Guide to Pool Chemicals

Swimming pools offer considerable pleasure to their owners, which is why they continue to be a staple of comfortable living across the nation. More than simple watering holes, the finest pools can offer peace and tranquility year-round. Add in the wide variety of exercise and recreational possibilities they afford and it’s no wonder so many Americans spend hours every month maintaining their pools for perfect health. If you already own a pool, you may have noticed that even the best laid plans can go awry over time.

The truth is that maintaining a swimming pool can be exceptionally difficult, particularly if yours is prone to unwanted pests and pathogens. The problem gets more confusing still when you begin to research the topic and discover just how much conflicting advice exists out there. Many of the so-called “experts” are simply hawking their unique chemical compounds, and it can be difficult to know which of these represent genuine breakthroughs and which could pose a hazard to your filtration system and family. Thankfully there are a few general categories of pool chemicals that have been tested, deployed and studied for many years to ensure they are safe to use.

Most pool owners know by now that the name of the game in pool maintenance is to keep the “big three” – chlorine, pH and alkalinity – within acceptable limits. Let’s start with chlorine, the essential biocide in any pool and its most important ally in the battle against infestation. Chlorine is useful in that it inhibits bacterial growth practically on contact, breaking down cellular walls and disrupting essential metabolic paths. Maintaining the chlorine level in your pool – the ideal range is 1 - 1.5 ppm – is the only way to ensure you will not drink in unwanted visitors with every dip.

The confusion around chlorine is that it tends to break down rather quickly under the sun’s rays. Chlorine is already considered an unstable molecule – this is why it reacts with bacteria so readily – and that extra shot of energy can greatly diminish its concentration. This is why many experts recommend so-called “stabilized” chlorine in disc or granulated form, a more sophisticated blend of chlorine types that should retain its chemical potency far longer during the hot summer months. If you don’t relish the though of monitoring your pool’s chlorine level every few hours, time-savers such as these may be precisely what you’re looking for.

The other two elements of the big three exist primarily to support the chlorine. Some homeowners blanch at the prospect of maintaining pH, assuming they need a doctorate in chemistry to make sense of this balancing act. In fact, there is no great mystery behind pH or how it works – simply put, the number is a measure of how many acid or base ions are roaming around your pool. Too much of either one and the chlorine will not make contact with bacteria, so it’s essential to stay within a reasonable range, usually between 7.2 and 7.8. As with chlorine, you can regulate this number rather easily with store-bought items that come with simple instructions, adding whichever “side” you need to regain balance.

Alkalinity is the one that sounds most confusing, especially to people who associate the word with batteries and little else. In fact, the number refers to the pool’s ability to effectively maintain a steady pH. Go outside that range and the pH level could quickly spin off the charts, rendering your chlorine content essentially useless. Thankfully you only need to add store-bought products here as well to maintain an acceptable range of 80 – 120 ppm. Check frequently and you should have no troubles.

But what to do if a problem has arisen despite all your efforts? The list of treatment chemicals is longer than the number of things that can go wrong, so it is essential to read labels and be vigilant about protecting your home from untested compounds. Calcium and sodium hypochlorite are generally considered safe, while water softeners and conditioners may be used often to combat ongoing problems with your city’s water supply. Exercise some caution, however, for brand-name items that recommend themselves as the only known “cure” for algae. Usually such problems can be solved less expensively using conventional shocks and algaecides.

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