Fixing a green swimming pool - step two - balancing the PH, hardness and alkalinity levels

Before we get stuck into the detail of this post about all things pool chemical, we need to set the scene.

We inherited a green pool. We needed to clean the pool and fix it. 35000 litres in capacity. Here's how. Before we can balance it we needed to shock it with chlorine and algae killer. This done, we let it settle for a few days before stirring again and running the filter.

After about ten or 12 days the pool was starting to look a bit more swimmable, however there was more work to be done before we could get swimming.

I needed to add salt - as it was a salt chlorinated pool, and I needed to be sure that the hardness level was right, as well as the Ph level. Too much acidity or alkalinity will affect pipes and liners, as well as the electrolytic converter that changes the sodium chloride - salt - into chlorine.

Now I did year 11 and 12 chemistry but this called for a specialist. So out came the trusty sample bottle - once the coca cola was sorted - and off we went back to Clark Rubber.

Now I do need to say that this is not an ad for this business, but they were very helpful. Most pool specialists would provide similar services I imagine. They told us that the water was too soft, and that we needed to raise the alkalinity - it was too acidic. And yes that means they sold us the necessary chemicals. Fair enough I say.

So we also bought three 20 kilo bags of pool salt and stirred the whole lot in to our 35000 litre inground solar heated swimming pool. Then ran the filters....and waited....and waited.....and.....

The salt level was perfect....

The PH is now perfect, as is the water hardness level....

All we needed to do was let the chlorinator do its job and run the filter a bit more. As the chlorine level came up our once murky swampy pool began to look very good indeed.

And the end result......

Salt water chlorinated in ground swimming pool

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