Pool Chemicals 101: What You Need To Know

Wouldn’t it be nice if you can just fill your pool with water, and never be concerned about algae growth, or bacteria build up, or the water becoming a nasty hotbed for all types of nasty impurities and organisms? Of course, testing the water and adding pool chemicals on a routine basis takes time and is monotonous, but it is unquestionably necessary.

Some work ahead of time will mean a lot fewer corrective measures later when the pool becomes teeming with algae, and/or so imbalanced, the only fix is to drain the pool completely and start over. Whereas keeping the pool clean and sanitized might not be the most enjoyable of tasks, but they are also not hard. All you need is a little fundamental pool chemistry knowledge, the correct equipment and materials, and a want to maintain your pools cleanliness to keep it swimmable.

Preventative Pool Maintenance

Every two to three days, a wise pool owner will inspect water levels, test their pool chemicals, and skim the pool for debris and empty out baskets. Severely low water levels can harm your pool pump. For those that don’t have an in-floor pool cleaning system, you’ll also have to brush the pool steps. The easiest way in keeping your pool clean is to remove debris prior to it reaching the pool bottom.

With the number pool chemicals available, it can be challenging to comprehend what role they all play in keeping the pool water ideally balanced.

What pool chemicals are the most important?

Some of the most vital pool chemicals are algaecides, pH balancers, sanitizers, hardness balancers, alkalinity balancers, and pool shock.

What is the role of these pool chemicals?

Below is a short description of pool chemicals used in pool maintenance. Read on to learn more about pool chemicals.

Algaecides

Algaecides are used to put an end of algae growth in the pool and to stop upsurges from occurring in the first place.

pH Balancers

pH balancers are used to sustain healthy pH ranges in your pool, in which is vital to the pool’s overall health.

Sanitizers

Sanitizers are probably the most vital chemical you can use to kill off bacteria and to keep viruses, algae, and other impurities from developing in the pool water. The 2 most general sanitizers are bromine and chlorine.

Hardness Balancers

Hardness balancers are intended to keep your swimming pool in the ideal 200 – 300 ppm (parts per million) range of Calcium Hardness.

Alkalinity Balancers

Alkalinity balancers are utilized to keep a safer total alkalinity range for an enjoyable swimming experience.

Pool Shock

Pool Shock cleans your pool when the sanitizer is overloaded, following heavy rainfall, or after a large number of individuals have been in the pool (for instance a pool party). Shocking the pool removes bacteria without shifting the chlorine levels and goes a long way in maintaining its balance. It can be easily forgotten to shock your pool, but a good pool owner will check sanitizer levels, prior to shocking the pool.

Utilize Pool Water Testing Strips or Your Local Pool Store

One thing to bear in mind when it comes to using pool chemicals is you need to use test strips at home or take a pool water sample to pool store near you to establish which ones you’ll need at any moment. This can be tiring, complex, and annoying, but fortunately nowadays there are digital pool test kits to aid in balancing your pool water whole a lot simpler.

Why are pool chemicals required?

Being a pool owner, it’s your responsibility to use the correct chemical care to maintain a healthy body swimming pool for you, your family and your visitors. An unhealthy pool may result in health issues and cause harm to those who swim in it.