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The Wonders of pH

There are many things that must be maintained when owning a pool and maintaining the water, and its levels, are a major item to address.  There are several levels to maintain (alkalinity, pH, calcium hardness, cyanuric acid, and chlorine) but one of the most important to monitor is the pH level.  The level of your pool’s pH is linked to swimmer comfort, effectiveness of chlorine, and equipment longevity and maintenance.  We hope the answers to these questions regarding pH help you in your pool adventures!

What is pH?  The pH level is essentially the concentration of hydrogen ions in your water, or potential hydrogen (pH).  Without getting all scientific, the optimal level of pH is 7, and at that level the number of hydrogen ions is equal to the hydroxide ions.  pH levels range from basic to acidic with a level of 0 to 14, 0 representing alkaline, or basic water, and 14 representing acidic water.  In relation to pool water, you want slightly alkaline water with a pH level of 7.4 to 7.6. (Did you know? The pH level of your eye is about 7.2 to 7.4!)

What happens if your pool’s pH is too low or too high?  Other than irritating the eyes of your swimmers, a low pH level can make the water aggressive and eventually damage the equipment, mechanical components, and pool liner.  If your pH is too high, it can result in low effectiveness of your chlorine, cause skin irritation and cloudiness of the water.  

What will affect your pool’s pH?  When you add chlorine, liquid or granular, it is going to affect your pH levels by raising it.  An increase in water temperature can also increase your pH levels. Being aware of what is going to affect your pool’s pH levels is helpful when trying to maintain the level of 7.4 to 7.6.

What do you do to adjust your pool’s pH?  If it’s too low, you want to raise it by adding soda ash (sodium carbonate), or BioGuard’s Balance Pak 200.  If it’s above the range of 7.4-7.6, you can lower the pH by adding liquid muriatic acid.  The general rule of muriatic acid is, about 1/10 of a gallon, or 12 ounces, of muriatic acid will lower 10,000 gallons of water by 0.2.  A dry acid alternative is a granular pH decreaser like, BioGuard’s Lo ‘n Slo.

Watch Dolphin Pool & Spa’s YouTube video on pH here:

Pool School 2018 - a postmortem

 

Pool School 2018 was a...mild...success!

It was great having those that came out. It is always fun to put a face to a name and we truly enjoyed meeting each of you. The only thing that would have made it better would have been greater attendance. Everyone who came received a Chipolo (https://chipolo.net/pages/how-it-works) that not only helps them find their keys but also gives them 5% off anything in the retail store up to $50 per visit for all of 2018! Next year I hope we can share that with more of you.

There is still time, however, to take advantage of our Spring Sale, going on until May 6, with 12% savings on all BioGuard products. Now is the right time to stock up on the chemicals you will need for the season.

Also while supplies last we will sell the 5 remaining Chipolo's for $30 each, and they too will be good for 5% savings on retail purchases the remainder of the year. Come and get them while they last. The 5% Chipolo discount does not stack with the Spring Sale discount.

A Pool Owner’s Biggest Enemy: Algae

Imagine this scenario: You put on your swimsuit, you grab your towel, and you slip into your flip-flops.  You are so excited to swim in your pool today; the weather is perfect.   You walk down to your pool and remove the cover when out of nowhere, you have…ALGAE!!  Your once clear pool is now green, cloudy, and algae-filled.  An algae-filled pool is not a pleasant sight to see, but it happens even to the best of pool owners. Typical questions asked by pool owners who are suffering from algae issues are, “What is algae and where does it come from?”, “How do I prevent algae from growing?” And “How do I get rid of algae?”.  I hope after reading this, you are more familiar with how you can prevent this situation from happening to you.

Hot Topic!

Here in Minnesota, a pool heater will significantly extend your swimming season. Both in the spring by bringing the water temperature up faster than sunlight alone and also in the fall by keeping your water temp pleasant long into the season.

Cover Care

Yeah! The pool is open! What is the best way to store your winterizing stuff, like the safety cover, plugs and the like?

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