The swimming pool offers an ideal spot to beat the heat and stay cool during scorching summer days.
However, to enjoy this luxury all year round, it’s necessary to follow basic care tips like:
- Regular cleaning
- Shock the pool
- Vacuum weekly
- Remove dead leaves and other debris
- Maintain pool chemistry
Invest in an electric pool cover or set up a pool enclosure that offers long-term protection to your pool. When it comes to balancing water chemistry, a slight up and down in recommended level can create a huge difference and make the pool unsafe for swimming.
But that’s not all!
Some other risks associated with the unbalanced pool chemistry are:
1. Skin infections
Swimming in a pool having disturbed chemical levels can pose risks to your health and can cause serious skin problems like:
- Rashes
- Hot tub folliculitis
- Fungal infection
- Itchy red bumps
So, maintaining the right chemical level is necessary to enjoy a problem-free swimming experience.
2. Corrosion
Poor pool chemistry can make water corrosive and decays the iron and steel components like heaters, motors, pumps, etc.
Corroded equipment doesn’t work effectively and can make your water unfit to swim in.
The rusting of pool equipment is inevitable but the process can be slowed down by maintaining the chemical level.
- pH – 7.4 to 7.6
- Total Alkalinity – 80 to 120 ppm
- Calcium Hardness – 200 to 400 ppm
- Cyanuric Acid – 20 to 50 ppm
- Free Chlorine – 2.0 to 4.0 ppm
You may go through: Top 5 Tips in Designing Your Swimming Pool
3. Cloudy water
A pool having high or low levels of chlorine, pH, total alkalinity, and calcium hardness can turn your pleasant oasis into a giant bowl of milk.
For instance, high calcium levels can be one of the reasons behind the cloudy pool and can also clog the filter with calcium deposits.
It is not safe and healthy to swim in a cloudy swimming pool.
4. Algae growth
If you notice your pool turning green, then it is most probably because of the unbalanced water chemistry.
Poor water balance can make your pool a breeding ground for algae and bacteria.
These microorganisms can affect you and your pool in many ways:
- Clogged filters and pumps
- Unclean pool
- Skin infections
- Cloudy water
- Degrade and stain pool surfaces
5. Plaster problems
Pool plaster ensures the long life of your swimming pool.
However, with the passage of time, it can degrade even in a well-maintained pool.
So, what causes cracking, scaling, or etching of pool plaster?
The main culprit behind plaster deterioration is improper water chemistry.
For instance, if your pool has a high alkaline level, it can cause etching on plaster surfaces.
This can make the pool surface feel like sandpaper and can lead to a host of other problems.
In the end…
Maintaining the pool chemistry is a vital part of overall maintenance.
There are many factors that can affect the pool chemistry like rain, microorganisms, poor filtration, and other elements.
It’s important to keep a check on water chemistry to avoid potential problems and prevent costly repairs.
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