When we think about maintaining a pool, we often think about filtration or cleaning. But there is an even more essential aspect: pool water balancing. Well-balanced water is the key to a clean, clear, and pleasant pool to use.
At Piscine Hippocampe, we often meet owners who use the right products... but in the wrong order. And that’s where problems start: cloudy water, skin irritation, unpleasant odors, or even damaged equipment.
In this article, we explain to you, step by step, in which order to add chemicals for optimal pool water balancing.
Table of Content
Why is the order so important?
The pool water balancing is not just a matter of chemicals, it is a true science of balance. Each chemical parameter of the water – alkalinity, pH, chlorine, stabilizer, calcium hardness – is interconnected. Changing one without considering the others can quickly cause major imbalances, even if the products used are the right ones.
Let's take a concrete example: if you add chlorine while your pH is too high, it will lose up to 90% of its effectiveness. Result: you thought you were disinfecting your water, but you are wasting your product with no real effect. Worse, your water could remain cloudy or even become irritating to the skin and eyes.
And that's not all. If your alkalinity is too low, the pH will become unstable and difficult to adjust. Every small change will have an exaggerated effect. Conversely, too high alkalinity will make it almost impossible to lower the pH, which can lead to the formation of lime deposits, cloudy water, or premature wear of equipment such as the heater or filter.
Add to that the importance of cyanuric acid, which protects chlorine from the sun's UV rays: without it, chlorine evaporates quickly, especially on hot summer days. Finally, calcium hardness plays a key role in preventing corrosion of concrete surfaces or scale buildup.
That is why it is essential to follow a logical and structured order when adding chemicals. By following this order – alkalinity → pH → chlorine → stabilizer → calcium – you maximize the effectiveness of each treatment, limit product waste, and ensure clear, comfortable, and safe water for the whole family.
Clearer water
Less product used
Increased comfort for swimmers
A longer lifespan for your equipment
🧪 Step 1: Test the water — the foundation of any good pool water balance
Before even thinking about adding any product to your pool, it is essential to test the water. Why? Because a good treatment decision can only be made with accurate data. It's a bit like wanting to cook without knowing the ingredients already in the recipe: you risk adding too much... or not enough.
A good pool water balance always starts with a thorough analysis. This test allows you to measure the essential parameters for the balance of your pool:
💧 Total alkalinity (ideal target: between 80 and 120 ppm )
Alkalinity acts as a chemical buffer that helps stabilize pH. If it is too low, the pH becomes unstable. If it is too high, it becomes difficult to adjust.📏 pH (ideally between 7.4 and 7.6 )
pH measures the acidity or alkalinity of the water. A well-balanced pH ensures comfortable water for the skin, and above all, it allows chlorine to work effectively.🧼 Free chlorine (between 1 and 3 ppm )
This is the chlorine that is actually active in the water, the one that disinfects and destroys contaminants. Too low, the water becomes a breeding ground for algae. Too high, it becomes irritating.☀️ Cyanuric acid (30 to 50 ppm)
Also called stabilizer, it protects chlorine from sunlight, especially in the summer. Lack of stabilizer can cause 90% of chlorine to evaporate in a few hours.🪨 Calcium hardness (200 to 400 ppm)
This parameter controls the amount of calcium dissolved in the water. Water that is too soft can attack concrete or metal equipment, while water that is too hard promotes scale deposits.
1. Adjust alkalinity – The foundation of pool water balancing
Total alkalinity is often overlooked, but it is the fundamental first step in pool water balancing. It acts as a regulator: its main purpose is to stabilize the pH of your water. Good alkalinity prevents large fluctuations that make water treatment ineffective and unpredictable.
🛑 What happens if alkalinity is poor?
Too low (< 80 ppm): the pH becomes unstable. Even small amounts of other products can cause large pH swings. This can lead to corrosive water, irritating to skin and eyes, and damaging to equipment (pump, seals, heater).
Too high (> 120 ppm): the water becomes too "buffered." The pH will be difficult to adjust, which also makes chlorine less effective and promotes deposits of lime or scale.
