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.
Pool chlorine ph.
Free chlorine should be maintained at 2 to 4 ppm and ph should be maintained at 7 4 to 7 6.
Water s ph level is just a measure of total acid alkalinity balance.
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.
If you have an outdoor pool to prevent the sun from burning off the chlorine in the water you need stabilized chlorine.
Richard explained that the ph rise folks typically experience in swimming pools comes from the outgassing of carbon dioxide and not from hypochlorites.
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.
The ph is a measure of the acidity of the water.
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.
Unbalanced ph kills chlorine s power.
The ph scale goes from 0 to 14 where ph 7 is neutral.
For this post we will focus just on chlorine but ph is a factor in almost all pool water sanitizers effectiveness.
The most common sanitizer for swimming pool water is chlorine.
Pool total alkalinity.
Free chlorine has a difficult time sanitizing contaminants as ph increases.
The cyanuric acid protects the chlorine so it stays in the water three to five times longer which means it s more effective at keeping the pool clean and doesn.
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.
Free chlorine 2 0 to 4 0 ppm.
It s important to remember that ph can measure anywhere from 1 to 14 but pool s ideal ranges are 7 2 7 6.
For shocking it should be between 7 2 and 7 6.
If the ph is above 7 the water is basic.
For normal use your pool s ph should be between 7 4 and 7 6.
It has cyanuric acid also known as chlorine stabilizer or pool stabilizer added to it.
Simply put it determines whether your pool is acid or alkaline base.
Unless the water has a sufficient level of free chlorine algae will grow and make your pool green and cloudy.
Maintaining the ph higher than 7 8 will increase the tendency to form scale or cloudy water.
Shocking a pool with too high ph will cause cloudiness.
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 optimum ph for pool water is 7 4 since this is the same as the ph in human eyes and mucous membranes.