pH Problems

pH Problems

Most managers and operators of aquatic facilities work hard to give their swimmers the best experience possible. When you strive to provide a great pool or spa, it can be very disheartening to hear complaints about the water burning or stinging your users eyes. Worse yet you may be in danger of running into problems with the health department because your water did not meet the required standards. Allegheny Pool Services Co. understands your prospective. We have a mission to help you keep your patrons happy, and keep your water in perfect balance. As a result we encourage you to take a moment to focus on your water's pH. The pH of your pool or spa has the most impact on proper water balance. Maintaining the correct pH of your water ensures swimmer comfort and allows you to meet local code.

The Allegheny Health department requires that you maintain the pH of your pool and spa between 7.2 and 7.8. To assist in user comfort Allegheny Pool Services Co. recommends that you maintain your pH between 7.4 to 7.6. The pH of human tears is around 7.5. Keeping a level between 7.4 and 7.6 will prevent the water from irritating your swimmers eyes, and falls right in the center of Allegheny County's accepted range for pH.

Maintaining a proper pH frustrates some operators and managers. They may find themselves constantly adding soda ash and muriatic acid to raise and lower the pH. A pH that quickly and dramatically swings from highs to lows presents a bothersome situation. Fortunately there is a solution. Allegheny Pool services Co recommends examining your water's total alkalinity to keep your water's pH stable.

Total Alkalinity is the measure of the ability of water to resist changes in pH. It acts as a buffer. Before adjusting your pH, we suggest you first check your water's total alkalinity and adjust as necessary. The ideal range for total alkalinity is 80 to 100 ppm for pools and spas using high pH disinfectants and 100-120 ppm for pools using low pH disinfectants.

Allegheny Pool services tests and maintains a proper total alkalinity and pH levels for our customers with regular maintenance contracts. We also offer on site pool consultations. If you feel like you would like some more information on pH or total alkalinity, we would be happy to teach you the proper way to test and adjust these levels. Please contact us with any questions you may have. More Information can also be found at our homepage.

Thanks for reading,

Tim Johnson