👉 That is why we always start by correcting alkalinity in the pool water balancing process.
2. Correcting pH – An essential balance for healthy and pleasant water
The pool water pH is probably the most influential parameter on the overall quality of your water. Too often neglected or poorly adjusted, it is nevertheless at the heart of pool water balancing. A good pH allows chlorine to act effectively, offers optimal comfort to swimmers, and extends the life of your equipment.
🎯 What is the right pH value for a residential pool?
The ideal range is between 7.4 and 7.6.
Why? Because it is the perfect balance point between water that is neither too acidic nor too basic:
At 7,4 , the water is as close as possible to the pH of human eyes. Result: no irritation, no stinging.
A stable pH in this range allows chlorine to reach its maximum effectiveness, about 60 to 70% of its disinfecting potential.
⚠️ What happens if the pH is poorly adjusted?
pH too low (< 7.2)
The water becomes acidic: it attacks joints, surfaces, and metal equipment.
It is irritating to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes.
Chlorine wears out faster.
pH too high (> 7.8)
The water becomes basic: it promotes lime deposits.
Chlorine becomes inactive or ineffective.
The water becomes cloudy and less pleasant for swimming.
🧪 How to correct your pool's pH?
Before adjusting the pH, make sure that alkalinity has been corrected (see step 1). Otherwise, you risk seeing the pH swing back in the wrong direction quickly.
➕ If the pH is too low
Use a pH increaser (sodium carbonate, also called “pH Plus”).
Follow the dosages indicated on the label or ask the Hippocampe Pool team for advice.
➖ If the pH is too high
Add a pH reducer (muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate, depending on your preference and pool type).
Be careful not to pour the product directly on the bottom: dilute it in a bucket and pour it slowly in front of a return jet, with the pump running.
Hippocampe Pool Tip: it's better to adjust gradually, in small doses, rather than overcorrect and have to bounce from one extreme to the other.
3. Add chlorine (sanitizer) – The barrier against bacteria
Once alkalinity and pH are properly adjusted, it's time to disinfect the water with a sanitizer. The most commonly used in residential pools is undoubtedly chlorine. It is an essential product to maintain clean, clear, and safe water for health. But be careful: for it to be effective, it must be added at the right time, that is, after adjusting alkalinity and pH.
🦠 Why is chlorine so important?
Chlorine is the main disinfectant used in pools. It eliminates:
Bacteria,
Viruses,
Algae,
And all undesirable microorganisms.
By maintaining a good chlorine level, you ensure safe water for your family. But if the pool water balance is inadequate, especially regarding pH, chlorine becomes much less effective.
📉 For example, at a pH of 8.0, chlorine is 90% less active than at a pH of 7.4. In other words, even if you added the right amount, it will not work properly. That is why it is crucial to wait until the pH is well stabilized before chlorinating the water.
4. Add the stabilizer – Protect chlorine for lasting effectiveness
Chlorine is an excellent disinfectant, but it has a weakness: the sun's ultraviolet rays. In the middle of summer, without adequate protection, up to 90% of free chlorine can degrade in just a few hours. Result: your water looks well-maintained in the morning but becomes unstable in the afternoon, and you end up using more chlorine than necessary.
This is where the stabilizer, also known as cyanuric acid (CYA), comes in. It acts as a chemical sunscreen for chlorine: it protects it, extends its lifespan, and prevents you from losing all your disinfectant treatment at the first rays.
🎯 What is the right stabilizer concentration?
For a residential pool, the target concentration is 30 to 50 ppm (parts per million). Below 30 ppm, protection is insufficient. Above 50 ppm, the stabilizer slows down the chlorine action too much, which can make the water cloudy or promote algae problems.
Important: the stabilizer does not evaporate. Once in the water, it only disappears in case of draining or dilution. That is why it is unnecessary — even harmful — to add it too often.
🌞 New: the Solei technology — a revolution in chlorine stabilization
At Piscine Hippocampe, we now offer you a more modern, more effective, and more water balance-friendly stabilization solution: the Solei™ technology.
