Swimming Pool Chemistry 101: Understanding Chlorine Levels and pH Balance

A crystal-clear swimming pool on a sunny day is a sight to behold, inviting you to take a refreshing dip. However, maintaining that pristine appearance involves more than just regular cleaning and filtration. Swimming pool chemistry plays a crucial role in keeping your pool safe and enjoyable, with two fundamental factors at the forefront: chlorine levels and pH balance. Let us now look into the basics of these essential elements to help you maintain a healthy and inviting swimming pool.

Chlorine: The Pool’s Guardian

Chlorine is vital to swimming pool maintenance. This is because it is a powerful disinfectant, effectively killing bacteria, viruses, and algae that can turn your pool into a breeding ground for unwanted microorganisms. This means that chlorine oxidises these contaminants, thereby making them harmless.

However, maintaining the right chlorine level is a delicate balancing act. If there is too little chlorine in your pool, it will become a breeding ground for harmful pathogens. This will, in turn, lead to cloudy water and potential health hazards. On the other hand, excessive amounts of chlorine can irritate swimmers’ skin and eyes and produce unpleasant chemical odours. In such a case, it is essential for you to learn how to reduce chlorine in pools to maintain optimal levels.

To keep chlorine levels in check, you need to conduct regular testing. For this, you can use test strips or a liquid testing kit to measure the chlorine concentration in your pool. The ideal range for free chlorine, which is the active form that disinfects the water, is typically between 1.0 and 3.0 parts per million (ppm). However, it is important to give due consideration to factors that can impact chlorine consumption, such as:

• Pool usage
• Weather conditions
• Water temperature

Maintaining the proper chlorine level is a delicate matter. This is because when chlorine is added to the pool, it combines with contaminants to form chloramines. Chloramines are less effective at disinfection and can lead to a strong smell of chlorine. However, you can easily combat this by shocking your pool periodically. Shocking involves adding a high dose of chlorine to break down chloramines and restore the pool’s chlorine balance.

pH Balance: The Unsung Hero

While chlorine takes care of pathogens, pH balance is responsible for maintaining the comfort and safety of swimmers. pH measures the acidity or alkalinity of your pool water, which is crucial for several reasons.

A pH level that is too low (acidic) can:

• Corrode pool equipment
• Cause skin and eye irritation
• Weaken the effectiveness of chlorine

Conversely, a high pH level (alkaline) can lead to cloudy water, scaling on pool surfaces, and reduced chlorine efficacy.

The ideal pH level for pool water is between 7 and 7.6 on the pH scale, which is slightly above neutral (pH 7). To maintain this balance, you can use pH test strips or a digital pH meter to check your pool’s pH level regularly. If it falls outside the recommended range, you can use a pH increaser (sodium carbonate) to raise pH or a pH reducer (sodium bisulfate) to lower it, as needed.

The Balancing Act

Now that we understand the importance of chlorine levels and pH balance, let’s discuss how these factors are interconnected. The pH level can impact the effectiveness of chlorine. If the pH is too high, chlorine becomes less active and less effective at disinfection. Conversely, if the pH is too low, chlorine becomes more active and gets used up quickly, leading to inefficiency.

Maintaining the right pH level can help optimise your chlorine’s performance and reduce the amount of chlorine you need to use. This saves you money and minimises the risk of skin and eye irritation for swimmers.

Understanding and managing chlorine levels and pH balance is fundamental to keeping your pool water clean, clear, and comfortable. Regular testing, adjustments, and a good understanding of how these factors interact will ensure your pool remains a source of relaxation and fun all summer.

About Elecro Engineering

At Elecro Engineering, we specialise in manufacturing UV (Ultraviolet) and AOP (Advanced Oxidation Process) systems for pools that deliver superior sterilisation capabilities, combating bacteria, viruses, algae, and fungi that are often impervious to conventional chemical treatments. This ensures your pool remains clean, clear and completely safe for you and your loved ones to enjoy, throughout the season.

We proudly offer two distinct systems: the ‘H.R. UV-C’ and the ‘Quantum’. Both incorporate ultraviolet light and advanced sterilisation technologies to reduce your reliance on conventional chemicals by up to 60% and 80%, respectively. Boasting an average lamp life of 2 years and requiring power equivalent to that of a standard light bulb, you can be confident in their durability, energy efficiency, and consistently exceptional performance.