Although swimming pools are meant for recreation, relaxation and physical fitness, they also need to be properly maintained to keep them clean and healthy. Dealing with chemicals is one of the responsibilities that needs to be taken on when becoming a pool owner. And although you won’t need a university degree in chemistry to keep your water properly balanced, you’ll need to learn some basic skills to help keep your water fresh. If you want to know how to put in pool chemicals, we’ve created this guide.
Safety First
Some of the chemicals you’re working with are corrosive and can cause burns. For this reason, it’s important to use eye goggles, gloves, and protective clothing. You should also make note of the wind before you start working, as a strong gust can easily whip up the powders and coat you in nasty chemicals. And of course, also be aware of any children and pets in the area.
Top Up the Pool
You want to make sure your pool water is at its optimum level before you start adding chemicals. Your pool can lose up to four inches of water in a week due to evaporation and splashing. So, if it’s been awhile since you’ve topped it up, make sure you do it before adding chemicals.
Balance The pH
The first step to take before adding any chemicals is to make sure the water’s pH is between 7.2 and 7.4. If it isn’t, you’ll need to add pH increaser or decreaser until the pH is in the proper range. Once your pH is balanced you can start adding other chemicals.
Calcium Chloride
The next thing to test for is water softness. If your water is too hard (contains too much calcium) your water will likely be cloudy, and you’ll begin to experience a build-up of limescale. Ignoring this problem for too long could lead to damage of your water pump and filtration system. Calcium chloride can be used to achieve the ideal water softness.
Chlorine
Chlorine is the last chemical that should be added to the water. If you try and add it before other chemicals, you’ll have a hard time keeping it properly balanced. Chlorine should be added in small quantities as per your test results until you get the right readings. You’ll also need to keep an eye on pH as you’re adding chlorine as it could cause pH levels to fall.
Regular Testing
Once you have all the various chemical levels balanced you should concentrate on a regular testing regime. This will make it easier to keep the water chemistry stable and use less of your time and chemicals in the process. Test the water every other day, or more often when the pool gets heavy use, so you can address any imbalances sooner rather than later.
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