Pool Installation Gold Coast

 All swimming pools work in the same manner - no matter the shape, size or whether it's a backyard pool or a commercial pool. They all use a combination of pumping, filtration, and chemical treatment to constantly clean a large volume of water.

 A pool in good working condition will pull the water from your pool basin through the skimmer and into the pool pump. This is called the suction side of the pool. Once it passes through the pump, it will push the water through your filter and back into the pool through the jets. This is the pressure side of the pool.

 During this process, the dirty water in your pool will move through the skimmer and pump so that the debris particles can be intercepted by the filter. After the water goes through the filter it’s clean again and ready to go back in the pool. The pump moves the water, sort of like the “heart” of the pool and the filter removes contaminants, sort of like the “kidney”.

 With some help from pool chemicals to balance the water chemistry, and a vacuum or robotic cleaner to take care of debris, your pump and filter system will keep your water moving in a continuous cleaning cycle.

 Total alkalinity refers to the ability of the pool water to resist a change in pH. The key purpose total alkalinity serves is to help control the pH in the pool. It does this by acting as a buffer so that when materials are added to a pool that would otherwise cause the pH to go up or down, these changes are managed and do not result in severe changes to pool water balance.

 When a substance is added to pool water that could affect the pH, total alkalinity will react to neutralize it and help keep the pH in the desired range. Total alkalinity does not determine what the pH will be, but rather acts to help keep the pH in the range desired.

 Total alkalinity is measured in parts per million (ppm) using a total alkalinity test kit. It is best kept in the range of -120 ppm. When the total alkalinity value is less than ppm, the water can become aggressive and the pH can swing easily upward and downward and back again. If the value is higher than 120 ppm the water can become cloudy and scale forming and the pH will tend to drift upward.

 In adjusting total alkalinity downward, the same acids used to lower pH are employed. When reducing total alkalinity, it is best to add small amounts of acid, either liquid or dry, over a period of several days as opposed to making large adjustments rapidly. Adding too much acid at once may result in lowering the pH so severely that corrosion of pool surfaces and equipment may result. When raising total alkalinity, alkalinity increaser is the chemical of choice. Adding the required amount in recommended increments over a few hours with the pool circulating is suggested. Please be aware that some clouding could occur.

 On occasion it is possible, especially in freshly filled pools, to find that both total alkalinity and pH need to be adjusted. Typically, if one factor is high or low, the other will be as well. It is not unusual, however, to have a condition where one factor is high and the other is very low. In such a situation, adjusting the wrong factor first may cause a significant problem with the other, or worse - cause a problem such as corrosion of equipment or precipitation of calcium. If this occurs with a freshly filled pool, it may be worthwhile to wait about 24 hours before making any adjustments. This wait will generally result in some natural balancing of the water without added chemicals. This process is commonly referred to as allowing the water to come into equilibrium. If additional adjustment is still needed, it will require far less time or chemicals.

 In cases where the pH is low and the total alkalinity is high, raise the pH first into the normal range of 2 - 8 and then lower the total alkalinity. When the total alkalinity is low and the pH high, raise the total alkalinity first and then reduce the pH.

 In all cases, never add acid to the pool water if the pH is less than 2, even if the total alkalinity is high. Instead wait for the pH to rise first before proceeding. If the pH does not come up by itself after a day or two you will need to add some pH Up before proceeding.

 It corrodes your swimming pool’s metal fittings. It leaves ugly rust stains and scaly white buildup on your formerly pristine pool surfaces. It eats away at fittings and creates tiny pinhole leaks in critical pool equipment.

 It’s calcium. Or calcium carbonate, if you want to be scientific about it. But whatever you call it, this naturally occurring chemical compound can be the source of common swimming pool maintenance headaches. The good news is that, with a good pool maintenance routine, you can keep your water balanced and keep pool calcium in check (and you can kiss the flakes, stains, and leaks goodbye).

 Excess calcium in your swimming pool is typically the result of a bigger issue with the chemicals in your pool water. As most pool owners can tell you, when it comes to water, balance is, well everything: If your pool water’s pH is off-kilter, or if your total alkalinity is too high or too low, you’ll likely end up battling algae, cloudy water, and, of course, calcium deposits.

 Of course, chemical imbalances aren’t the only cause of excess calcium. Water temperature is also a contributing factor: As water temperature rises, calcium becomes more likely to precipitate out of solution. Calcium is actually more soluble in cold water, which is why scaling of heater equipment is so common.

