Whats the difference between pH and Alkalinity?
(While they influence each other, they are different components of your pool water and different tests are required.) pH represents the amount of Hydrogen ion in the water. More Hydrogen ion means more acidity and pH is lower. The pH scale is logarithmic, so every pH unit represents a ten-fold change in acidity or alkalinity. The scale goes form 0 to 14, with pH = 7.0 being neutral. Some common household acids include vinegar (pH 3) and lemon juice, (pH 2). Products with higher than neutral pHs are eggs (pH 7.8) and household ammonia, (pH 10). Why is pH important? a) Swimmers comfort is affected by the pH of the water. Most people swim with their eyes open. The pH of tears is about 7.4. Pool water with a different pH will irritate the eyes. So test the pH and adjust to 7.2. The natural tendency with Sustain is for the pH to increase slowly. b) The effectiveness of Free Available Chlorine (FAC) is influenced by the pH. As the pH increases, the effectiveness as a sanitizer decreases. For
pH is the abbreviation for “potential hydrogen” and the reading indicates the concentration of hydrogen ions in the water. Basically, it is the measure of how acidic or basic (alkaline) the water is. Total alkalinity is the measure of how stable the pH is. It measures the pool water’s buffering capacity to resist pH changes. Without control of the total alkalinity, the pH will rise and fall abruptly.
