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WATER CHEMISTRY
1. Check your pool chemicals as noted. Maintain the following numbers:
þ pH: 7.4 (Check daily) þ Chlorine Residual: 1.0 ppm (Check daily)
þ Total Alkalinity (TA): 100ppm (Check weekly)
þ Calcium Hardness: 175ppm minimum (Check monthly)
2. Use cyanuric acid to stabilize the chlorine in the pool. Check it monthly. Forgetting to do this decreases and eliminates the effectiveness of the chlorine and may allow growth of algae and bacteria. Keep it in a range between 25ppm and 100ppm. Allowing it to drop below 25ppm along with a pH level less than 7.0 will cause the liner grow in size and form wrinkles.
3. Avoid using hydrochloric (muriatic) acid for pH adjustment because it will chemically attack the liner’s print pattern. Use hydrochloric acid for total alkalinity reduction only since much of the acid is consumed in the process.
4. Buy a new test kit every year. Inaccurate assessments of your water chemistry are useless and could cause major problems.
5. Never mix different chemicals together when adding them to the pool. Always allow one chemical to disperse throughout the pool by means of water circulation before adding a second chemical. Always predissolve in a bucket of water any chemical added to prevent concentration in any one area.
6. Do not use granular trichloral chlorine in your pool. The grains can fall to the bottom of a pool and bleach the liner. Avoid the use of floating chlorinators because they can come to rest in one area and allow too high a concentration of chlorine in one area.
7. Do not place chlorine tablets in your skimmer basket. It allows too high of a concentration of chlorine to accumulate around the skimmer and around the main drain which will harm the liner.
8. Metals such as iron, copper, and manganese may be present in your water system, especially in rural areas. If their presence is known or suspected, ask your supplier for a metal remover considered safe for vinyl pools.
9. Gas chlorination will cause the colors to fade and could be harmful to the vinyl if the gas comes in direct contact with the vinyl. Gas chlorination also allows the chlorine residual level to exceed the recommendations made by the National Spa and Pool Institute.
10. During hot weather, it’s not uncommon for a pool to lose up to ½" of water per day due to evaporation. Your chemical usage will also increase at that time. Remember to check your pH and chlorine residual daily.