Expert Tips for Balancing Pool Chemicals in North Dallas

Keeping The Chemicals Balanced In Your North Dallas Pool

Argyle, Lantana, and the surrounding North Dallas communities are recognized as being among the best places to live in Texas – and the entire country! Rolling hills, wonderful homes, communities, and schools, lots of great restaurants and shopping…it’s a great time to be here.

Many of us enjoy the luxury of a home with a pool. Keeping your pool clean, clear, and healthy can sometimes be a tricky business. Long, hot, sunny summer days evaporate water and affect chemical levels. Rain is great for your lawn, but it can wreak havoc on your pool’s water chemistry. Winds whip up, blowing leaves, dirt, and who knows what else into your pool.

Checking and maintaining proper chemical balances in your pool should be a regular routine all year ‘round.

We’d like to help you with a few tips on how to keep your pool clean, clear, and healthy. We’ll focus on five of the most important chemicals to check and balance on a regular basis. We’ll also share some insights as to what happens, and why, making it easier to know what to recognize, what to do, and what to expect.

And…spoiler alert – suffice to say that almost every pool runs into an imbalance situation at some point. There’s just so many things that come into play. Don’t worry, though. Pool Butler is always just a phone call away. We’ve been your local, loyal, industry-leading pool service in southern Denton County and North Dallas for over 25 years.

If pool maintenance seems overwhelming or, like many, your busy lifestyle makes it a challenge, we understand. Call Pool Butler at 972.317.2200. We’re trained, licensed, certified and insured to take care of things – reliably and affordably – so you can spend your time enjoying your pool.

Balance Matters – Rain Or Shine

While there are LOTS of things that can impact your pool in Argyle, Lantana, Highland Village, Flower Mound, and throughout North Dallas, it’s important to make checking and balancing chemicals as part of your weekly pool maintenance. Let’s take a look at:

what affects a few of your pool’s most important chemical balances, how, and why
what you can typically do to help bring chlorine, pH, alkalinity, cyanuric acid (CYA), and calcium back into balance (there’s others, but hey – 5 things are enough to juggle for starters)

The truth is that these chemicals and more ALL work together – ALL THE TIME – to help keep your pool’s water clear, clean, and healthy.

A Good Water Test Kit – invest a little now or pay a LOT later

One of the first and foremost things you MUST have is a good water test kit. The chemical imbalances (and some important details) you don’t see otherwise can send your pool – and your nerves – into a tailspin.

Chlorine: too much, too little…seriously?

Total chlorine, free chlorine, combined chlorine, chloramines, too much, too little…a heavy rainstorm can add gallons of fresh water to your pool, diluting chlorine levels. High winds blow around stuff like leaves, dirt, pollen, etc. The result? Your pool’s rain-diluted chlorine now has to fight off heightened bacteria and algae, too. No bueno, Amigo…

Chlorine is the chemical we focus on first; it’s the most detailed, but it helps you start to understand how everything works together – and how it can affect your pool. Hang in there; it gets easier. We promise…

Got that good water test kit we talked about? Good. Here we go…

Total chlorine – the amount of free chlorine PLUS the amount of combined chlorine. Easy math. Let’s make the math even easier – you want to maximize free chlorine and minimize combined chlorine.

Free chlorine – the amount of chlorine available to neutralize bacteria, algae, and nasties like sweat, sunscreen, and that time little Johnny couldn’t make it to the bathroom in time.

Ideal range – 2.0 to 4.0 ppm (parts per million)
Safe range – 1.0 to 5.0 ppm
Too much – you may experience red eyes, itchy skin, etc.
Too little – hello, bacteria and algae; your pool can turn cloudy and/or green

Combined chlorine – chlorine that has been used to neutralize algae, bacteria, etc., resulting in “chloramines”, which produce red eyes, itchy skin, chlorine smell and such.

