Helpless Female Studies Swimming Pool Chemicals

My engineer husband has had fun building me a pool, but he made it clear that I would be in charge of water maintenance.  This did not seem so daunting when the visions of my pool only floated in the sunlight of my mind.  When he actually filled the pool with water, I began to panic.

I think it was two years of college as a biochemistry major, then actually getting my Bachelor of Science in nursing that created this mental state.  Chemistry was a questionable representation of reality followed by a test.  I should have realized after nearly 30 years of teaching my 7 children at home that I can learn anything that is important enough to me.  (For those of you not familiar with home based education, rest assured that they have been periodically graduating and going to college.)  😉

Instead, I fell victim to the idea that I needed to be an expert.  I had daymares of my pool turning slimy green, then forming a thick scum from which burst forth The Creature From The Black Lagoon.  I never actually saw that whole movie, just 30 second clips, but I know he is out there.

Snake River Pool and Spa did a great job getting me set up with the chemicals.  I followed their handout and put in the starter brew.  But, I didn’t understand how to proceed from there.  I would read the labels on the containers, research the internet, and read books donated by friends, only to come away feeling like an American does while in Britain.  It’s all the same words, but you have no clue what was just said.

The only thing I knew how to do with confidence was dip those pH strips into the sample of water.  I did finally buy a test kit similar to this: Poolmaster 22260 Basic 5-Way Test Kit with Case, and that was kind of fun. I felt the mad scientist in me being unleashed! Bwaha haha!  It was inspiring.

It occurred to me that I needed a source of chemicals and advice that was closer to home.  Canyon Pools and Spas was recommended to me and is only 10 minutes away right here in Nampa.  I found that they could explain it all in a way I could grasp.  I went home with new hope.  Then, I went back to the store with paper and a pen, because I found my helpless female memory to be questionable.  Here is what I learned:

• The ideal level for Chlorine is 1 – 1.5 parts per million (or milligrams of chlorine in 1 liter of water)  Measurements higher or lower than this are not too important unless something is growing or the Chlorine level is super high.
• The color of the test water for Chlorine needs to be read right away.  After a couple of minutes the test is measuring what is called “chloramines” or a build up of unused Chlorine which isn’t doing any good, and causes that strong pool odor in public pools.

• The ideal level for pH is 7.2 – 7.8. If the pH is too high (alkaline) the Chlorine is “locked up” and not as effective. If the pH measures too low (acidic), the Chlorine is used at an unnecessarily high rate. But again, it doesn’t need to be exact.

  

• The most economical way to keep the pool chlorinated is with sticks in a floating basket at the end of the pool farthest away from the filter. I want to avoid having the chlorine dissolving right into the filter system (such as by being placed in the skimmer, where the water exits the pool to begin its journey through the filtering system). This wears out the filter.

  

• Something called alkalinity is measured. This one has been confusing to me.  While it is related to pH, it is reported in the “parts per million” unit (ppm) and seems to have more to do with substances in the water that combine with the ions that would let the pH swing too wildly.   For a vinyl pool, it is best if this measures between 125 – 175 ppm.  So, these levels are important because in this range the water is buffered to hold the pH in range.

  

• During the winter months, the pool doesn’t need as many chemicals, even when held at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This is partly because there is so much less sunlight. Also, the outside air is too cold for many things to be transported alive in it. (Except the flu virus, of course, which doesn’t live in swimming pools  🙁  )  Not many people are swimming in an outdoor pool in Idaho in the middle of winter, so this is not well documented….
• When the usage of the pool increases, it is useful to add Potassium to “shock” any lingering bacteria to death.  Some people call super chlorinating “shocking,” but since the bacteria have likely built up a resistance to the ever present Chlorine, Potassium is more effective.  Potassium also does not stick around in the pool for long, so swimming can resume as soon as 15 minutes after the Potassium shock.  However, night is probably the best time to do this.  In the warm months, this should probably be done once a week.  If there is a big party, it might need to be done more.  If this is done, the pool should never need super chlorination.
• It would probably be good if I started using the algicide regularly.  It doesn’t take very much.  It will be most important once the temperatures are running in the 50s to 60s regularly.
• Sometimes the swimming pool water gets cloudy simply because some of the particles or bacteria in the water are too small to be swept up by the filter.  This can be taken care of by using a polymer, such as Super Blue (labeled as a biodegradable water polisher), that captures the teeny particles and makes them bigger.  I have had to do this once and it worked like a charm.
• If you go to the swimming pool store for help, you should always take the bottles of the chemicals that you are using.  Every company makes them differently and at various concentrations.  Having this information can help with diagnosing problems.
• Chlorine, ozone, and bromine (which is a form of Chlorine) all do the same thing in sanitizing the pool.
• If the pool smells “sour,” the problem is probably organic.  If it smells like Chlorine, it is probably out of balance chemically somehow.
• Everyone’s water is different, so you can’t chemically treat your pool like your friends do, based on their experience with their pools or spas.

The folks at Canyon Pools and Spas will test your pool or spa water for free and explain everything you need to know about taking care of it.  If they can help me understand, they can help anyone.  If there is a problem, they will work with you to get it figured out, even coming to look at the pool if they need to.

Canyon Pools and Spas
623 3rd St S, Nampa, ID 83651
(208) 467-5151
(please note that their website always gets redirected to a store in Texas for some reason!)

But you need to be honest about how you really have been treating the water.  They can’t make good decisions if your biggest goal is not being embarrassed about not maintaining the chemicals faithfully.  Since, I, the helpless female, am perfectly aware of my ignorance, this was not an issue.  And now I am relaxed about being able to keep my swimming pool fun and clean for the spring and summer ahead!

(Read how the helpless female learned to vacuum the pool here.)
(If you need to drain your pool, read how my engineer did it here.)