Pool Chlorine Ph

Pool total alkalinity.

Pool chlorine ph.

Shocking a pool with too high ph will cause cloudiness. The optimum ph for pool water is 7 4 since this is the same as the ph in human eyes and mucous membranes. Maintaining the ph higher than 7 8 will increase the tendency to form scale or cloudy water. 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.

Free chlorine should be maintained at 2 to 4 ppm and ph should be maintained at 7 4 to 7 6. The ph is a measure of the acidity of the water. If it is below 7 the water is acid. Free chlorine has a difficult time sanitizing contaminants as ph increases.

It has cyanuric acid also known as chlorine stabilizer or pool stabilizer added to it. In this scenario you can add all the chlorine you want and your ph levels will render it useless. 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 scale goes from 0 to 14 where ph 7 is neutral. The most common sanitizer for swimming pool water is chlorine. If you have an outdoor pool to prevent the sun from burning off the chlorine in the water you need stabilized chlorine. Unless the water has a sufficient level of free chlorine algae will grow and make your pool green and cloudy.

If the ph is above 7 the water is basic. 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. It s important to remember that ph can measure anywhere from 1 to 14 but pool s ideal ranges are 7 2 7 6.

Water s ph level is just a measure of total acid alkalinity balance. For most pool owners chlorine is added using chlorine tablets chlorine granules salt chlorine generators and liquid chlorine. A ph of 7 4 also gives good chlorine disinfection. 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. 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. For shocking it should be between 7 2 and 7 6. For normal use your pool s ph should be between 7 4 and 7 6.

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.