| Recommended Pool Chemistry |
| Chlorine pH Alkalinity Salt Stabilizer Calcium |
| Chlorine | 1.0 - 3.0 ppm | To increase: adjust dial up or increase pump time To decrease: adjust dial down or decrease pump time Chlorine should be tested twice weekly. Check to make sure your test kit measures "free" chlorine. Free chlorine is the chlorine that is available to attack algae and bacteria. Many test kits test for "total" chlorine which includes both free chlorine and also chlorine that is already attached to the contaminates in the pool. |
| pH | 7.2 - 7.8 | To increase: add soda ash To decrease: add muriatic acid Test pH twice weekly. pH is very important to maintaining your pool and pH value out of the proper range (either higher or lower) can cause a variety of problems. High pH greatly reduces the effectiveness of chlorine. Pools with electronic chlorination tend to slowly drift up in pH. |
| Total Alkalinity | 80 - 120 ppm (plaster pools) 125 - 150 ppm (vinyl/fiberglass) | To increase: add baking soda To decrease: add muriatic or dry acid Test monthly. Alkalinity is the buffer that controls pH. The upward drift of pH on pools with electronic chlorination can be controlled in many instances by keep the total alkalinity at or near the bottom of the prescribed range. |
| Salt | 2700 - 3200ppm | To increase: add more salt To decrease: partially drain pool and refill with fresh water Check monthly (using the digital salt display). Higher salt levels let your chlorinator produce more chlorine and also help extend the life of the cell. The low salt indicator on the chlorinator will flash when the salt drops below 2700 ppm and the chlorinator will stop operating if the salt drops below 2500ppm. On most pools, the salt level tends to slowly drift downward as fresh water is added to the pool (rain or makeup water for splash-out, back-washing etc.). A good procedure is to add enough salt to be near the top of the range. Usually add stabilizer (see below) at the same time. |
| Stabilizer | 60 - 80 ppm | To increase: add stabilizer To decrease: partially drain pool and refill with fresh water (only if over 100 ppm) Check quarterly. Stabilizer is also known at cyanuric acid or isocyanuric acid. Refer to local codes regarding its' use. Stabilizer helps maintain the chlorine residual in the pool by protecting it from the UV rays from the sun. Without stabilizer, the chlorinator would have to produce much more chlorine in order to keep the desired residual level in the pool. Add enough stabilizer to be near the top end of the range at the same time you add salt. |
| Calcium | 200 - 275 (plaster pools) 175 - 225 ppm (vinyl/fiberglass) | To increase: add calcium To decrease: partially drain pool and refill with fresh water Check quarterly. Calcium level is very important, especially for plaster pools. Excessive calcium levels can overwhelm the sefl cleaning feature of the chlorinator and cause the electrolytic cell to build up scale which will need to be manually removed. |