On the other end of the spectrum, once your pH level reaches the high scale, your pool chlorine is rendered basically ineffective and you'll end up with a lot of chloramines in your pool. Finally, we have the ideal level of pH 7.4, which places our pool chlorine effectivity at slightly above 50%.
Pool Chemicals
The chemicals used to sanitize the pool also affect the pH of the water. Granulated or liquid chlorine is alkaline and, therefore, tends to raise the pH level. Bromine is more neutral and has a minimal effect on pH, while chlorine gas is acidic and lowers pH.
When chlorine levels are too high, the water's pH will start to decrease, which can eventually lead to corrosion. However, liquid chlorine has a pH of 13 and can cause the water's pH to increase.
First, the germ-killing power of chlorine varies with pH level. As pH goes up, the ability of chlorine to kill germs goes down. Second, a swimmer's body has a pH between 7.2 and 7.8, so if the pool water isn't kept in this range then swimmers will start to feel irritation of their eyes and skin.
If your pool's chlorine levels are high, it can decrease your pool pH, resulting in acidic water. Pool water that's acidic and has low pH can cause your pool surfaces to corrode and etch, which can hurt the value of your pool.
Remember that a low pH level is crucial to successfully shocking a pool. At a pH level of 8.0, over half of your shock is ineffective and wasted. At a pH level of 7.2, however, over 90% of your shock will become active algae and bacteria killers.
Add sodium carbonate (soda ash) or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to your inground or above ground pool to increase water pH. soda ash is more alkaline than baking soda and raises pH more drastically. baking soda increases pH more subtly and is less harsh than soda ash, which is used in detergents.
It protects your pool filters, pumps and liners from damage. Water with a high pH level reduces chlorine's effectiveness.
Free chlorine has a difficult time sanitizing contaminants as pH increases. Free chlorine should be maintained at 2 to 4 ppm and pH should be maintained at 7.4 to 7.6.
The main problem is that chlorine and pH levels get out of whack and can lead to diarrhea and ear and skin infections. A good chlorine level is between 1.0 and 4.0 parts per million (ppm), while the pH should be between 7.2 and 7.8.
Aim for a pH level of between 7 and 7.6. If the water pH is higher than 8, anyone who swims in the pool is at risk of skin rashes, while a pH of lower than 7 can sting swimmers' eyes. Some of the many factors that can affect your pool's pH level include heavy rain, the number of swimmers in the pool and chemicals.
However, because chlorine tablets lower pH, it means that your water will not need as much acid to keep the water balanced. This also means that the amount of acid you will need to add to your pool will be reduced. This is one reason why chlorine tablets are ideal if you are going away for a period of time.
Unbalanced pH: Unbalanced pH in your pool water can also be a factor for a chlorine lock in your pool water. pH and chlorine go hand in hand when it comes to balanced pool water.
Can you swim in a pool with high pH? Definitely, but know that chlorine in the water may not be as effective as it normally would and you may be exposing yourself to harmful microorganisms. Besides, the water can also turn cloudy and your pool sides may scale due to alkaline water.
Bacteria, algae and microscopic contaminants, such as urine, sweat, sunscreen and beauty products, take a toll on your swimming pool's water chemistry. These substances, when present in your pool water, accelerate chlorine demand and can affect your chlorine's ability to maintain properly sanitized water.
First, as pH goes up, the ability of free chlorine to kill germs decreases, especially if pH is >8.0. Second, as pH goes down, especially if pH is <7.0, the ability of free chlorine to kill germs increases but the pool or hot tub/spa pipes are more likely to corrode or break down.
Two forms of vitamin C, ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate, will neutralize chlorine. Neither is considered a hazardous chemical. First, vitamin C does not lower the dissolved oxygen as much as sulfur-based chemicals do. Second, vitamin C is not toxic to aquatic life at the levels used for dechlorinating water.
Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate is naturally alkaline, with a pH of 8. When you add baking soda to your pool water, you will raise both the pH and the alkalinity, improving stability and clarity. Many commercial pool products for raising alkalinity utilize baking soda as their main active ingredient.
The higher the pH gets, the less effective the chlorine becomes. Balancing the pH first will save you a lot of money on chlorine because you won't be dumping ineffective chemicals into your swimming pool over and over. A pH level of 7.8 or above is considered alkali.
A good rule of thumb is to never mix pool chemicals with each other. After adding Calcium Hypochlorite a user should always wait 24 hours before adding chemicals that would alter their pH. Adjusting pH or Total Alkalinty after adding Calcium Hypochlorite can cause the calcium to temporarily cloud the water.
Once you've determined that the pH level is too high, you should now work to restore the balance. There are two main products for lowering the pH. These are sodium bisulfate (also known as dry acid) and muriatic acid.
When the total alkalinity level is too high, a pH decreaser such as sodium bisulfate is used to lower both the alkalinity and pH level. Whereas, when the total alkalinity level is too low, yet the pH is greater than 6.8, an alkalinity increaser is added to the water.
When the PH of water becomes greater than 8.5, water taste can become more bitter. This elevated pH can also lead to calcium and magnesium carbonate building up in your pipes. While this higher pH doesn't pose any health risks, it can cause skin to become dry, itchy and irritated.