Pool owners know that a balanced pH level is essential for the well-being of their pool. But what do you do when your pool’s pH is high? Water with a pH that is too alkaline can create several problems for your pool’s look and for the way your equipment works. This blog discusses the effects of high pH levels in your pool and how their maintenance can easily be done with the use of a robot pool cleaner like Beatbot AquaSense or Beatbot AquaSense Pro to keep your pool clean, chemical-free, and effortlessly.
What You Should Know About the pH In Your Swimming Pool
Before we go into the potential issues of high pH, you’re going to need some background info on pH and what it does to your pool. The pH scale goes from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. For optimal performance, a pool should have a pH level between 7.4 and 7.6. An alkalinity of more than 7.6 in the pool means that the pool has become alkaline, which can cause several potential problems.
What to Do When Your Pool pH Is Too High
An increased pool pH level (greater than 7.6) can lead to several problems in your pool. From aesthetic issues to much more serious problems with your pool equipment. Here are the most frequent issues you might face:
Reduced Chlorine Efficiency
The most important consequence of elevated pH is that it hampers chlorine disinfection of your pool water. Chlorine is most effective at slightly acidic pH levels (7.2-7.4). When the pH becomes too high at 7.6 and above, chlorine becomes less active so thus it will not be as capable as it is in killing bacteria algae, and other contaminants in the water.
Impact on Pool Water: This can cause algae growth, making your water cloudy, and resulting in a dirty pool environment aside from proper chlorine usage.
Scaling and Staining
High pH can cause the calcium and other minerals found in your pool water to precipitate out, causing white, chalky deposits to form on the pool walls and floor. This phenomenon is called scaling and occurs most often when the pH is above 8.0.
However, Its Effect On Pool…Scaling-Scaling could ruin the surfaces of the pool [tiles, plaster, and fiberglass] thereby rough and unsightly. Eventually, it can form permanent stains.
Clogged Pool Equipment
Some reasons why a high pH level can cause problems for the pool are that it can cause minerals to build up, as well as debris, but, most mountainous, it can build up in your pool equipment. The debris could also clog up the filter and skimmer therefore reducing the efficiency. If your water is too alkaline, a pool vacuum system or a pool robotic pool cleaner such as the Beatbot AquaSense Pro will struggle to pick up debris.
Impact on Equipment: Increased cleaning time, energy consumption, and more frequent maintenance.
Cloudy Pool Water
If the pH level is too high, the pool water will become cloudy. Alkalinity is a measure of the water’s ability to neutralize acids and bases, which at high levels makes it much harder for the chemicals to dissolve properly, instead leaving them as suspended particles. You may also notice a slimy film or scum ring at the waterline, which indicates the water is out of balance.
Aesthetic Problems: Cloudy water is unattractive and can obfuscate the bottom of the pool. This can be particularly irritating when you want to be swimming or assessing your pool’s cleanliness.
Skin and Eye Irritation
While high pH isn’t quite as corrosive as low pH, it can still irritate the skin and eyes. An over-alkalized pool can also have slippery-feeling water, and swimmers can complain of dry or red eyes after shorter periods in the pool.
Pollutant Complaints: Swimmers might complain about instances of discomfort in high-pH water, which can also escalate over time.
9 Steps to Lower pH Level in Your Pool
If the pH level in your pool is too high, there’s no need to panic — it can be easily corrected. To rebalance accounts, follow these steps:
Test Your Water
Check your pool’s pH level with a pool testing kit. Test the liquid at different points to make sure it is an accurate reading.
Add pH Reducer
In order to decrease pH, it will be necessary to add a pH reducer, or more commonly, muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate. Add the acid as the manufacturer recommends, and add it slowly, usually in the pool’s deep end.
Allow Water to Circulate
Make sure to run your pool pump to ensure your water gets circulated and the chemical is mixed evenly. 4 hours later, check the water again, by that time, the water pH will have dropped and will be in optimal range to test.
Retest If Necessary And Adjust Again
Check the water again to ensure that the pH is at an ideal range (7.4–7.6) before you swim. Repeat as needed until the desired pH is reached.
How Is A Robot Pool Cleaner Helpful?
It doesn’t matter what the pH level is, a robot pool cleaner can do wonders in keeping it clean. Although this robot doesn’t directly tackle high pH, it does help prevent other problems that come with dirty water. So here’s how a pool cleaning robot such as the Beatbot AquaSense Pro can complement your pool maintenance:
Debris elimination: A pool vacuum robot regularly removes leaves, dirt, and debris from the pool; as a result, it minimizes the amount of organic matter available to disrupt the water chemistry and makes the balance of pH easier to achieve.
Enhanced Filtration: A swimming pool robot cleaner can help enhance water circulation and allow chemicals like pH adjusters to be evenly distributed throughout the pool. This helps balance the water, making it easier to manage.
Less Stress: Robot pool cleaners effectively remove debris, helping to prevent clogging in your filtration system and creating less strain on your equipment.
They are giving a helping hand and cleaning your pools for you, which is not only convenient but also leveraged as an easy way to do things with Beatbot robotic cleaners like Beatbot iSkim Ultra. With our advanced technology, they make sure that the cleaning is done through the left to spend more time balancing the water chemistry.
Conclusion
For example, an overly high pH causes a multitude of problems from low chlorine effectiveness, cloudy water, unsightly scaling, and more. Ensuring your pH is regularly tested and adjusted helps you maintain a healthy and clean pool with swimmers safe from disease and bacteria. Using chemical management along with a high-performing robot pool cleaner, as an example the Beatbot AquaSense Pro, ensures your pool is maintained on a chemical but also physical level. Armed with the appropriate tools and some regular upkeep, you will have a headache-free swimming pool experience.
