How to Maintain a Pool’s Water Quality

Week after week, many residential pool owners struggle to maintaining pool water quality.

We’ve put together a short guide to help you get the best pool water in your neighbourhood!

Test Chlorine and pH Levels Daily

Gauging water quality begins by monitoring pool chemical balance. You must be aware of specific chemical levels throughout the year.

This begins by checking chlorine and pH every day.

Chlorine plays an important role in maintaining your pool by killing harmful bacteria.

pH measures the balance between acid and alkalinity. If this balance is off, your pool will be a site for undesirable chemical reactions.

Here are the parts per million (PPM) levels of properly-balanced pool water:

• Chlorine: 1 – 3 PPM
• pH: 7.2 – 7.6 PPM
• Alkalinity: 90 – 150 PPM
• Calcium Hardness: 200+ PPM
• Bromine: 2 – 4 PPM

You can measure these pool chemical levels at home using water testing kits purchased from a pool store.

But it’s best to ensure accuracy through professional tests at a water analysis centre, which are run by many qualified pool companies.

Follow a Chemical Treatment Program

It’s not enough to simply test your pool’s chemical levels.

You should follow a simple chemical treatment program. So, we’ve laid out daily and weekly tasks.

On a daily basis, pool owners should:

• Empty baskets in the pump and skimmer, ensuring that the heater has been off for at least 20 minutes before shutting off the pump.
• Brush and skim the pool.

On a weekly basis, pool owners should:

• Refill the pool chemical dispenser.
• Distribute two cups of oxidizer over the water’s surface. (This measurement is for a 90,000-litre pool).
• Vacuum the pool.
• Backwash the filter.
• Top off the pool, if needed.

You’ll be amazed how clean the water is by following this schedule.

Address Algae Issues Quickly

By actively maintaining pool water quality, you will avoid algae. But in the rare event that algae signs develop, immediately act before they worsen.

A living organism, algae comes in different types and colours. Spores can constantly find a home in your pool, as they travel through rain, wind, and swimsuits.

You can treat algae in your pool by following these simple steps:

1. Brush the pool’s floor and walls to loosen algae, helping it bond with chlorine.
2. Adjust the pH level between 7.2 and 7.4 PPM.
3. Shock the pool to a minimum of 10 PPM.
4. Add Wham-O the next day.
5. Add Sparkling Clear and let the system run for a few hours, 12 hours after adding Wham-O.
6. Shut off the pump and filtration, letting the pool stand for 12 to 24 hours without circulation.
7. Vacuum waste to ensure algae does not re-enter your filter.
8. Turn off the pump before changing your filter head’s setting.

Though algae itself isn’t harmful, its slimy look stops swimmers from taking a dip in your pool.

But by keeping high-quality water, they’ll have a tough time staying out.

Total Tech Pools is a full-service pool company in Oakville and Kingston, Ontario. Contact us today to learn about our suite of offerings that help you maintain a pool.