ALWAYS CLEAR POOLS INC.

Free Chlorine

Make sure you are measuring "free" chlorine when you test the water. Most test kits measure only "total" chlorine. Free chlorine is chlorine available to kill bacteria in the water, Total chlorine is combination of free and used up chlorine that is already attached to the contaminates in the pool. It wouldn't do you any good to have 2.0 ppm of (total) chlorine if it's all used up by bacteria.

The maximum level for pools is 3.0 ppm

The maximum level for spas is 10.0 ppm

Total AlkalinitySpas & Pools

80 - 120 ppm

Alkalinity is the buffer that controls pH. Test and adjust your Alkalinity first, before testing and adjusting your pH.

Note: Most test kit's measure total Alkalinity. To get carbonate alkalinity subtract 1/3 of total Cyanuric level in the pool from the total alkalinity and adjust accordingly.

To increase: add baking soda

To decrease: add muriatic acid

pH7.4 - 7.6

pH is important to monitor because it has an impact on your sanitizer effectiveness, pool or spa surfaces and equipment.

Try to keep pH around 7.4 to 7.8. pH's below 7.2 tend to etch copper pipes, hurt heater elements. pH around 7.8 is most comfortable for swimmers, but if you're having a big party with twenty kids doing their business "IN" the pool, you might take up all the available chlorine very quickly and the water will no longer be safe for the swimmers. You can only use about 25% of available free chlorine when the pH is 7.8 and about 65% when the pH is 7.4

To increase: add soda ash

To decrease: add muriatic acid

Calcium HardnessSpas & Pools

200 - 400 ppm

You need a certain hardness in the water. Too soft of water (low hardness) will cause the water to dissolve plaster in pool (plaster pools & spas only) and metal in your pool & spa equipment.

Too much hardness (high hardness) and you will get scale formation on the walls and the water will be cloudy.

To increase: add calcium

To decrease: partially drain pool and refill.

Note: When water evaporates the minerals in the water are left behind and the water slowly gets harder. So every now and then you need to partially drain the pool to soften the water with fresh, soft water from your faucet unless you live in Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Arizona, and southern California where new pool start up don't require Calcium Chloride because the water from the faucet is hard enough.

Cyanuric Acid (Conditioner)Spas & Pools

30 - 70 ppm

This is used to stabilize the sanitizer (only chlorine) in your pool or spa. There is NO stabilizer for Bromine. If there was no Cyanuric Acid the chlorine level would be real low the next day after adding chlorine. The Tri Chlor 3" tablets have Cyanuric Acid in them. If you use them a lot and don't supplement with Liquid Chlorine (Sodium Chloride) then it will keep going up and up I recomend to not go over a 100 ppm on Cyanuric Acid because from my personal expirience I have seen pools have problems when it reaches too high eg: 150-200+ ppm.

To increase: add Cyanuric Acid

To decrease: partially drain and refill

Phosphates

What are Phosphates?

Phosphates are biological building blocks that are formed when phosphates exist in many different forms. Most of these come from natural sources such as rivers, lakes, oceans or mined rock. The U.S. is one of the largest producers of phosphate rock.

Phosphate is termed a "pollutant" and is primarily used in soaps, detergents, shampoos and even soda pop. Other phosphate sources include fertilizers, organic debris such as leaves and bark, and some pool chemicals. Phosphate pollution in lakes and streams is caused mainly by overdevelopment, which causes extreme amounts of byproduct waste to end up in natural water systems.

A.K.A : "Algae Food"

125 ppb or less <- note! parts per billion

To decrease: add "PhosFREE"