Pool chemistry is essential for any pool owner to understand. If you don’t know the pH level or what chemicals are in your pool water, you’re missing out on a full swimming experience!
The chemistry of a pool is the foundation of how healthy your water will be, and chemistry affects everything from the pH level to the Chlorine and Bromine levels in your water.
On top of that, understanding the chemistry of pools can lead to better maintenance and ultimately give you a better swimming experience.
How Heat Changes Pool Chemistry – Full Guide
Pools And Heat Go Hand In Hand:
When it comes to swimming pools, heat and chemistry go hand in hand. If your pool is set up properly, it will be able to maintain a stable pH level regardless of your water temperature.
To understand how a swimming pool’s chemistry is affected by heat, we first need to understand pH.
In short, pH measures how acidic or alkaline something is. The scale goes from 0 (most acidic) to 14 (most alkaline).
Similarly, pure water has a pH level of 7.0 — it’s neither acidic nor alkaline and has no effect on the body when swallowed or absorbed through skin contact.
Pools With High Heat Have Higher Alkalinity:
When you have a higher temperature in your pool, it naturally creates more evaporation. It causes your alkalinity levels to increase. It means that your water tends to become more alkaline over time if you aren’t performing regular chemical maintenance on your pool water chemistry levels every few weeks.
Chlorine Demand Goes Up:
When the temperature of the water rises, so does the chlorine demand. The more heat in the water, the more chlorine is needed to keep it safe.
The increased demand for chlorine can be due to three factors:
1. Increased Bacteria Growth
2. Higher Water Temperature Increases Chlorine Losses From Skin and Hair
3. More Chlorine Required For Disinfection In Hot Weather
Increased Bacteria Growth:
As temperatures rise above 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21°C), bacteria grow faster than they do at lower temperatures.
As a result, there are more bacteria in the water that need to be killed by chlorine in order to keep your pool safe and clean. This means you’ll need an increased dose of chlorine at higher temperatures.
pH Drops:
You may have noticed that your pool water has a different pH in the summer than it does in the winter, and it’s due to the fact that heat changes pool chemistry.
In order to maintain proper pH levels and keep your swimming pool healthy, you need to add chemicals such as chlorine or bromine, which are called sanitizers. While adding these chemicals can help keep your pool clean and free of bacteria and algae, they also alter the pH levels of your water.
In addition to altering the pH level, heat also affects other chemical properties of your swimming pool water, including alkalinity and calcium hardness.