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Acidic pH
Neutral pH
Basic/Alkaline pH
Test the pH of your pool water first.
If it needs treatment, then treat it before proceeding to the other tests.
If you leave your pH higher than 7.4 for an extended period of time, then dissolved
minerals and organics inside of the water molecules (which were previously invisible) can
precipitate from solution and become suspended (free floating). This may discolor your
water and scale your pool. If the pH is allowed to go below 7 for an extended period of
time, the impurities inside the water molecule will discolor or stain your pool. This
happens because of the acidic conditions of your water. Most pool owners will call every
discoloration a stain.
pH is treated with muriatic acid to bring it lower and baking soda to bring it
higher. The muriatic acid will burn up some of the alkaline material, thus reducing your
pH. The baking soda will neutralize the acidity, increase the alkalinity, and thus increase
your pH. Both chemicals are self-sacrificing and will reach a point of equilibrium,
neutralize themselves, and then no longer exist in your pool water in its original form.
pH Concentrations Scale
Concentrations of Hydrogen
+
ions (H
) compared to distilled water
10,000,000
1,000,000
100,000
10,000
1,000
100
10
1
1/10
1/100
1/1,000
1/10,000
1/100,000
1/1,000,000
1/10,000,000
Solutions that typically have
pH
this pH
pH = 0
battery acid
pH = 1
stomach acid
pH = 2
lemon juice, vinegar
pH = 3
grapefruit, orange juice, soda
pH = 4
tomato juice, acid rain
pH = 5
black coffee, rain water
pH = 6
urine, saliva
pH = 7
"pure" water
pH = 8
sea water
pH = 9
baking soda
pH = 10
milk of magnesia
pH = 11
Ammonia
pH =12
soapy water, bleach
pH = 13
oven cleaner
pH = 14
liquid drain cleaner
22
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