Ideal (recommended) range – 0.2 ppm or less
Too much (potentially unsafe) – 0.5 ppm or above – red eyes, itchy skin, etc.

Inexpensive water test kits may only give you a reading for total chlorine. See what you can miss without that good water test kit?

Adjusting Chlorine Levels

Checking and adjusting to proper chlorine levels – especially and promptly after a heavy rainstorm – is important. A few tips – plus a comment or two because, as mentioned, chlorine is just one of the many chemicals that all need to work together properly to keep your pool clean, clear, and carefree.

Make sure you have a water test kit that gives you readings for total, free, and combined chlorine.
Adjust to the proper free chlorine levels by adding chlorine or “shocking” your pool if necessary.

If combined chlorine is too high, there are a number of ways to reduce, including:

running your pool’s filtration and circulation systems longer/more often – especially after a heavy rain
using a stabilizer (make sure you know what you’re doing; else, call Pool Butler)
- check out CYA later in this blog; chlorine and CYA work together, but CYA can work against free chlorine if you don’t balance them properly
if you’re not in a hurry (and your pool water isn’t too nasty), give the hot, direct Texas sun some time to burn off combined chlorine (careful; it burns off combined and free chlorine, so you need to readjust that free chlorine level)
(carefully) drain some water out of your pool and refill to the proper water level ASAP. We have a blog topic on maintaining proper water level in your pool, too.

If you’re not sure or familiar, don’t jeopardize your pool and its chemical balances.

(Chemical “Bounce” – Isn’t fun). Call Pool Butler Today 972.317.2200.

pH: Rain Is A Drag, Man…

OK, we promised it would get easier…

Example: rainwater is typically acidic, with a pH between 5.0 and 5.5 (compared to your pool’s ideal range of 7.4–7.6). When rain mixes with your pool water, it drags the pH down. More easy math. To contrast (we know…low pH, high acidity; high pH, high alkalinity; don’t blame us – we just make your pool stay clean, clear, and carefree):

Lemon juice – pH level of 2 (very acidic)
Tap water – pH level of 7 (neutral)
Seawater – pH level of 8 (alkaline) *Your pool’s pH may be a little higher if you have a saltwater pool; check your manuals or give us a call.
Bleach – pH level of 13 (very alkaline)

Why does pH matter?

Low pH – can cause skin and eye irritation, “etch” (slowly eat away at) your plaster, and corrode metal parts.

High pH – a good example of how your pool’s chemicals interact with and affect each other.

If pH is too high:

Water turns cloudy. See? More than one chemical imbalance can produce the same outcome. High pH impacts dissolved calcium, resulting in “calcium clouding”
High pH diminishes chlorine’s ability to sanitize.
Excessively high pH (above 9) can cause irritation to eyes and skin.
pH and alkalinity work together – when pH is high, it raises alkalinity. When alkalinity gets too high, pH and alkalinity both tend to hop aboard the Crazy Train – which can cause you a lot of time and frustration – kinda like when chlorine and CYA don’t play nice together (see below).

TIP: After a heavy rain, check your pH. While rain also affects chlorine levels, high pH can impede chlorine’s effectiveness, too.

Total Alkalinity

Alkalinity is the buffer that helps keep your pH from bouncing all over the place. The proper range for alkalinity is 80-120 ppm. Remember that alkalinity coincides with pH; it’s OK for pH to be on the higher side for saltwater pools – so gauge alkalinity accordingly.

Low alkalinity – when alkalinity drops too low, you get “pH bounce” (high fluctuations; you don’t want that).
High alkalinity – hmm…interesting. Pretty much all the same effects as high pH. Coincidence? No. A really good example of how closely your pool’s chemicals can interact with each other. Good water test kit, yada-yada…told you so.

TIP: If your pH is suddenly unpredictable after a storm, check alkalinity first.

