Pool Chemistry 101:

Tired of the winter weather? The warmer weather is right around the corner and that means the 2025 pool season will finally be here. For pool owners, this means it’s time to schedule your official pool opening! Before you do that, there are a few steps to take to get that crystal blue water you’ve been dreaming about. Follow along as the staff of Ted’s Pools breaks down your pool’s water chemistry and explains why it’s so important to follow the right steps. 

Good water chemistry is essential for a healthy pool. A well-balanced pool helps keep you and your family safe while swimming all summer long. What exactly are all the chemicals that go into your pool? Let’s look at the main ones: 

Sanitizers

Sanitizers are some of the most important chemicals in your pool. They act as the main ingredient that keeps your pool water clean and safe. Sanitizers keep health risks such as bacteria, viruses, algae, and other unwanted pollutants from having free rein over your pool's water. They're critical in keeping your pool water looking good as well! 

The most common type of pool sanitizer is chlorine. As an oxidizer, chlorine enters the water contaminants molecules and destroys them from the inside. Chlorine is an excellent choice for removing bacteria, viruses, and algae. It can even prevent algae from having the chance to appear. It is important to keep your choline level even all season long for a healthy pool! 

A popular chlorine alternative for pool sanitization is bromine. It sanitizes through ionization, breaking apart the molecular bonds of pool water contaminants. 

The Importance of pH 

The measure of acidity in your pool is called your pH. Measuring your pool water's pH level is necessary to make your pool care easier over time. 

Alkalinity refers to your pool water's ability to resist sudden spikes or dips in its pH level. In other words, alkalinity acts as a buffer for your pool water. It keeps it stable and balanced throughout the pool season regardless of what the summer throws at it.

Calcium hardness is the measure of how soft or hard your pool water is. Where you live and where you get your water from greatly impacts your pool's calcium hardness. For instance, well water is often hard, which means it has a high concentration of minerals, including calcium. If you use that same well water to fill your pool, you will have pool water with a high level of calcium hardness that you will have to even out throughout the summer. 

Factors That Can Disrupt Pool Chemistry

It would be great if you could balance your pool water's chemistry and forget about it for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, this is impossible as your pool is going to encounter many factors that will disrupt its chemistry and threaten its well-being throughout the season. Here are some of these factors you may encounter: 

Regular Use

When people use your pool, they do a lot to affect the water's chemistry without even realizing it. Sweat, body oils, and hygiene products like soap and shampoo all affect the pool water's pH levels. 

Debris

The natural world is unpredictable and can take a toll on your pool chemistry. Sticks, leaves, grass, and dirt will find their way into your pool water and impact the balance of your pool's water. 

Animals 

Every once in a while, a critter may find its way into your pool or skimmer. From larger animals like rodents to small insects, these creatures can unfortunately disrupt your pool's chemistry. It’s important to remove them immediately and check your water chemistry to see where you might need to adjust. 

Rain

Rainwater has a pH of its own. After it rains, especially if the rainfall is heavy, your pool water's chemistry could become unbalanced. It’s important to keep extra chemicals in stock if you live in an area prone to rainy weather. 

How to Check the Chemicals in a Pool

To get the chemistry in your pool right, you will need to check the water's chemical levels regularly. This is often done by the homeowners with a pool chemistry testing kit. These kits include water testing strips and other chemicals that provide readings on pool water samples. This method can be tedious and if you accidentally balance your chemicals the wrong way, it can take weeks to get your pool water back to normal. Thankfully Ted’s Pools offers weekly and bi-weekly maintenance packages to help you keep your pool crystal blue all season long. Leave your pool chemistry to the professionals at Ted’s Pools and you will have the easiest summer of pool care yet! 

Contact Ted’s Pools today to set up your pool opening and service options.