What are the consequences of improperly adjusted pH for the pool?

Does the pool's pH vary? What are the effects?

Whether for sports, relaxation, or recreation, alone, with family, or among friends, the private pool offers fantastic moments. When the water is crystal clear and sparkling, it's a dream. But sometimes, it becomes milky, cloudy, and even green, making the water less inviting for a bath! That's why it's essential to regularly check the pH of the pool water to avoid these consequences.

What causes dull pool water?

Numerous factors can be the cause of unattractive water. It could be due to a too short filtration time, a clogged filter, or "approximate" maintenance... Often, one needs to look into the chemistry and conduct a water analysis with strips, tablets, drops, or an electronic tester. First and foremost, check the pH level before adding treatment products. This is a crucial point and a weak link as it is highly fluctuating.

What influences does pH have on the pool? And why is it essential to control it?

What are the consequences of a too high pH for the pool?

A pH that is too high, above 7.6, will have consequences on the pool and its equipment as well as on swimmers.

• Treatments lose their effectiveness, the water becomes cloudy, and green algae may colonize the pool. Mustard algae could appear, and they are challenging to eliminate!


• Equipment is damaged when in contact with high-pH water. Limestone deposits more easily on equipment, such as the filtration system, pipes. It settles on the waterline of the lining, the ladder, marks the skimmers... Anything in contact with water can be deteriorated.  


• Alkaline water is particularly unpleasant for swimmers. Eyes become red and sting, the skin is dry, and swimming equipment, such as goggles, degrades.

What are the consequences of a too low pH for the pool?

When the pH is low, the water is acidic, and one can easily imagine the damage it can cause, both at the pool level and for swimmers.

• Under the action of a low pH, the water can become brownish, blackish, which does not encourage swimming. The water becomes very uncomfortable for the swimmer, irritating to the skin and mucous membranes, allergies can occur, and swimwear deteriorates and whitens...


• The inconveniences also affect the treatment, which becomes almost ineffective, not to mention the irreversible degradation of coatings, whether liner or tile, they become rough, and algae settle more easily. Equipment such as the filtration pump, the filter, or the heat pump... see their lifespan significantly reduced.

Why maintain the pH within its range?

Controlling the pH of the pool water avoids all the troubles mentioned above, equipment and water degradation, bathing discomfort... Certainly, it takes some time to check the pH 1 to 2 times a week, or even more in the case of unpredictable weather, but it's worth it. There will be fewer chemical products consumed, whether to maintain an optimal disinfection level despite a non-"compliant" pH level or to correct green, (shock product), milky water... financial savings and a gesture for the planet.

If these checks become too cumbersome, the acquisition of a regulator allows permanent and autonomous pH control. The device measures and injects the right amount of product, regardless of usage or weather conditions. It helps protect the pool from the major inconveniences of this capricious factor.

Let's take a closer look at what pH of the pool water is and what its importance is. Discover factors that influence the pH of the pool water. Understand also how to control the pH of the pool and how to correct the pH of your pool.