I promise I’ll do my best not to put you to sleep with this pretty boring topic…
Your water is constantly changing. Anything and everything directly and indirectly affects water balance – from sunlight, wind and rain to the oil, dirt and cosmetics which may enter the water.
Continuous filtration and disinfection remove contaminants which keep the water enjoyable, but this is not water balance. I typically define a pool that is “balanced” by having proper levels of pH, Total Alkalinity and Calcium Hardness.
One may also define ‘balanced water’ as water that is neither corrosive or scaling. This concept is derived from the fact that water will dissolve and “hold” minerals until it becomes saturated and cannot hold any more water in solution.
“Scaling Condition”
When water is considerably less than saturated it is said to be in a corrosive or aggressive condition. When water is over saturated, and
can no longer hold the minerals in solution; this is known as a scaling condition. So then, balanced water is that which is neither over or under saturated.
Water which is under saturated will attempt to saturate itself by dissolving everything in contact with it in order to build up its content. Water whichis over saturated will attempt to throw off some of its content by precipitating minerals out of solution in the form of scale.
How do we know when our water is over or under saturated?
I was starting to wonder if you’d ever ask.
After any good rain (one that’s measurable), I would recommend testing the following items…
1. pH
2. Alkalinity
3. Calcium Hardness
Most standard test kits will painlessly test these very important variables. If you don’t have one and you’re looking to pick one up, I would highly recommend grabbing a Taylor Test Kit.
They’re a bit on the pricey side, but it will last for years and years and years…
I hope this note helps you out a bit in better understanding the characteristics of water and what to do after a good rain…
Terry
www.FireYourPoolGuy.com