Cyanuric Acid: Chlorine’s Sidekick (kinda…)

Cyanuric acid (CYA) interacts with chlorine – somewhat with that same weird relationship as pH and alkalinity. CYA is a stabilizer; it does things like keep the sun from burning off chlorine. And if you’re new to North Texas, welcome – we’re like 3 inches from the sun for most of the summer.

Since rainwater doesn’t come with any stabilizer, a heavy storm dilutes your CYA levels. Like we said…good for the yard, not so good for your pool.

Proper CYA level – for most pools, CYA should be between 30-50 ppm.
- If you have a saltwater pool, the range is between 30-70 ppm. The higher range accounts for saltwater pools being slower to produce chlorine.
Too little CYA – chlorine burns off…after a heavy rain AND in the hot summer Texas sun. Bacteria, algae, etc., have an open invitation to your pool
Too much CYA – chlorine becomes ineffective; bacteria and algae crash the party

IMPORTANT: after heavy rain as well as in the hot Texas summer sun, low CYA can sneak up on you. Similar to pH and alkalinity, CYA fluctuations can cause “bounce”. Bounce is no bueno. If you find yourself struggling, call Pool Butler. We have the knowledge to help fix this pesky challenge, saving you time, money, and a lot of frustration.

Calcium

A quick example to help you visualize the role calcium plays in chemical balance – and the types of things that can affect it: rainwater is soft — it has low calcium content. As it dilutes your pool’s water, it lowers the calcium hardness. Let’s look at calcium in general, though, as it pertains to your pool’s health.

Proper range for calcium hardness – 200-400 ppm
Low calcium – water starts pulling the calcium it needs/wants out of your pool’s walls (“etching”).
Too much calcium – you get “scaling” – that chalky buildup that you see on metal, your waterline tiles, etc. In extreme cases, scaling can impede your filtration and circulation systems.

TIP: eventually, most pools develop some amount of scaling. It typically takes a lot of time, energy, and caustic chemicals to remove yourself. Pool Butler has invested in a cost-effective system that removes scaling without caustic chemicals and excessive pool draining/refilling. If your waterline tile needs some whitening and brightening, give us a call.

Happily Ever After (or at least until the next storm…or heat wave…)

Hopefully this blog has helped you better understand the importance of checking chemical balance regularly (weekly or more), the absolute necessity of a good water test kit, and some easy tips to help keep your pool’s water – and your sanity – in proper balance.

To summarize – especially after a storm (and pretty much always):

Clean out debris that came in with the storm.
Test your water – at a minimum, chlorine (total, free, and combined), pH, alkalinity, CYA, and calcium hardness.
Adjust your chemicals as needed.
Run your pool’s filtration/circulation systems regularly so they can do their job, including proper distribution of chemicals and filtering your water.
Call Pool Butler if things get out of hand – the reality is that crazy fluctuations hit almost every pool sooner or later. We have over 25 years’ experience doing everything except build pools.

Where We Serve

While we’re based in southern Denton County, Pool Butler has proudly served the greater North Dallas area for over 25 years. We’ve built our business with a careful, steady approach—one that ensures our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction never wavers. This thoughtful growth also allows us to deliver greater efficiency, better results, and meaningful savings directly to you.

Dallas County

Addison, Carrollton, Dallas, Farmers Branch, Garland, Highland Park, Irving, Richardson, Rowlett, Sachse, University Park, and Wylie

Denton County

Argyle, Carrollton, Denton, Flower Mound, Frisco, Lake Dallas, Lewisville, Little Elm, Roanoke, The Colony, Highland Village, Double Oak, Copper Canyon, Lantana, and Corinth

Collin County

Allen, Fairview, Frisco, Hebron, McKinney, Murphy, Nevada, Plano, Prosper, Richardson, and Sachse

Tarrant County

Arlington, Bedford, Colleyville, Dalworthington Gardens, Euless, Fort Worth, Grapevine, Hurst, Keller, and Southlake

Don’t see your location? No worries. Just give us a call. We love helping people and making new friends!