Water Balancing (TA, pH and Calcium)

Total Alkilinity

Total Alkalinity (TA) is the measurement of the amount of alkali present in your pool water. It plays an important part in the control of your pool's pH level, so if you find that you can't control your pH level easily, test your Total Alkalinity. It can easily be measured with a swimming pool testing kit. Ideally you should aim for a level between 80 and 150 mg/l (ppm).

pH Levels

Establishing and maintaining the correct pH is important to determine how effective the chlorine in your pool is, prevent corrosion or scaling up of pool equipment and to ensure the comfort of bathers. The ideal pH level is 7.2 – 7.6. If the pH value is too high, then the effectiveness of the disinfection process (when using chlorine) is reduced. Scale formation may occur, the water could become cloudy and the capability of the filter might be reduced due to blockage. A pH value less than 7 indicates a greater acidic than alkaline content. If the pH value is too low, it is probable that corrosion will occur around the pools fittings. Most importantly, a low pH may lead to skin and eye irritation.

Calcium Hardness

Hardness is the measurement of the amount of calcium salts present in the water. It is normally expressed in milligrams per litre (mg/l) – the concentration of calcium in the water. Water hardness is also increased by water evaporation. Calcium hardness is important (particularly with in-ground pools) because if there is not enough calcium in the water then the water will try to find calcium from the pool's surroundings and fittings. This may cause corrosion problems. On the other hand, too much calcium in the water will lead to calcium deposits (scale formation). Your ideal calcium hardness level should be between 250 and 500 mg/l (ppm).