CHEMICAL
BALANCE
POOL
ANDSPA
WATER
It ls importantlo your
heaiet
Your
Tropiclsle
pool
heater
wasdesignedspecilically
for
your
spaor pool
andwillgiveyou
many
years
ot trouble
freeservice
provided
you
keep
your
waterchemistry
in
pro'
oer
condition.
Thethree
maioritemsthat
cancause
problems
with
your
gool
heaterare
pH,
Chlorine
ResidualandTotal
Alkalinity.
Thesethings
if notkeptinproper
balance
willcause
your
pool
heaterto
torm
calcium
orlime
in
thetubes
ottheheat
exchanger
whichcanshorten
the lile of the heaterand
create
damage.
WHATCHLORINE
DOES
Two pool guests
you do not want arealgaeand bacteria.
Toget ridot themand make poolwater
sanitary
tor swim'
ming - as well as to improvethe water'staste,odor and
clarity- somesort of diainfectenl
must beused.
Chlorine,
universally
approvedbyhealthauthorities,
isthe
accepteddisinfecting
agent
forbacteria.
And,by
maintain'
ing a freechlorine
residualor no lessthan 0.6
ppm(parts
permillion),algae
can also be prevented.
WHATISCHLORINE
RESIDUAL?
Whenyou addchlorineto the pool water,a portion
of the
chlorine will be consumed in the process ol deslroying
bacteria, algae and othet oxidizable materials. The
chlorine remaining is called chloline residual.
You can
determinethe chlorine
residualot yourpool waterwith a
reliabletest kit,available
lrom yourGuardex
dealer.
Youmusl mainlain
a lreechlorine
residual
leveladequale
enough
to assute
a continuous
kill ot bacteria
or virusin-
troduced into pool water by swimmers,
through the air,
fromdust,
rainorother
sources.Since
chlorine
residual
is
lowered by sunlight (ils ultraviolet rays decompose
chlorine)
it is impossible
to mainlain a constant residual
tevelwith most torms of chlorine unless a mechanical
device
- a Hypochlorinator
- is usedto feed the chlorine
compound
coniinuouslY.
Whetheror not you havesuch a
device,it is wise to test
pool water regularly,
never
allowing chlorine residualto
dtop below
0.6
ppm(parts
permillion),the minimum level
lor effectivechlorinaiion.
RULE:
Maintaina chlorine
residual
no lowerthan0.6
ppm
CONTROL
pH
ThetermDH
teferstotheacidalkaline
balanceot
waterex-
pressed
ona numericalscale
from0 to 14.A testkit for
measuring
pH
balanceof
your
pool
water
isavailable
from
your
swimming
pool
dealer.
pH
CHART
Acid Neutral StronolvAlkaline
o12345678910 11121314
MuriaticAcidhasa
pH
ofabout
0.Pure
wateris7
(neutral).
WeakLyesolutionshavea pH
of 13-14.
RULE:7.4
to7.6isadesirable
pH
range.
It isessential
to maintain
correct
pH.
lf pHbecomestoo
high
(over
alkaline)
it hastheseetfects.
1.Greatly
lowerstheabilityofchlorine
todestroy
bacteria
andalgae,
2. Waterbecomescloudy.
3. There
ismoredangerofscale
formalionon
the
plaster
orinthecoilsotthe
heater.
4. Filtermaybecome
blocked.
lf pH
istoo
low
(over
acid)there
maybe:
1. Excessive
eyeburnorskinirritation.
2. Etchingotthe
plaster.
3. Corrosionot
metalfixtures
inthe
tiltrationandrecircul-
ationsystem,
whichmaycreate
brown,blue,
green,
or
som'etimes
almostblack
slainsonthe
plaster.
4. Corrosionof copper
in the heater,
whichmaycause
leaks.
5. lfyou
haveasandand
gravel
filter,thealum
usedasa
filteraidmaydissolve
and
pass
through
thefilter.
CAUTION:
Do
not
test
for
pH
whenthechlorine
residual
is0.8or
higher,toavoidafalsereading.Some
testkits,
such as the Guardex
4-in-1Test Kit, contain
a de-
chlorinatortoenable
you
tocheck
pH
inthe
presence
ol
higherchlorine
residuals.
RULE:Chemicalsthat are acid lower
pH.Chemicals
thatare
alkalineraise
pH.
ALKALINITY
High
- Low
"Total
alkalinity"
isameasurement
ofthetotal
amountof
alkalinechemicals
inthewater
andcontrols
pH
to
agreal
degree.
(lt
is
notthesame
as
pH
which
retersmerelytothe
relativealkalinity
acidity
balance.)
Your
pool
water'stolal
atkaliniiy
should
be adiusted
to 80-100
ppm to permit
easieroH
control.
A total alkalinity
test is simple
to pertorm,
using
the
Guardex
4-in-1
TestKii.You
willneed
totestaboutonce
a
weekuntilalkalinity
isinthe
proper
range.Then,onlyonce
every
monthorsoto besure
it isbeing
maintained.
pH
CONTROL
CHART
