cyanuric acid, be sure to check the reduction in redox potential. If the level is too high, chlorine will completely lose its ability to disinfect.

Some new research shows that CYA really needs to be maintained at a maximum of 40 ppm for chlorine to function optimally (high levels of CYA increase the total amount of dissolved solids that this dissolved solid “does”. decrease” chlorine activity).

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Adding chlorine to the pool

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Add chlorine to the pool. Floating chlorine dispensers and automatic chemical dispensers sold at pool supply stores, which slowly dissolve 2.5 or 7.5 cm chlorine tablets, or chlorine sticks, into the pool water. swim. Automatic chlorine level device helps a lot in swimming pool maintenance. The chemical feeder slowly dissolves each precise amount of chlorine into the pool water automatically, thus allowing very precise control of the amount of chlorine added to the pool. If you adjust your chemical feeder properly, you may not have to worry about chlorine levels for a week or so.

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Using pool chlorine is more than simply dropping chlorine tablets or sticks into the water or putting them in the pool’s surface water filter basket (although some types of chlorine products only dissolve as the water flows through). If chlorine tablets dissolve in the pool’s surface water filter basket, all the water that passes through the pool’s pipes and recirculation system will have high levels of chlorine. High concentrations of chlorine (which causes the water to have a very low pH) will slowly corrode the inside of the recirculation system and can cause premature failure of the pool pumps and filters.

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Shock the pool water weekly. During pool cleaning, chlorine will bind with other chemicals such as ammonia and nitrogen, rendering it inactive but also creating an irritant that can cause skin problems such as itching in the skin. Crotch. To remove this chlorinated product, you should occasionally shock the water.

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Add a dose of algaecide the next morning. An algaecide is a surfactant that prevents algae from growing on the surface of the pool water.

Maintain the pH of the pool water

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Maintain proper pH. This is just as important as having chlorine in the lake water. The pool water pH should be equivalent to the pH of human tears of 7.2, although the optimal range is 7.2 – 7.6. With a pH of 7.2, chlorine is 10 times more effective at disinfecting than at a high pH, say 8.2. Compared to pH paper, using pH reagent gives more accurate measurement results, because pH paper is difficult to read results.

Usually you will see a high pH and the best way to lower it is to slowly pour “muriatic acid” (also called hydrochloric acid) directly into the deep bottom of the pool while the pump is running and the water is circulating. However, granular acid (a pH reducer) is safer to use than muriatic acid.

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If the pH is high, add a small amount of muriatic acid and retest the water after about 6 hours of continuous filtration, and adjust the pH again if necessary. This will prevent “erratic rise and fall” in pH. If you really have a problem with pH fluctuations, it’s usually due to low alkalinity; Once properly adjusted, the pH will maintain itself stable for 1 to 3 weeks depending on rainfall, usage, etc..

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If swimmers experience “eye burn,” it’s probably due to a high or low pH, not a high chlorine content.

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Test the water at least twice per week to ensure balance. Keep the chlorine in the pool (free chlorine – beneficial) always at 1-3 ppm and surely the pool maintenance will be gentler and easier.

Summary of weekly swimming pool maintenance work

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Put chlorine tablets in the chlorine dispenser floating in the pool.

The pH paper will tell you what to do next.

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Add a weekly shock in the evening.

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Recheck the pH level. The target to be achieved is 7.2.

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Add algaecide the next morning.

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Check the chlorine balance in the tank twice per week.

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Adjust alkalinity first, then bromine or chlorine, followed by pH.

Advice

Always adjust the chemicals in lake water in the following order: alkalinity, bromine or chlorine levels, followed by pH.
The difference between chlorine and bromine is that after chlorine combines with bacteria or harmful organic matter, most of the chlorine is used up and no longer has a disinfecting effect on the pool. This “chlorine combination product” will be suppressed in the subsequent shock and the water purifier will remove it. When bromine combines with bacteria in water, bromine remains active but has combined with bacteria and organic matter to neutralize these harmful substances. When you shock a brominated pool, the shock chemical will only destroy the harmful substances but leave the beneficial bromine component in the pool water. The remaining bromine will continue to disinfect the pool. As a result, the amount of bromine pellets needed to disinfect the pool will be significantly less than the amount of chlorine tablets needed for the same job.
Do not attempt to convert bromine pools to chlorine pools, even chlorinated salts. This is impossible. Dissolved chlorine will continue to regenerate bromine.
There are certain benefits and disadvantages to using bromine. Some people find bromine better because bromine is generally less irritating to the skin and eyes. Many people with sensitive skin prefer bromine, but bromine is in the same group on the periodic table as chlorine, so it doesn’t help people who are allergic to chlorine. The weakness of bromine is that its cost is much higher than chlorine. Because bromine is more stable, it’s also more difficult to remove the smell of bromine from your skin or swimwear. In general, bromine is not a great alternative to chlorine for large pools, so you should consider bromine for small equipment such as hot tubs. Bromine is available in pellet form and can be added to lake water through a chemical feeder. Special note: you cannot stabilize bromine with cyanuric acid.
You should hire professional testing service 3-5 times per season; they will certainly do more tests that are not commercially available: total chlorine and free chlorine, cyanuric acid, how acidic or alkaline the water is, adjusted total alkalinity, calcium hardness, water temperature (which makes a difference in the overall equilibrium level of water), total dissolved solids, iron, copper, quaternary ammonium mixture, or algaecide concentration.
If chloramines or products combined with chlorine have a chance to build up, it will be difficult for you to break down or control them, causing the water to “smell”, cloudy, itchy eyes and skin, premature algae growth etc. . and lead to a lack of chlorine in the water. If the water is in a state of chlorine deficiency, it is difficult to keep the chlorine level stable, requiring you to add a very large amount of chlorine (adding about 22kg of chlorine or more to 75 cubic meters of water is normal). If the chlorine deficiency problem is not solved, the situation will get worse as the chlorine will combine to produce more and more chloramine. Special Note: most public (potable) water sources are being treated with chloramines, thus making this problem worse.
To prevent scaling or creating an acidic environment, you should base on the Langelier saturation index to determine the overall balance of the water.
Another possible substitute for chlorine is baquacil, the active ingredient of which is biguanide. This substance is less well known and more expensive, but it may be the best alternative for someone who cannot be exposed to chlorine because even saltwater pools produce chlorine. If you use a baquacil brand disinfectant, you can still use other brands to balance pH or calcium. Special Note: you cannot stabilize baquacil with cyanuric acid.
Add borate at 50ppm to the pool as a pH control buffer, reducing pH fluctuations but also leaving the water soft and iridescent.
Using a chlorine electrolyzer is another method of pool disinfection. Add some salt to the pool, then the salt is converted to chlorine in the tank’s control box, thereby helping to disinfect the pool. You only need to monitor the pH because the chemical reaction here will raise the pH and you need to lower the pH with “muriatic acid”. Improper installation of the salt/chlorine electrolyzer can cause pool problems such as pooling, rapid corrosion of metal parts and accessories, even stainless steel etc.

Warning

Don’t add any chemicals too much.
Add chlorine to water, not water to chlorine, as it can cause a violent chemical reaction.
These chemicals are toxic, so keep them out of the reach of children.
Always wait a minimum of two hours between different chemical additions to prevent negative chemical reactions and maximize the chemical’s effectiveness.
Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the product label.
Don’t do anything you don’t understand.
Muratic acid is the best choice for lowering the pH, but it produces dangerous fumes that should be used with caution. Sodium bisulfate (pH or negative pH, granular) is the “safer” and household-friendly option.

Steps