Crystal clear pools are easy

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

Crystal clear pools are easy when the water is chemically balanced

Many homeowners categorically refuse to install a swimming pool on their property because they don’t want to handle the upkeep and maintenance. Their neighbor’s pool is so neglected it looks like swamp monsters will emerge from it and they want no part of that.

Yes, both maintenance and upkeep are required but if you stay on top of things, you should be able to maintain a sparkling blue swimming area. Crystal clear pools are easy to achieve; really.

Water Color

The color of the water depends on the iron content, pH levels and alkalinity of the H2o. The acidity of water is the pH level and the alkalinity refers to the water’s ability to defy changes in pH. Alkaline keeps pH in check and from getting too high or too low.

If the pH level is off, it messes up the balance. The water can become too acidic and not safe or comfortable to swim in. Acidic water aggravates eyes and skin. It can also wreak havoc on the pool equipment and lining. If the water is too alkaline, this leads to prickly skin, scales on the equipment and hazy water.

When water is green, this means it needs to be shocked. Shocking the water is achieved by adding chlorine, which returns the water to a blue hue. Shocking kills contaminates and bacteria and thwarts the formation of algae. When contaminates collect this turns water green.

Shock

Shocking water in a swimming pool is another way of saying ‘super chlorinating’ water. The chlorine in the water is raised to 10 times its normal level. The big amount of chlorine oxidizes all organic matter it encounters. This is called break-point chlorination.

Shocking should, ideally, be done once a week. Some people regularly use slow dissolving chlorine tablets in the water, which work well to release chlorine slowly, but this approach may not provided the concentrated chlorine required to shock.

Some use non-chlorine or potassium monopersulphate shock, the advantage being you can get in the water within 15 minutes, which you can’t do when using straight-up chlorine. You can, of course, use liquid chlorine or granulate chlorine if you are not getting back into the water for several hours.

Shocking should be done at night after that last midnight dip. Chlorine dissolves faster at night than in the day.

Hazy Water

Micro-particulate matter suspended in water prevents turbidity or the passage of light, creating milky, hazy water. These particles of matter make it difficult if not impossible for chemicals and filters to sanitize the water properly.

When the temperature is high and the water pH level is out of whack this can make the situation worse. Products called clarifiers enhance the efficacy of the sanitation and filtration processes and clear up murky water.

Foamy

Water turns foamy when there are air leaks or cosmetic or body oil residue or algaecides in the water. Using stick clarifiers keeps the water clean and clear. The clarifier oxidizes fine suspended particles.

Blue but cloudy water is the result of algae. It can also be caused by poor water circulation. Check the filter system. It is working? A swimming area situated in a sheltered, shady place rather than under the full sun tends to become cloudy. A pool that isn’t used regularly can get cloudy.

Suntan lotion lives a film on the water’s surface as well as on the bottom, which makes the floor slick. Water is definitely not going to be crystal clear when it is full of lotion.

Cover the water when spraying fertilizer. If you don’t, the fertilizer gets into the water, causing it to cloud up.

Check the various parts of the pool. Has anything rusted and become corroded? You may need new parts.

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Crystal clear pools are easy

By Catalogs Editorial Staff