Adding water balancing chemicals is essential to keeping your pool properly sanitized. When you test for balance, you focus on three main things: pH, total alkalinity, and calcium hardness.
Ideal pH levels for a pool should be 7.4 to 7.8. Anything over 7.8 may result in cloudy water and algae formation, among other issues.
Total alkalinity levels should be between 80 and 120 ppm. Alkalinity also influences your pool pH. So, if you add an acid to lower the alkalinity, you also reduce the pH levels.
Calcium hardness is a measure of whether the water is hard or soft. Its optimum range is 200 to 400 ppm. If the hardness is high, it results in the formation of calcium or magnesium deposits on pool surfaces. If it is too low, it may corrode the pipes and concrete.