Why Good Pool Water Balance

The short answer is, "yes, but usually not."  The fact of the matter is that you can have a pool with crystal clear water but is a chemical nightmare. A brief explanation and answer is if the water isn't properly balanced, you're not safe, the pool & its components (filter, pump, heater, pool surfaces, fittings, etc) just won't last long, and finally, you'll be wasting your money!

Here's what we mean:

Pool Water balancing for you & your body:  When the pH & Total alkalinity are out of balance, your chlorine, bromine or other sanitizer don't work as efficiently as they should.  When the sanitizer doesn't work efficiently, bacteria & other stuff you don't want in your spa start gaining control.  You could easily end up with skin rashes and eye irritations at least.

For further information & a true but extreme story on pH and your body, please click here

Pool Water balancing for your pool: Without proper chemical maintenance, you can get water line scum build-up, much shortened heater life (the heater either corrodes away due to low pH & Total Alkalinity; we've seen people buy 2 heaters in one season because they don't think they need to balance their water!) or scale build-ups (high pH, high Total Alkalinity, high Total Hardness) prevent efficient heating (scaling of the thickness of just 1 sheet of paper can easily cause you to use at least 10% MORE electricity or gas), clogged filters and shortened filter life.  Left completely alone, we've even seen pool liners become faded & brittle & other damage because of it's constant contact with out-of-balance water.  You didn't buy your pool for that mess!

Remember that the source water for filling your pool can have certain properties that can cause chemical changes as you top off your pool; especially pH, total alkalinity, calcium hardness & metals & minerals.  If your tap water is "soft" or "hard", those chemical make ups, make a difference.  The use of water softeners makes a difference.  Typically, the tap water in the local Bridgeport-New Haven, Connecticut area is very soft compared to the rest of the USA. We do NOT have hard water issues; we can have some metal & mineral issues.

Rain water can dramatically effect your water balance, depending on its pH & obviously the quantity of rain.  The pH of rain varies across the country generally becoming more acidic as you go from west to east.  As rain falls, it carries down particulate matter that is suspended in the air.  This suspended particulate is dust, dirt, soot, chemicals, even bird droppings. 

Also keep in mind that rain water (especially when heavy or copious) can add to chlorine demand.

Wasting money:  I think you're beginning to understand the reason why good water balance can save you money from the above information. You'll be purchasing more chemicals when you don't need them.  More frequent filter changes (proper cleaning of the filter cartridge should give a life of 2 to 3 years minimum).  Par Pool & Spa wants you to have fun.  Proper water balancing, testing & care shouldn't take more than 15 to 20 minutes per week on average.

If there is a question you need answered, please call  , and we'll talk to you right away.

For your convenience, you may also email us ( techhelp@parpools.com ) your question and we will reply usually within two business days. Please note that as the season becomes busier, we may not be able to answer it as quickly as you might need.

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