 With all of the difficulties calcium can cause, your first instinct might be to try and remove it completely – but that would be a mistake. While high calcium levels can lead to cloudy water and scale, low levels of calcium aren’t any better.

 Here’s why: Water naturally wants to be balanced – and if your swimming pool water doesn’t have enough calcium, the water will actually try to balance itself out by drawing calcium from, say, your plaster pool walls in order to satisfy its need for the mineral. If you’ve got a vinyl or fiberglass pool, the water will attack metal fittings and heat exchangers, causing corrosion that can destroy the fittings and cause pinhole leaks (plus, it’ll leave telltale stains on your pool surfaces).

 In other words, when it comes to your swimming pool’s calcium levels, the “Goldilocks” approach is best: Not too much, not too little. You want it to be just right.

 Like pH and alkalinity levels, calcium content is all about finding the right balance. Water should have a calcium content in the range of 100-400 parts per million.

Pool Builders Gold Coast

 If your swimming pool doesn’t have enough calcium, you can add a pool water hardness increaser to the water easily raises calcium levels. You can buy a bucket of granular hardness increaser at just about any swimming pool retailer.

 If you’re dealing with too much calcium in a pool, you can try adding a sequestering agent, which is a chemical treatment that fights the effects of high metal and calcium content in swimming pool water (as an added bonus, it also fights stains). If you routinely struggle with high calcium levels or if you live in a place where hard water is an issue, you should make a sequestering agent part of your regular chemical maintenance program.

 Of course, when dealing with any swimming pool issue – from calcium problems to questions about routine maintenance -- your local pool professional is a great resource. They can prescribe what is best for your pool to take care of and prevent any problem that can arise.

 There are several different products that can help you accomplish this task including Muriatic Acid. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the ways muriatic acid can help manage your pool such as reducing pH levels and cleaning cartridge filters.

 Muriatic acid is a diluted solution of hydrochloric acid. You can buy it at most home improvement stores, and it’s used for a variety of heavy-duty tasks, such as removing “efflorescence” (a fancy word for salt deposits on rock or stucco). It’s also used to remove rust and stain from concrete and brick.

 And, of course, muriatic acid is also a big seller at pool supply stores, where it’s often used as a stain remover. It’s also used to reduce high alkalinity or and lower the pH in pool water.

 pH is a measure of how acidic your pool water is. Things that can affect your pool’s pH include rainfall, outside temperature, and how often your pool is used.

 Ideally, you want your pH to be somewhere between 2 and If your pH is below 2, it’s too acidic. If your water is above 8, it’s not acidic enough. When your pool has high pH/low acidity, chlorine is less effective, your pool water can become cloudy, and you may notice scaling on your waterline tiles and other surfaces.

 The quickest way to get your pH back to an acceptable level is to use a chemical pH reducer. Pool supply stores sell muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate as pH reducers. Sodium bisulfate, or dry acid, comes in a powder form and is more mild than muriatic acid, so it’s a little safer to use, but many pool owners use generic muriatic acid as a substitute for pH reducers.

 First things first: You need to know how much muriatic acid to use. For an average-sized pool (think 15,000 to 20,000 gallons), you’ll need about a quart of muriatic acid. If your pool is much larger or much smaller than average, you should check with your pool professional.

 Fill a five-gallon bucket with clean water (you’ll want to make sure the bucket is safe to use with muriatic acid – it can be too harsh for some types of plastic). Add the muriatic acid to the water (be sure to pour slowly to avoid splashing) and stir carefully with a wooden stick.

 Slowly pour the mixture into the deep end of your pool, and wait a few minutes for the solution to disperse. Wait a few minutes, then turn on your pool pump so the muriatic acid can circulate through your pool’s filtration system.

 Wait a few hours and test your swimming pool water again. If the pH is back within an acceptable range, you’re good to go. If your pH is still too high, you’ll need to go back to step one and repeat the process.

 Muriatic acid isn’t just helpful as a pH reducer: It’s super-helpful for cleaning cartridge filters (it breaks down buildup in a snap). It’s also a powerful stain remover: Muriatic acid can take rust stains off of your pool’s surfaces, and it can even clean the grout between your swimming pool tile.

 Muriatic acid works well for removing stains on gunite pools, but it’s too harsh for vinyl liners. Instead, look for a cleanser that’s specially formulated for vinyl pools.

 Of course, whether you’re using it to balance your pool water or keep your swimming pool free of stains, the most important thing to remember about muriatic acid is safety.

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