Swimming Pool Chemistry - First Time Pool Owner

We bought a new house in Fountain Hills, AZ. With the hot weather in the summer it just seemed to make sense. Being the science guy I really wanted to understand why all this pool chemistry stuff seemed so complicated. I'm a DIY guy and a scientist, so how hard can this stuff really be.


The 4 main DIY tools to maintain my swimming pool chemistry and water clarity are:


My friend Bill

He's had pools in Arizona for many year, but not sure how to franchise his knowledge, so most of you can skip this one.


Trouble Free Pools website

http://www.troublefreepool.com - great website with real information on pool chemistry and how simple it really is. I now effectively maintain my pool myself with Walmart bleach (sidum hypochlorite and water), Muratic acid.

When filling the pool I added Cyanuric acid as a Chlorine stabilizer and Borax as a buffer/mild anti algaecide.

Now "knowing" my pool, It's a couple cups of bleach every morning and some acid on the weekends. Water temperature has the biggest effect on Chlorine usage here in Arizona.

Read the 123-abc-of-pool-water-chemistry article at Trouble Free Pools and you'll get to the same place.


Good wet chemistry test kit

http://tftestkits.net - Cost effective test kit for pool water, let's me understand the makeup of my pool. I do a quick free temperature, chlorine and pH test 2-3 times a week and a deep test once a month.


Pool Pal android app

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plb.pool&hl=en All the tests and maintenance are kept track of in this app.

1. Download the app to your smartphone (iOS or Android)
2. Put in your pool size once
3. Put in the concentration of chemicals you use (% acid and % sodium hypochlorite)
4. Regular test results and the app will tell you how much chemical to add

I also use the app to keep track of my regular maintenance actives (chemicals, filter maintenance, etc) on the pool. You can easily export the data anytime to get a view of your pool maintenance activities over time.

If your a new pool owner, I hope these tools help you understand how simple pool chemistry can be. If you want to maintain your own pool it's not a big deal, if you get the the right information the first time. Here is my profile information at Trouble Free Pools, so you can see I'm a regular guy - http://www.troublefreepool.com/members/79914-Trebacz.

Location: Fountain Hills, AZ, USA

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