Having a pool is a great asset for any home. After all, according to pool maintenance experts, not only can a pool help improve your home’s overall value, but it can also give you some form of relief during the hot summer days. However, before you can get around to swimming in your pool, there are a few things that you first need to handle, and one of them is ensuring that your pool has the right pH level.
When it comes to the topic of your home’s pool, it’s likely that you’ve heard your pool expert talk about its pH levels. When it comes to this, it’s vital that you listen to your professional as maintaining the right pH levels for your pool is extremely important. But why exactly does the pH level of your home’s pool matter in the first place?
1. It Helps Preserve Pool Equipment
It’s important that you get your pool’s pH levels right due to a myriad of reasons. For instance, the right pH level can easily help preserve the equipment that makes your pool work properly. This equipment includes pumps, ladders and even the pool’s plaster. According to experts, if the pH levels are too high, it can lead to scaling in the pool. If the pH levels are too low, on the other hand, then the pool equipment can eventually corrode and break down, forcing you to spend a significant amount on repairs. With that in mind, be sure to keep your pool’s pH levels as balanced as possible with the aid of a professional.
2. It Determines Water Clarity
Swimming in hazy or murky water is something that no homeowner will ever want to experience. After all, just looking at it can make you feel unpleasant. Apart from that, since a pool often compliments the rest of your yard, you’ll want the water to look as pristine as possible. With that in mind, if your pool water becomes hazy or murky, you should get a pool maintenance expert to check its pH levels to see just how unbalanced it is and have them rectify the problem while they’re at it.
3. It Can Affect Your Health
If you swim in a pool with an unbalanced pH level, chances are you’ll experience adverse effects to your health, such as eye and skin irritations. This is because if your pool’s pH level is too low or high, it won’t just sting your eye and nasal passages, but it can also strip your body of its natural oils. This can result in dry and itchy skin as well as brittle hair. Therefore, to prevent this from happening, don’t hesitate to have a professional inspect your pool and its pH levels every now and then to ensure that it remains balanced.
4. It Keeps Your Water Clean
The right pH levels can help keep your water as clean as possible. This is due to the fact that the more unbalanced your pool’s pH levels are, the less effective the chlorine will be. This can be a problem for you because, not only will you be swimming in dirty water, but you might also spend a significant amount on adding chlorine to your pool, only to still have unclean water.
For assistance in keeping your pool’s pH levels as balanced as possible, look no further than the experts of Pool and Patio Pros to get the job done.
5. It Keeps Your Pool in Good Condition
Finally, unbalanced pH levels can damage your pool if left unattended. In fact, if your pool’s pH levels are too low, it can damage the vinyl liners attached to your pool and create unsightly wrinkles as a result. If the pH levels are too high, meanwhile, the vinyl liner will deteriorate earlier than expected, requiring a replacement that you may not be financially prepared to handle. This means that if you suspect that your pool is suffering from an imbalance in pH levels, enlist the services of a maintenance expert immediately to have the problem rectified.
How to Maintain the Right pH Levels for Your Pool
Some homeowners aren’t certain just what the right pH level for a pool is. According to experts, since the pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, the pH level where a pool will be considered balanced ranges from 7.2 to 7.6 with 7.4 being the most ideal level to achieve. If your pool’s pH levels are at zero, it indicates a high level of acidity in the water that can result in health problems for you and your family. If your pool’s pH levels are too high, meanwhile, it means that the pool water is too high in alkalinity and can render your pool’s chlorine useless. Therefore, it’s important that your pool achieves the right pH levels at all times.
While achieving the right pH levels for your pool may sound difficult to pull off, experts say that doing so is actually fairly simple. Just grab some test strips, and monitor your pool’s pH levels with it. To do so, go to an area away from the skimmer and returns, and hold a test strip 18 inches beneath the water for 10 seconds. Remove the strip, and wait for the colors to fill in before comparing it to the color range on the product container.
If the test strips show that your pool’s pH levels are too low or too high, you can use pH increasers or decreasers to balance it out. Simply follow the instructions on the product packaging, and the problem should be solved. On the other hand, if you aren’t too keen on testing your pool on your own, you can always enlist the services of a pool maintenance professional to get the job done for you.
Looking for someone who can help you maintain your pool’s pH levels? Don’t hesitate to turn to Pool and Patio Pros. With years of experience under our belts, we are dedicated to providing homeowners like yourself with nothing but the best service when maintaining, cleaning or renovating your pool. Give us a call, or text us, at (480) 555-9930 or fill out our contact form to get in touch with us.