What is Solei™?
Solei is a next-generation stabilizer technology, designed to replace or complement conventional cyanuric acid. Its goal is simple: to protect chlorine without slowing its effectiveness.
✅ Advantages of Solei™ compared to the traditional stabilizer:
Traditional stabilizer (CYA)Slows chlorine at high dosesDifficult to eliminate (not biodegradable) Risk of accumulation in the water May require partial draining Sometimes unpredictable long-term effects |
|---|
Solei™ technological stabilizerMaintains consistent efficiencyEvolving technology, better controllable Less residue, more ecological Compatible with sustainable maintenance Prolonged stability and measurable performance |
|---|
💧 Why choose Solei™ for your pool?
You use less chlorine in the long term.
You limit chemical fluctuations.
You benefit from more stable, clearer, and safer water.
You contribute to a more responsible management of your pool by reducing the overuse of chemical products.
💡 At Piscine Hippocampe, our team can advise you on the transition to Solei™, or on combined use with a reduced CYA level, depending on your pool and maintenance habits.
5. Correct calcium hardness – Protect your surfaces and equipment
Calcium hardness, also called water hardness, refers to the amount of minerals — mainly calcium — dissolved in your pool water. Although this step is often the last to check, it remains essential for proper pool water balance, especially in the long term.
Water that is too soft or too hard can cause serious damage to your surfaces, equipment, and even affect swimming comfort. A good calcium level helps protect your pool against corrosion, material degradation, and scale buildup.
⚠️ Why is calcium hardness important?
The mineral balance of the water works in tandem with pH and alkalinity to preserve the physical integrity of your pool. Here is what can happen if hardness is not adequate:
🧪 Water too soft (hardness < 150 ppm):
The water becomes aggressive and corrosive.
It can dissolve the lime present in joints, concrete pool plaster, or metal parts (such as ladders, water heaters, or plumbing accessories).
In the long term, this can lead to premature degradation of your coating, leaks, or rust.
Water too hard (hardness > 400 ppm):
The water is saturated with calcium, which causes:
Whitish deposits on walls (lime efflorescence),
Limescale deposits in filters, pipes, and heat exchangers,
Cloudy water even with a good chlorine level.
This also increases the consumption of corrective chemicals, and reduces the efficiency of the filtration system.
👉 The goal is to maintain calcium hardness within an optimal range, between 200 and 400 ppm.
How to correct calcium hardness?
➕ To increase hardness:
Use a calcium hardness increaser (often called "calcium increaser").
➖ To reduce hardness:
Unfortunately, there is no common chemical product to lower calcium hardness.
You therefore need to proceed with a water dilution:
Partial draining of the pool (10 to 30%),
Then filling with softer water (tap or rainwater, depending on the region
This operation is especially necessary in regions where the water is naturally very hard, such as some rural areas.
Calcium hardness and types of pools
The ideal calcium hardness level partly depends on the type of coating of your pool. For example, if you have a concrete pool or one with a textured finish, it is better to maintain hardness between 250 and 400 ppm, as these surfaces are more vulnerable to too soft water, which can slowly erode them over time.
For pools equipped with a vinyl liner, a range between 200 and 300 ppm is generally sufficient. These materials are less sensitive to mineral variations in the water, although they can still suffer from excess lime.
Finally, if your pool has a fiberglass coating, a slightly lower hardness, between 175 and 275 ppm, is recommended. This type of surface is relatively resistant but can still show deposits if the hardness is too high.
In summary, it is better to adapt the calcium hardness to the nature of your pool to ensure optimal protection against corrosion, lime deposits, and premature wear of your coating.
Conclusion
Pool water balancing is like a recipe: you need to follow the steps in the right order to get a perfect result. By adjusting alkalinity, pH, chlorine, stabilizer, then calcium, you ensure clear, comfortable, and safe water.
Need personalized advice or products suited to your residential pool? Visit Piscine Hippocampe, your expert in pool water balancing in Quebec.
