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Everything You Need to Know about pH Balance

know about pH balance

When you own a pool or hot tub, or are looking at buying one, you hear a lot about “pH balance”. If you’re not a scientist, you may not know what that means. Here’s everything you need to know about pH balance.

What is pH Balance?

The pH balance of your pool or hot tub water tells you how acidic or basic your pool water is. The pH scale goes from 0 to 14, with 0 being the most acidic and 14 being the most basic. The ideal range for your water’s pH balance is around 7.4-7.6. This is around the same pH balance as your eyes, so this is a great pH level for your body. And if you’re wanting to spend some time in water, you want it to be at a great pH level for your body.

What if the pH Balance is Too Low?

A low pH balance means your pool water is acidic—and that can sound kind of scary. So how do you know if your pH balance is too low and what do you do about it?

You should be checking your water’s pH balance regularly. But one tell-tale indication that the pH balance is too low is in how it feels on your skin. Are your skin and eyes irritated? Also, do you notice some corrosion or cracks in your pool or hot tub? Hopefully you notice before it gets to that point, but those are signs of a low pH balance.

If you need to increase your pH balance, try SpaGuard® pH increaser for hot tubs or BioGuard® Balance PAK® 200 for your pool. These should help increase your pH level to the right range—just be sure to only use your hot tub chemicals for your hot tub and your pool chemicals for your pool.

What if the pH balance is Too High?

If your pH balance is too high, you may notice some cloudy water in your pool. You’ll want to get this handled right away, because a high pH balance can make your chlorine ineffective. You may not notice as much of an effect on your body, but you will definitely notice in the pool water. 

You also want to avoid “pH bounce”. Sometimes when pH levels are too high, an acid like muriatic acid will be added to bring that down. However, without a proper safeguard in place, this could result in a “bounce” where basic and acidic conditions can change very quickly in your water chemistry. This can cause not only cloudy water, but scaling on your pool walls, as well. 

The key is to balance alkalinity first! Your total alkalinity serves as that safeguard for the pH, allowing it to lower to normal levels without adverse effects. So it’s important that your total alkalinity is properly balanced before you try to lower your high pH levels.

To lower your pH balance, try SpaGuard® spa pH decreaser for your hot tub or BioGuard® lo ‘n slo® for your pool. These products work to reduce both your pH level and total alkalinity of your pool to make it safe to swim in again.

Can I Get Help with Balancing My pH Levels?

Now you know the basics of pH balance. If you still need help, come on over to Energy Center-Manhattan Pool. We can help you figure out what’s going on with your pool or hot tub water and help you pick out the right chemicals to get your pool or hot tub water balanced. Come stop by our store, contact us online, or order chemicals online today to get your pH levels back in balance.

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