A ph of 7 4 also gives good chlorine disinfection.
Pool chlorine ph.
The ph scale goes from 0 to 14 where ph 7 is neutral.
If the ph is above 7 the water is basic.
Free chlorine should be maintained at 2 to 4 ppm and ph should be maintained at 7 4 to 7 6.
Whether it s low or high unbalanced ph is the super villain of your pool s germ fighting hero.
In addition it is more difficult to keep chlorine in the pool because while more effective as a sanitizer at the low ph chlorine is also much less stable resulting in the consumption of larger quantities of chlorine than would be used at normal ph levels.
The ph is a measure of the acidity of the water.
Simply put it determines whether your pool is acid or alkaline base.
The optimum ph for pool water is 7 4 since this is the same as the ph in human eyes and mucous membranes.
In this scenario you can add all the chlorine you want and your ph levels will render it useless.
Pool total alkalinity.
For most pool owners chlorine is added using chlorine tablets chlorine granules salt chlorine generators and liquid chlorine.
If it is below 7 the water is acid.
If you have an outdoor pool to prevent the sun from burning off the chlorine in the water you need stabilized chlorine.
A low ph of 7 1 is desirable for shocking and sanitation but 7 4 is best for swimmer comfort surface protection and overall water balance.
Free chlorine 2 0 to 4 0 ppm.
On june 28th if you recall we discussed with pool spa water chemistry expert richard falk the impact of sodium hypochlorite on ph in our piece titled liquid chlorine raises ph or does it.
It has cyanuric acid also known as chlorine stabilizer or pool stabilizer added to it.
Maintaining the ph higher than 7 8 will increase the tendency to form scale or cloudy water.
For normal use your pool s ph should be between 7 4 and 7 6.
Unless the water has a sufficient level of free chlorine algae will grow and make your pool green and cloudy.
Use this pool ph dosage chart to determine the correct amount of pool ph adjustment chemical to add for a desired change in ph level.
The most common sanitizer for swimming pool water is chlorine.
For this post we will focus just on chlorine but ph is a factor in almost all pool water sanitizers effectiveness.
Water s ph level is just a measure of total acid alkalinity balance.
Shocking a pool with too high ph will cause cloudiness.
Unbalanced ph kills chlorine s power.
Richard explained that the ph rise folks typically experience in swimming pools comes from the outgassing of carbon dioxide and not from hypochlorites.
It s important to remember that ph can measure anywhere from 1 to 14 but pool s ideal ranges are 7 2 7 6.
Although chlorine is the single most important component in terms of taking care of your pool it is not independent from the other components of your pool water.