The Importance Of Keeping Your Ph Balanced
Posted on: 24 July 2023
Owning a swimming pool will quickly turn you into a chemist. When performing pool maintenance, it is essential to understand the importance of all the required chemicals. None is more important than your potential for hydrogen or pH levels. When balanced, your Ph ensures that your water looks and feels good. When unbalanced, it can cause a lot of unwanted things to happen. Here are a few reasons to check and ensure you keep this critical chemical in a proper range between 7 and 7.6.
1. Unbalanced pH Damages Your Pool
After spending a large sum of money to install your pool, you want it to last as long as possible. You and your family will likely ensure that you do not put anything in your pool that could damage it. Unfortunately, if you do not maintain a proper pH, you could be doing precisely that.
Both high and low pH levels can damage your pool. Low pH can do the following:
Deteriorate liners in vinyl pools - Low pH can cause your vinyl liners to stretch and grow, creating unsightly wrinkles in the material. These wrinkles can then cause dirt and grime to get trapped in the crevices, potentially causing small debris to poke holes in the material. The wrinkles also make it harder to clean your pool which causes an increase in dirt and grime.
Corrode plaster in gunite pools - When your pH levels fall below 7.0, your water becomes very acidic. The acidic water will etch your plaster, stone, grout, and tiling. The etching will sometimes create a marbling effect but will require you to re-plaster your pool sooner than expected.
Damage your metal surfaces - Low pH can also cause damage to the numerous metal surfaces within your pool. These surfaces include your steps, handrails, light fixtures, filters, and heaters.
2. Unbalanced pH Cost You Money
When you have a high pH level, it does not interact with your chlorine the way it should. You will use more chlorine to achieve the same impact. Unbalanced pH will also throw off your other chemical levels. High pH leaches minerals out of other chemical solutions, leading to murky water and damaging mineral deposits.
3. Unbalanced pH Can Affect Your Health
When your pH levels are unbalanced, you will notice it affecting your eyes and nose. The acidic water strips your body of natural oils, leaving you dry and itchy after swimming. It can damage your hair by making it more brittle and can change its color.
To learn more about pool maintenance, contact a professional near you.
Share