When it comes to house amenities like swimming pools, many of us are looking for ways to make our water cleaner and safer this summer. It's always a wonderful feeling to splash around the cool water when the sun's heat becomes unbearable. 

However, it's always better to get the water ready before the whole family swims in it to prevent infections and irritations. This article offers some great tips on how to do just that - plus a few additional facts about the chemicals you'll need for your pool.

About Sanitation

One of the more common sanitizers is chlorine, but you can also use other alternatives like minerals and salts. Chlorine levels are often measured in parts per million, and you would want a range between 1 ppm to 3 ppm. This is the amount of chlorine in one milliliter of liquid, and it is used to determine the level of sanitization in pool water. The more chlorine in the water, the better protection from bacteria and viruses it offers.

Use tablets or powdered chlorine in our pool because it can be an effective killer of bacteria and algae. It's also a cost-effective option that will be available on many online shops with above ground pool chemicals for sale promotions or from your local stores. Other alternatives like sparkle purifiers will make the water feel smoother. Mineral systems that use copper and silver are often introduced into the water through a chlorinator, and they also help in the sanitation of the water. They might be expensive, but they are worth it.

Information for the pH Levels

The ideal range that you need for pH levels is between 7.2 and 7.6. This is a measure of how acidic or basic the water is in your pool, and you need to make some adjustments accordingly. If your pH levels fall below 6 or rise above 8 when you add chlorine to your pool, you need to calibrate these with the help of specific solutions. 

If you want a more specific idea of how the pH levels are working, know that the pH of the tears is neutral. It will burn the cheeks whenever we cry if it's lower than this. It will tend to dry the eyes out if it's too high. This is going to be the same thing that will happen when you submerge your eyes in the pool's water, so make sure to keep everything neutral.

Good supply of pH increaser is always handy. Ideal alkalinity can range from 100 ppm to 150 ppm. These levels will frequently change and monitor the alkalinity levels during maintenance days. Some solutions can act as a buffer which means that it will prevent the pH levels from going up or down the scale by absorbing the significant changes in the water.  See more about the chemistry of pH on this page here.

Calcium Hardness

Maintain a calcium hardness that ranges from 170 ppm to 300 ppm. It's basically the calcification that you see on the floor and walls when you leave the pool alone for a very long time. Without this, the water is going to be hungry with it, and it will seek its appetite through the walls and plaster of your pool.

Adding solutions like calcium hardness will protect the walls and your other equipment down the road. However, you need to apply the right amount since this can cause scaling problems. 

Keeping the Water Safe and Clean

Following these tips will keep your pool clean and safe all summer long. For starters, it's essential to clean your filter. This is also an excellent time to test the water for chemicals, nitrates, and pH levels. There's also an option to shock your pool, and the following is what you should know about this process.

Chlorine particles attack viruses, bacteria, algae, and other organic matter in the water. Afterwards, this will turn into a derivative of ammonia called chloramine. Know more about chloramine in this link here: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Chloramine. The particles are inactive, and they can't kill other bacteria and viruses anymore. It will float around the water until the time it's broken apart, or it can be oxidized. 

Chlorine generally has two readings: the combined chlorine and the free chlorine. The free one refers to the compounds that can still be able to kill the bacteria and viruses in the water, and this is something that should be over your chlorine reading. There's also a factor called breakpoint oxidation, where you should read over 10 ppm of chlorine when you do tests.

The pool shock products are made up of no chlorine of unstabilized chlorine. They will do their job, go, and evaporate because of the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is why shocking should be done at dusk or night and let the chemicals do their job for at least eight hours. This is where you run the pool at night to be ready by morning. If you have questions, you can always ask a professional for help.