Swimming Pool Water Chemistry Changes In The Winter Time

In the Las Vegas area, the temperatures have officially reached that point where there is no swimming going on unless you like to do the polar plunge! This is also the time where many people honestly forget that they have a swimming pool and do very little to maintain it. Let’s face it, you aren’t alone. After a long, hot, and brutal summer where you need to monitor your pool and the water chemistry many people like the break they get. Honestly, when the water is this cold it takes a lot for the algae to grow and since you aren’t swimming it is easy to forget about pH, Total Alkalinity and Calcium Hardness but we want to write this blog post to give you a few hints on how you can still take a break but what you should still do to keep your pool looking great. First off, let’s share what standard water chemistry numbers should be in the winter time…

• Chorine – 1ppm is standard but having up to 3ppm is totally acceptable
• pH – 7.4 – 7.8
• Total Alkalinity – 80 – 120ppm
• Cyanuric Acid – 30 – 50ppm (this number is different if you have a salt pool)
• Calcium Hardness – 200 – 400ppm

Even though during the summer it is recommended to monitor your water chemistry on a weekly basis you can definitely get away with it twice a month as long as your water chemistry numbers match what is above. During this time we still recommend brushing the benches, steps, interior finish and removing debris from skimmer and pump basket. Remember, even though you are filtering for shorter times, you are still filtering the water and it must not have any hinderances like leaves and debris that can prevent water flow. You will still want to brush everything down at least twice a month to prevent any form of staining also.

In regards to Calcium Hardness, our water in Las Vegas is extremely hard. Since you are still filtering if you choose to leave hard water in your swimming pool it will still scale your water tile line, interior finish, and filtration equipment. With that said, if any pool professional has recommended a water change we ask that you consider using our alternative first. We offer pool water purification using Reverse Osmosis (RO) filtration to lower Calcium Hardness, TDS, CYA and so much more without draining the pool. Using this option will leave you with the best water quality in your swimming pool.

So, even though you aren’t swimming you still need to take care of your pool to prevent problems down the line. To learn more please contact us today!