Chemical Factors in Water Treatment

Now that the physical processes are understood, we turn or attention to managing the chemical treatment of the pool water.

Proper chemical treatment is needed in order to prevent a wide range of potential problems including scale and stain formation, colored or cloudy water, corrosion of pool surfaces and equipment and to assure proper performance of the sanitizer being used.

There are five chemical factors that affect water quality. These are listed below in order of importance along with their ideal levels.

The first three, along with the temperature of the water, determine the overall “Water Balance”. Water balance is the term used to refer to the tendency of the water to be either “scale forming” or “corrosive or aggressive”.