When most people think about pH, they’re thinking about testing the water in their pool. If the water is too acidic or contains too much alkaline, chemicals are added to adjust the pH and correspondingly balance the chemicals in the water. So, why does the pH matter, anyway?

Defining pH

In technical terms, pH measures the activity of free hydrogen and hydroxyl ions within a solution, which is a complex process. Luckily for pool companies and their customers alike, test kits make it easy to check pH. pH is important to all living organisms, animals, plants, and humans. If something causes an imbalance in their pH by either becoming too acidic or alkaline, they are unable to thrive. This is true for creatures as small as bacteria and as large as whales. 

PH is also important in the environment of acid rain. Some trees or fish will be able to tolerate greater acidity while others will struggle when there is only a small change in their environmental pH. The number of fish in streams and rivers declines because most fish eggs won’t hatch if the water has an acidic pH of 5.0 or lower. 

Optimal pH

So how does this apply to your pool? A swimming pool pH should rest between 7.2 to 8.0. Many experts feel that 7.5 is the perfect pH. According to pool service in Gilbert, if your pool becomes too acidic you’ll run into common annoyances associated with swimming, your eyes sting and your skin feels dry, especially if you swim in your pool often which many owners do. As it happens, pH 7.4 to 7.6 is also very good for chlorine disinfection. pH above 8.0 is dangerous and can cause skin/eye irritation.

Chlorine and Your Pool

Good water quality means maintaining optimum pH and chlorine levels. In other words, you check your pool water and then adjust the chemical levels accordingly. Chlorine is essential to any pool and acts as a sanitizer and oxidizer. Pool owners use chlorine to disintegrate dangerous bacteria and microorganisms that could cause harm.