Maintaining Your Pool

  1. Buy a good chemical test kit.

  2. Calculate the volume of water in your pool using the formula
    • For rectangular pools - Length x Width x Ave depth (in feet) x 6.25 = volume in gallons
    • For round or oval pools - Length x Width x Ave depth (in feet) x 4.9 = volume in gallons


  3. Chlorine levels and ph balance are the most important factors in achieving good water quality. As an absolute minimum, you should aim to:
    • Make sure free chlorine never falls below 1.0ppm. This is to kill harmful germs and algae.
    • Superchlorinate the pool every 2 weeks to bring the free chlorine up to 6-10ppm, using a shock chlorine. This will break down chloramines and organic pollution.
    • Correct the pH if it falls below 7.2 or rises above 7.6. Correct pH will ensure the chlorine is working effectively.


  4. Most pool water disorders occur when there is no chlorine in the water, or when the pH has strayed. For best results, however, it is strongly recommended that you should also keep a watch on water balance.
    • pH - as above
    • TOTAL ALKALINITY: Low alkalinity can make it difficult to maintain the pH. High alkalinity can lead to cloudy water or scale on the surfaces.
    • CALCIUM HARDNESS: Correct calcium hardness will help protect pool surfaces.
    • CYANURIC ACID (stabiliser): You need enough stabiliser to prevent waste of chlorine to sunlight, but not so much that it impairs the effectiveness of the chlorine.


  5. FREE CHLORINE
    • Test the pool daily. The free chlorine reading should be between 1.0 - 2.5ppm (or up to 4 - 5ppm for pools using stabilised chlorines like dichlor and trichlor).

  6. SUPERCHLORINATE
    • Once a every 2 weeks, superchlorinate, preferably with an unstabilised chlorine such as calcium hypochlorite or calcium hypochlorite to raise the free chlorine to 6-10ppm.
    • WARNING: NEVER MIX DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHLORINE TOGETHER , AND DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO MEET IN A CONCENTRATED FORM. IF SUPERCHLORINATING VIA THE SKIMMER, ENSURE THAT ANY CHLORINE TABLETS ARE REMOVED FROM IT FIRST.

  7. pH
    • Test the pool daily. The pH reading be between 7.2 and 7.6 (or as near the mid-point - 7.4 as possible).

  8. TOTAL ALKALINITY
    • Test once a month. The alkalinity reading count test should be between 100-200ppm for pools using stabilised chlorines; 80-120ppm for calcium hypochlorite or 120-150ppm for sodium hypochlorite.

  9. CALICIUM HARDNESS
    • Test two or three times a season. The calcium hardness reading should be above 350ppm - the top limit is not too important.

  10. CYANURIC ACID
    • Test once every two weeks. The cyanuric acid (stabiliser) reading should be a minimum of 30ppm to prevent decomposition of chlorine in outdoor pools. The maximum level is a matter of debate - most professionals take the view that the performance of the chlorine is adversely affected if cyanuric acid goes above 160ppm. Dept of the Environment guidelines are for a ceiling of 200ppm.





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