The importance of pH and the impact it has on your swimming pool water.

The pH of your swimming pool water will have a significant impact on the efficiency of your chlorine sanitiser. If the pH is too high (above 7.5) the efficiency of chlorine starts to drop. With a pH reading of 7.8 and above the chlorine will work very slowly and can lead to cloudy/dull water conditions. If the water has turned green it can be difficult to restore clarity.

Another impact of a long-term high pH reading, can be the formation of scale on the walls and floors of the swimming pool and internal pipework, including the plant such as the circulation pump and filter. This situation is further impacted when the water conditions are known to include hard water (scale forming). If this is the case ensure the pH of your water is no higher than 7.5.

However, if the pH is too low water conditions can become unpleasant for bathers and could cause damage to the fabric of the swimming pool, so getting the correct pH balance is vital.

As a rough guide the following offers a guide to the effectiveness of chlorine at 3 key pH readings

·       pH 7.0 - Chlorine efficiency is around 70% (very high)

·       pH 7.5 - Chlorine efficiency is around 45% (normal operating conditions)

·       pH 8.0 - Chlorine efficiency is around 20% (very low – chlorine not working well)

As you can see from the above guide with the correct pH balance, you can achieve the most from the chlorine sanitiser.

To achieve the correct pH balance is straightforward, regularly test the water (we recommend daily) with a Pooltester and follow these easy steps.

To Reduce the high pH, add Pro-Swim Dry Acid (pH Minus) to your swimming pool water.

To increase the pH, Pro-Swim Alkali (pH Plus) to your swimming pool water.

The ideal pH balance should be 7.2 – 7.5

Adopting this simple and straightforward regime will ensure you achieve the maximum benefit from your swimming pool this season.