BASIC POOL CHEMISTRY

A decent understanding of Pool Chemistry can go a long way in keeping your swimming pool sanitized, algae free, sparkling, crystal clear and beautiful. Pool Chemistry is not rocket science. It is simple, effective and will help you cut costs big time, as against traditional store methods. http://poolcalculator.com/chemistry.html 

There are nine chemical levels that every pool owner needs to keep track of:

1. FC - Free Chlorine – Keeps your pool water safe, free of germs and in balance. 

2. PH - Acidity/Alkalinity - Indicates how acidic or basic the water is. Needs to be kept in balance to prevent irritation and protect the pool equipment.
3. TA - Total Alkalinity - Total alkalinity indicates the water's ability to buffer PH changes. Appropriate levels help keep the PH in balance. High levels can cause PH to rise.
4. CH - Calcium Hardness - Calcium hardness indicates the amount of calcium in the water. Appropriate levels help prevent plaster damage. High levels can cause calcium scaling.
5. CYA - Cyanuric Acid - Often called stabilizer or conditioner, CYA protects FC from sunlight and lowers the effective strength of the FC and determines the required FC level.
6. CC - Combined Chlorine – It’s the smell many people associate with chlorine pools. CC indicates that there is something in the water that the FC is in the process of breaking down.
7. SALT - Required with a SWG (Salt Water Chlorine Generator). Can also be added to the water to enhance the subjective feel of the water. 
8. BORATE – An optional enhancement that helps control PH drift, keeps algae in check, and provides various subjective water quality/feel improvements. 
9. PHOSPHATE - Phosphates are sometimes removed from the pool to keep algae in check. Since chlorine alone can keep algae in check, phosphates are not required.