Swimming Pool Chemicals - Guide To Keeping Water Safe and Healthy

Swimming pools are a coveted addition to any home because of the fact that they are a source of considerable fun and pleasure. Residential pools can provide an array of recreational possibilities and opportunities for people of all ages and can also offer a private place to relax and unwind. Of course, in order to ensure that you can enjoy your pool to the utmost, it's important to keep it well maintained. This includes using pool chemicals to make sure that the pool water is properly balanced on a regular basis.

Maintaining the proper balance{ size: 21cm 29.7cm; margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } A:link { color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline } --> of swimming pool chemicals in your pool water will help to eradicate unwanted pathogens and contaminants that could potentially transmit illnesses to anyone who uses the swimming pool. Accordingly, swimming pool chemicals are very important products when it comes to protecting the health and safety of swimmers. While the multitude of different pool chemicals and products available on the market today may make pool maintenance seem overly confusing, it can actually be fairly straightforward if you stick to tried and tested methods.

Basically, the main goal of pool water maintenance is to keep three main levels within their respective acceptable ranges. These three levels are the sanitizer level, the pH level and the alkalinity level. The sanitizer is the most essential component of a good pool maintenance program as its job is to destroy potentially harmful contaminants such as bacteria. The two most common pool sanitizers are pool chlorine and pool bromine, both of which kill microorganisms by attacking their cell walls and then destroying the internal structures of the cells, rendering them harmless.

Although pool chlorine and pool bromine work in a similar fashion to inhibit and kill pathogens, there are some differences between these two pool chemicals that will likely have an impact on which sanitizer you decide is best for your swimming pool.

Another difference between these swimming pool chemicals is that bromine dissolves far more slowly than chlorine does. As a result of this characteristic, pool bromine needs to be added to a pool through an automatic feeder, whereas pool chlorine can be added manually. However, some pool owners prefer to use bromine because of yet another difference between the two pool chemicals, namely that bromine is not as harsh a chemical as chlorine. This is an important factor to consider for swimmers who have sensitive skin and eyes.

As already mentioned, maintaining the proper balance of swimming pool chemicals also requires attention to the pH and alkalinity levels in the water. The main purpose of balancing these two elements is basically to support the sanitizer, which will function at its best when pH and alkalinity are maintained within particular limits. Put in simple terms, the pH level off your swimming pool is a measure of the number of acid or base ions that are present in the water. The presence of either too many acid ions or too many base ions can prevent the chlorine or bromine from making contact and reacting with bacteria cells.

As for alkalinity, this level is a measure of the amount of alkaline material in the water and reflects the pool's ability to maintain a steady pH level. When a pool's total alkalinity is too low, the pH level can very rapidly and seemingly randomly go up and down. Low alkalinity can also cause irritation to swimmer's eyes, can stain the pool walls and can cause metal corrosion. On the other hand, overly high alkalinity can cause the pool water to become cloudy and will decrease the effectiveness of chlorine and bromine while making the pH level difficult to adjust. It is therefore understandable that maintaining a pool's total alkalinity is a very important part of swimming pool maintenance.

While all this talk about pH and total alkalinity may seem overwhelming, these levels are actually relatively easy to maintain and the necessary adjustments are quite simple to make. Every pool supply retailer offers pool chemicals such as pH decreasers and increasers as well as alkalinity increasers and decreasers that come with straightforward, simple instructions. As long as you follow the product instructions and check the levels in your water on a regular basis, maintaining the balance of your swimming pool chemicals and keeping your pool clean and contaminant-free should not be a difficult task. So simply with the help of the right pool chemicals and some basic knowledge, you can enjoy a healthy, well-maintained pool all season long.