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Once you’ve learned how to test and balance swimming pool water, it helps to have a few key numbers in mind.
In this Sonco Pools & Spas water chemistry training video, we review the primary targets covered throughout the series, including alkalinity, pH, free chlorine, and chloramines.
Sonco recommends maintaining total alkalinity between 80 and 100 parts per million (ppm).
Our recommendation is to stay toward the lower side of the ideal range. Source water and other factors in our area tend to push alkalinity upward, so starting lower provides some additional buffer.
The same basic approach applies to pH.
As fresh water is added to the swimming pool, pH can naturally want to rise. Keeping pH toward the lower side of the ideal range provides some room for that upward movement.
As covered earlier in the Sonco water chemistry training series, our target pH range is approximately 7.2–7.4.
For free chlorine, Sonco’s ideal target is approximately 3 ppm.
Maintaining that exact reading all the time isn’t always realistic. A pool party, heavy swimmer use, hot weather, and intense sunlight can cause the chlorine level to drop.
When that happens, the goal is to react and bring free chlorine back up as soon as possible.
The video discusses three options:
Boosting the salt cell
Adding liquid chlorine
Adding bag shock
Restoring the chlorine level promptly helps prevent the water from becoming cloudy—or eventually turning green.
The final goal discussed in this review is avoiding the presence of chloramines.
Testing for chloramines along with alkalinity, pH, and free chlorine provides pool owners with a much better understanding of what’s happening in their swimming pool water.
Learning to perform these core tests with a Taylor test kit or another drop test kit can put you well ahead when it comes to maintaining healthy, clear swimming pool water.
For professional pool water testing or help understanding your chemistry readings, contact Sonco Pools & Spas at 815-654-7665.
Sonco recommends maintaining swimming pool alkalinity between 80 and 100 ppm. The training suggests staying toward the lower side of that ideal range because source water and other local factors can push alkalinity upward.
The Sonco training series targets approximately 7.2–7.4 pH and recommends staying toward the lower side of the ideal range to provide some buffer as fresh water and other factors cause pH to rise.
Sonco recommends targeting approximately 3 ppm of free chlorine. Heavy swimming, pool parties, hot weather, and strong sunlight can cause chlorine to drop, so the level should be restored promptly when necessary.
The training discusses boosting the salt cell, adding liquid chlorine, or using bag shock to raise free chlorine. The goal is to restore the proper level before the swimming pool becomes cloudy or green.
This training recap focuses on alkalinity, pH, free chlorine, and the presence of chloramines. Being able to test these readings with a Taylor test kit or another drop test kit can help you maintain healthy, clear swimming pool water.