Chemical Balance
Keeping Your Pool Water Sparkling Clear
Tips for the right chemical balance
Testing your pool 2-3 times a week is important to maintain adequate water balance and sanitizer levels plus to insure swimmer comfort. Although drop-type tests are best, test strips are a quick (30 second) means to test the pool for adequate sanitizer levels as well as pH and total alkalinity. Proper testing also ensures that calcium levels are maintained and that there are no metals present in the pool water. You can buy test kits at your local pool store, or take a sample of the pool water to them for testing. Many pool stores will do this for free. Below is an example table of the recommended levels to look for when testing.

Best Practices
If swimmers are having a problem with “burning eyes,” high or low pH is probably to blame, not high chlorine.
Follow up the next morning with a maintenance dose of algaecide. Algaecides are surfactants that work on pool surfaces to prevent algae from growing.
Shock the pool weekly. As it works to clean your pool, chlorine binds to other chemicals like ammonia and nitrogen, which not only render it effectively inactive, but also create an irritant that can cause skin conditions.
Special Notes