Everything You Need To Know About pH for Your Pool

Managing pH for your pool

Everything You Need To Know About pH for Your Pool

Are you looking to maintain sparkling swimming water as well and protect your skin and your pool from the harmful effects of unbalanced chemicals? It’s important that you find out everything you need to know about pH for your pool and how to balance these levels.

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about pH for home pools. On top of that, we give you the answers to these questions as well as advice for maintaining healthy levels in your beautiful pool.

What is pH?

pH is a measure of the acidity of your pool water. It’s measured on a scale from 0-14. When balancing your pool water, you want to aim for a pH level of 7.4 – 7.6. Zero indicates the water has extreme acidity, while 14 shows total alkalinity. 

Alkalinity is how well your pool water can resist acidification and helps balance out the acidity levels in your water. It’s important to balance out your pH and alkalinity levels to ensure that you remain safe and healthy while you and your loved ones swim in your pool.

How to measure and balance your pool’s pH levels.

To test and measure the pH levels in your pool, we suggest using a combination of different testing kits to make sure pH levels are correct. The pH levels must be right in order for every other chemical balance to work correctly. If your pH levels are off, then all other readings will be inaccurate. 

Below is a chart that shows the correct balances that you should find in your pool. You can find this chart and other important information on our Opulent Pools® website.

Some of the top indicators that your pH levels are off is you’ll find your skin getting itchy, your eyes will be red and hurting, and you may see corrosion and damage to your pool and the surrounding surfaces.

How To Balance My Pool Water?

To balance your pool water, you’ll need to use chemical increasers and decreasers to adjust acidity levels. Testing your pool water weekly and continually adding the necessary adjustments will make sure you avoid harmful effects.

How do pH levels affect my type of pool?

So, how does pH work in your individual pool? Depending on what type of pool you own, unbalanced pH levels can affect different types of pools.

  • Fiberglass: Low pH levels cause things like corrosion of your pool’s surfaces and equipment. High pH levels can cause cloudy water and loss of the sanitizing effect of your chlorine.
  • Gunite: Low pH levels can cause the plaster from the gunite pool to erode, leading to high repair costs. High pH levels bring on things like high scaling and mineral deposits.
  • Vinyl: Low pH levels will cause vinyl liners to weaken and become stained. High pH levels can bring on algae growth as well as skin irritation. 

Every pool type is different and requires specialized care. At Opulent Pools, we are your trusted local experts for everything you need to create the perfect pool escape. We recommend our famous weekly or bi-weekly route service to make sure your pH levels are always balanced and your pool is always clean. To make sure your water is adjusted correctly and your pool is always in top shape, visit our website or call us today at (404) 462-0777 to get started.